Comcast Snubs Gun Industry, Refuses to Air Gun-Related Commercials

[Wendell]

“Consistent with long standing NBC policies, Comcast Spotlight has decided it will not accept new advertising for firearms or weapons moving forward. This policy aligns us with the guidelines in place at many media organizations,” wrote Chris Ellis, the director of communications at Comcast Spotlight.
<http://www.guns.com/2013/02/20/comcast-snubs-gun-industry-refuses-to-air-gun-related-commercials-video/>

Comcast Snubs Gun Industry, Refuses to Air Gun-Related Commercials (VIDEO)
<http://www.guns.com/2013/02/20/comcast-snubs-gun-industry-refuses-to-air-gun-related-commercials-video/>

Comcast To Firearms Shops: Your Money’s No Good Here
<http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/02/19/comcast-to-firearms-shops-your-moneys-no-good-here/>

[cclaxton]

I work in the media industry and want to explain something:
Comcast Spotlight is a syndicated ad sales organization that actually sells ads for many cable and broadcast channels and for local ad insertion. They are essentially a broker. While they are the largest ad sales broker, they are not the only ones. Also, the industry is starting to move to bidding for ad placement and that will eventually make these policy-based restrictions go away. While Comcast Spotllight may not sell the ads, the real test is whether specific cable and broadcast providers will allow ads on their channels.

So you could be on a Comcast Cable system (which is a different division of Comcast entirely) and still see some channels playing gun-related advertising. That means that ad was either sold directly to the channel providers or was sold through another broker. So, like the google Shopping restrictions...it creates a competitive opportunity for other companies/providers.

Also, Cable companies such as Comcast or Verizon don't generally get involved in the content that is aired on the channels. Those decisions are made by the channel programmers and providers themselves.

In the end there will be cable channels that want the money and will air those ads and they will find a way to sell them.

Competition at work, baby!
CC

[orionz06]

I am not happy but I fail to see "control" over a dying media form that is not used by the 2A crowds as an issue. We have commercials on certain shows and that is it. I think the content of crime drama shows and everything else desensitizing people to guns is far more useful than Gunworld's $799 Glock sale.

[cclaxton]

This depends on the types of ads they refuse to run. If they are gun advocacy ads and they are on mainstream channels, then that is a problem. The political goal is to convince enough people in the middle of the political spectrum to side with gun freedoms over gun control. In order to reach those moderates or those in the middle, you need to run ads. If you can't run those ads on mainstream media, it cuts off a very powerful political tool to affect the poll numbers. And affecting the poll numbers is what the game is about these days.

If the gun control political machine is running their ads but the gun freedom political machine cannot....that is a major problem and we should make major noise over that. (I am not saying that is the case....it is too early to tell at this point.)

CC