Set in the morning TV news

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Name-brand products make regular appearances on television shows, where they are typically written into a drama, comedy or reality programme. But TV news?

In recent weeks, anchors on the Fox affiliate in Las Vegas, KVVU, sit with cups of McDonald’s iced coffee on their desks during the news-and-lifestyle portion of their morning show. The anchors rarely touch the cups.

Executives at the station, one of 12 owned by the Meredith Corp, say the six-month promotion is meant to shore up advertising revenue and it will not influence content. “There was a healthy dose of scepticism, and I’m pleased there was—it means they’re being journalists,” said Adam P Bradshaw, news director of KVVU.

The arrangement does raise questions about potential conflicts between the intended message and news content. The ad agency that arranged the promotion said the cups were likely be whisked away if KVVU chooses to report a negative story about McDonald’s.

Karsh/Hagan is the advertising agency that arranged the six-month deal.

Other stations owned by Meredith—including WFSB, the CBS affiliate in Hartford, Connecticut, and WGCL, the CBS affiliate in Atlanta—are also accepting product placements.

Such arrangements are anathema to journalists and media watchdogs. The issue of product placements is under scrutiny at the Federal Communications Commission, which is weighing tighter rules for how sponsorships on TV shows are disclosed.

Paul Karpowicz, the president of Meredith Broadcasting Group, said that product placements on his stations were limited to morning news shows.

“If something happens and we have to report something about McDonald’s, we’ll report it,” said Bradshaw of KVVU. “I would not put product placement into any of my traditional hard newscasts. I would not run it in my 5 pm or my 10 pm.” He said he was not allowing the McDonald’s cups on the so-called straight-news portion of the morning report, which is before 7 am, but on a lighter, news-and-lifestyle show that goes from 7 to 9 am.