Shocking! (Video: Get to Know Us First, via YouTube)
No nudity, no sex, no violence, no car crashes, no caffeinated sugar water, no explosions, no cell phone hawking hipsters, no weight loss programs, and no ask your doctor if over-medicating is right for you. No wonder the local ABC affiliate in Los Angeles, California found these ads “too controversial” to air before, during and after the Presidential Inauguration.
The five ads above were created by the non-profit organization Get to Know Us First and have been in the works for some time. The one specifically rejected by ABC in LA shows two African American men raising five children in Los Angeles.
From Get to Know Us First:
The media buy was attempted by the organization’s ad agency, New and Improved Media. Its CEO, Keith Fisher, was surprised that KABC rejected the group’s money. Fisher said, “We usually only see this with risque content, as in a trailer for a movie.” He added, “If KABC thinks they have to protect the public from this family, something’s obviously very wrong over there.”
Chris Yokogawa, the ad agency’s media buyer, worked with the station, attempting to ease any concerns they might have. He said, “We went back and forth a couple of times. I explained that this family is far from controversial. They were firm in their rejection. They said it was too controversial to air during the Inauguration, since ‘many families will be watching.’”
The ad aired across California on Tuesday — before, during and after the Presidential Inauguration on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Despierta America (Univision) and Levantate (Telemundo) broadcasts, as well as on a wide range of regional news stations, CNN and FoxNews during evening coverage of the day’s events.
(emphasis: mine)
The “too controversial” ad was aired in 42 of California’s 56 counties. As for the bit about “families will be watching,” I think that was the whole point. ABC, our families were watching too!
Comments
2 Comments so far. Comments are closed.I’m surprised.
Have you watched the local news on KABC Los Angeles? It’s so insane, so jacked up, I can’t believe they have any standards.
I’m stunned.
I grew up in the Los Angeles area. KABC is the last of the networks I’d expect to pull something like this, especially if the ad was aired in the majority of California counties.