[wonder if anyone might phone these unpatriotic nations which are harming our nation?
- Will]
----- forwarded message ------
Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2003 06:51:22 -0700
From: Teresa Binstock <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Stations reject TV ads that connect SUVs to terrorism
Stations reject TV ads that connect SUVs to terrorism
By JOAN LOWY, SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
Wednesday, January 8, 2003
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/103150_suv08.shtml
Television stations in New York, Detroit and Los Angeles are refusing to air ads
that link driving sport utility vehicles with supporting terrorism, producers of
the ads said yesterday.
The two ads were produced for The Detroit Project, a media campaign organized by
author and columnist Arianna Huffington and Hollywood movie producer Lawrence
Bender, among others. Both ads were modeled on hard-hitting anti-drug public
service announcements produced by the Bush administration that equate drug use
with support for violence and terrorism.
In one ad, a man pumps gas into his SUV while a voice says that every time he
fills up he makes money for oil companies who buy oil from countries that
support terrorists. A map of the Persian Gulf shows Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq
and Iran.
"What kind of mileage does your SUV get? Oil money supports some terrible
things," the ad says.
The second ad, in an ironic vein, features supposed SUV owners proudly claiming
responsibility for blowing up nightclubs and putting U.S. troops in harm's way.
It concludes: "What is your SUV doing to national security? Detroit, America
needs hybrid cars now."
Stations who have refused to air the ads are WABC in New York; WDIV in Detroit;
and WABC and WCBS in Los Angeles, Huffington said.
"I guess it takes courage to go up against the auto manufacturers and some of
these networks don't have that kind of guts," said Bender, who produced the hit
movies "Good Will Hunting" and "Pulp Fiction."
Art Moore, programming director for WABC, said the station has a policy against
running any "controversial" ads.
Officials for the three other stations declined to comment on their reasons for
rejecting the ads.
The media campaign is part of a growing national backlash against SUVs, which
now account for 27 percent of the U.S. car market. When combined with minivans
and small pickups, sales of so-called "light trucks" now exceed new car sales.
The United States produces 25 percent of the world's man-made carbon dioxide,
the chief greenhouse gas responsible for global warming.
"We're asking the public to connect the dots between our behavior as consumers
and national security," Huffington said. "We're not trying to demonize SUVs."
Huffington said she drove a Lincoln Navigator until shortly after Sept. 11, when
a friend persuaded her that driving gas-guzzlers undermines national security.
She now drives a Toyota Prius, a four-door hybrid electric that gets about 50
miles per gallon.
On Monday, General Motors, the world's biggest automaker, announced that it
plans to offer a variety of hybrid cars over the next four years. However,
automakers reject any connection between gas-guzzlers and national security.
"Eighty percent of refined oil (used in the United States) comes from outside
the Persian Gulf," said Eron Shosteck, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. "We
as an industry are doing our part by offering consumers choices. We offer more
than 30 different models that get 30 miles to the gallon or better, but very few
consumers buy them."
The corporate average fuel economy standard for SUVs and other light trucks is
20.7 mpg, versus 27.5 mpg for other cars.
The Bush administration has opposed increasing fuel economy standards except for
a token 1.5 mpg increase for light trucks to be phased in over several years.
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