The Strange Case of the Two PTC Ads

The Strange Case of the Two Parents Television Council Ads

[NEWSPAPER ADS]

The full-page ad for the Parent's Television Council that featured Bill Bennett

The full-page ad for the Parent's Television Council that featured Michael Powell

POSTED MAY 9, 2003 --

Today a friend of Cursor's pointed out to us a full-page ad on the back of the Variety section of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that featured none other than William J. Bennett threatening Television sponsors for their moral degradation!

The ad was for a group called the Parents Television Council. But when Cursor looked through our copy of the newspaper, there were two Variety sections, and only one of them had the Bennett ad (above left). The other had what looked like a hasty adaptation of the first (above right), with Bennett replaced with a picture of the group's target, Michael K. Powell, chair of the FCC. Had the Bennett ad been pulled, but not in time? Cursor has a call in to the Trib and is waiting...

UPDATE: May 21, 2003:

Lou Gelfand, the fine readers' rep at the Star Tribune, informs us that the twin ads were not an attempt to pull ads with Bill Bennett in them, just a routine running of two separate ads to see which would get more response.