TV stations battle behind the scenes in Vegas

A battle among television stations in Las Vegas complete with a complaint filed with the FCC by Jim Rogers of Valley Broadcasting has already sparked a huge feud and you can bet this is only the beginning of a long war.

In the complaint, the feisty Rogers, owner of KVBC TV-3 in Las Vegas, went after KVVU TV-5, KLAS TV-8 and KTNV TV-13 charging that the competition sold time while using reporters to conduct interviews in an alleged agreement to keep the advertiser – United Automotive – happy.

In other words, the accused stations allegedly crossed the lines of journalistic ethics by guaranteeing news coverage as part of the agreement with Arrowhead Advertising. Such an accusation is the ultimate kick in the teeth to journalists.

During the broadcasts, a 30-second commercial was aired featuring a “reporter” and a member of United Automotive detailing the liquidation process while also telling of steep discounts. The problem was that the commercial did not have a disclaimer at the bottom of the spot to show that the so-called interview was actually a paid-for commercial and not a live interview.
The fact that the commercial was aired many times during a news broadcast undoubtedly confused some viewers who may have thought that the commercial was actually a news report.The practice of mixing the news and advertising violates FCC regulations and thereby sends chills down the spine of every employee involved. The fact that the advertising buy also reportedly required news coverage complicated matters even worse since such an agreement is frowned upon.

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