Pubdate: Tue, 18 Jan 2000
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Copyright: 2000 Houston Chronicle
Contact: viewpoints@chron.com
Address: Viewpoints Editor, P.O. Box 4260 Houston, Texas 77210-4260
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Page: 6D
Author: Ann Hodges, Houston Chronicle TV Critic

ANTI-DRUG ADS POLICY PUTS TV EXECUTIVES AND GOVERNMENT ON EDGE

PASADENA, Calif. -- ABC was asked by the White House drug policy
office to send scripts of unaired TV shows for review as part of its
"match" for anti-drug commercials, ABC president Patricia Fili-Krushel
told the Television Critics Association.

In the wake of that announcement, White House drug czar Gen. Barry
McCaffrey issued a statement saying the Office of National Drug
Control Policy "will re-examine" the issue.

Essentially, the plan works like this: The government pays for
anti-drug public service ads to run on the networks. Under law, the
networks are supposed to put up an equal amount of airtime for
anti-drug ads. (Effectively, that allows the government to spend about
half the cost for airtime.)

But instead of putting up all of the airtime, the networks have
allowed the drug policy office to review network programs that contain
anti-drug themes. If the office believes the program contains an
effective anti-drug message, it can rule that airtime compensation has
been satisfied.

Donald R. Vereen, deputy director of the drug policy office, told
reporters Friday that the drug office does not approve scripts or ask
for them, but that they are sent voluntarily "after they have already
aired."

Fili-Krushel said that the request for scripts in advance came in this
second year of the drug office's National Youth Anti-Drug Media
Campaign to increase the number of anti-drug ads on TV.

"It was not something we were comfortable with doing," she said. "We
told them we would not submit any scripts or programs before they
aired, and therefore were not eligible for the programming content
match the second year."

The drug policy office's re-examination will be "to ensure that there
is absolutely no suggestion or inference that the federal government
is exercising any control whatsoever over the creative process,"
McCaffrey's statement said.