Pubdate: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 Source: Wall Street Journal (US) Copyright: 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Contact: 200 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10281 Website: http://www.wsj.com/ Author: Joe Flint, Staff Reporter Of The Wall Street Journal Related: The Salon report at: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00.n043.a09.html DrugSense Alert at: http://www.mapinc.org/alert/0145.html U.S. TO REVIEW THE INCENTIVE PLAN FOR NETWORKS' ANTIDRUG MESSAGES The White House's drug-crime fighter said he will review a controversial government program that gives television networks financial inducements for antidrug messages in their entertainment shows. The major TV networks steadfastly maintained that they hadn't given the government any control over content of their shows by submitting scripts or finished programs to the White House drug office. But ABC Television also said it will no longer seek government credit for including antidrug themes in its entertainment shows. The credits reduced the number of free public-service commercials the broadcasters are expected to provide under a $1 billion spending plan for antidrug advertising approved by Congress in 1997. For every paid ad, the networks were to provide a free one, but the number of free ads could be reduced if programs submitted to the drug office contained antidrug messages. Networks then could profit by selling the returned commercial time to paying customers. While President Clinton and other White House officials initially voiced support for the program after details were disclosed Thursday, Barry McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, or ONDCP, said over the weekend that the practice will be reviewed. "We will re-examine the Media Campaign's processes for assessing program content to ensure that there is absolutely no suggestion or inference that the federal government is exercising any control whatsoever over the creative process," he said in a statement. Alan Levitt, manager of the drug office's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, which oversaw the ad program, added that he wants to "insure there is no perceived pressure" on networks to provide or alter content in consideration for getting credit from the ONDCP. ABC Response Patricia Fili-Krushel, president of Walt Disney Co.'s ABC TV unit, said her network will match the government's antidrug ads with free public-service announcements only, rather than seeking credit for the content of its shows. Like other network executives, she said ABC had never asked its program suppliers to add antidrug messages to their shows. General Electric Co. said in a statement that it didn't plan to re-evaluate its dealings with the ONDCP. News Corp.'s Fox, Viacom Inc.'s UPN and Time Warner Inc.'s WB also said they had no plans to alter their relationship with ONDCP. A CBS Corp. spokesman declined to comment on whether the network would change its practices with the ONDCP. To date, the ONDCP said it has generated about $180 million in free public-service advertising from various media outlets. Of that, $21.8 million was in the form of programming content for antidrug-abuse messages that reduced the amount of free ad time the networks must provide. The debate over whether the networks had compromised themselves in the arrangement with the ONDCP continued to swirl in the entertainment industry and elsewhere, with vocal critics and supporters on both sides. Though all the networks say any antidrug changes were voluntary, some critics cited the appearance of impropriety as a problem. Plan Called 'Wrong-Headed' "It's inappropriate for government to participate this way in the production of television," said Gail Berman, president of New Regency Television, producer of "Malcolm in the Middle" for Fox. David Kissinger, president of USA Networks Inc.'s Studios USA, which produces "Law & Order" for NBC, said the plan to have the government impose a value system on entertainment programming is "wrong-headed on every level." But WB Chief Executive Jamie Kellner, whose network took input from the ONDCP on episodes of two WB shows -- "The Wayans Brothers" and "Smart Guy" -- dismissed any suggestion that his network had allowed the government to interfere with the creative process or to sign off on scripts. "I'm amazed that this has been made into something that it is important, when it is not," Mr. Kellner said. On the two shows in question, he said, the network also noted the ONDCP's input in credits running at the end of each broadcast. "This has nothing to do with the creative process," Mr. Kellner said of submitting scripts to the drug office for review. "This is about accuracy, and it's offensive to challenge the motive." Most producers say they were unaware of the antidrug arrangement, and many high-ranking network and studio executives also say they didn't know about the ad-time arrangement in operation for nearly two years. Still many entertainment executives said they didn't see it as a problem as long as their program content hadn't been changed. Dick Wolf, creator of "Law & Order" and a harsh critic of a government role in content, including efforts to legislate a TV ratings system several years ago, said his shows' content had never been altered. As for the possibility of NBC getting commercial time back to sell as a result of one of his shows, Mr. Wolf said: "It would be remarkably good business." Even how the program was supposed to work was a point of confusion over the weekend. ABC's Ms. Fili-Krushel said Saturday that the network stopped working with the ONCDP on using entertainment to meet its obligations after the drug office started requesting scripts in advance of broadcast for review. The drug office's Mr. Levitt vehemently denied that scripts were requested, saying the apparently contradictory statements were the result of "a legitimate misunderstanding." Coincidental with the drug-ad controversy, the ONDCP, as previously scheduled, Friday issued a report stating that there is very little depiction of illicit drugs on network prime-time TV. The study, which the ONDCP said cost $300,000, found 3% of characters in 168 episodes of the 42 top-rated programs used illegal drugs. `~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Glenn Burkins Contributed To This Article. - --- MAP posted-by: manemez j lovitto