Pro-life Superbowl Ad Rejected

Story Here

NBC is coming under fire from pro-life advocates for rejecting a television commercial a pro-life group hoped to run during the Super Bowl. The ad shows a beautiful picture of an unborn child during an ultrasound and asks what would happen if President Barack Obama had been a victim of abortion. ...

After several days of negotiations, an NBC representative in Chicago told the group late yesterday that NBC and the NFL are not interested in advertisements involving "political advocacy or issues."

This is the commercial -



I'm trying to find a statement on the NBC website that discuss's this. So far all I can find is people quoting the NBC statement but without links.

This story is covered by The Washington Times as well. They remind us that NBC (and the NFL?) allowed Bill Clinton to have commercials during the superbowl while he was in office.

I don't know if this is an NFL thing or an NBC thing. NBC has become the Obama-Junkie network and since Obama is 'culture of death' then his buddies at NBC may be in lockstep. But without official statements from the NFL and NBC I don't know if we can tell for sure.

Despite my opinions of the commercial's argument, unless NBC has instated a new rule regarding Superbowl ads, they ought to have accepted this. I don't recall any exclusion of politically-focused ads in previous seasons. Now they could make the argument that a new rule has been instated and no advocacy ads will be run, regardless of bias, but it looks like that argument fails with the article's mention of PETA.

Good point paperplanes. When discussing the issue of fairness, reverse the scenario and see if the same rule applies. For example, would they accept money for an ad that says, "A woman's body, a woman's choice... Planned Parenthood"? We have to weigh out the severity (for lack of a better word) of the ad versus the polar opposite as well. I can't see the video (no Youtube here) but it does sound 'jabby' at the president. It's America and clearly we had no issue condemning Bush falling just shy of Hugo Chavez's comment that he is Satan, so I guess the excuse that it shouldn't criticize the president doesn't hold up. I see a double-standard, but a network is privately owned as I understand it and therefore have the right to kick any of us 'kids' off their lawn.

I'm not really a fan of this approach, I don't believe we should stoop to the level of pointing fingers at the president or anyone else. Rather, those of us who are pro-life should first show the world how precious children really are. That being succeeded, then show how excellent babies are. From there, understand the value of an unbord child to our society.

[edit on 30-1-2009 by saint4God]

people dont want to be preached to when theyre watching the game of the year. how is the "funny" bud light commercial gonna follow up some pro choice catholic propoganda??

reply to post by saint4God

I agree with you 100% saint. A pro-choice commercial would have been on there in a heartbeat. But the Superbowl being the largest media event of the Year, you can of course expect points of view that conflict with TPTB to be censored. It's been going on for a long time.

reply to post by FlyersFan

There is no question in my mind that both NBC and Obama would be embarrassed by this video, because it would should how hypocritical their support for abortion is. God forbid that NBC should allow a commercial which advocates stopping the murder of innocent children, but what the heck, this is the "new and enlightened" America, where murder is not only encouraged, but now Obama uses tax money to pay for the murders. Sit back and have another bud, while more innocent children are being murdered, America. After all, what is more important, children or beer and football?

The Super Bowl is the biggest TV event of the year and one where people don't want to be preached at. Abortion is a very contentious issue and NBC realizes they could possibly tank their ratings if they let the ad run. It's purely a business decision. I know as I'm sipping on beer and watching the game later, for 3 hours of my life I'd just like to see football and some entertaining mindless commercials.

You know what? I look forward to the Super Bowl every year and the commercials can get bad enough without me having to stop watching the game just so someone can preach at me about something stupid. Like eating vegetables or trying to control what a woman does with her body.

reply to post by saint4God


I think the commercial was brilliant. It doesn't really point fingers, in fact, it actually supports obama as a good choice for POTUS. (if it didn't the commercial wouldn't make sense, it would be like saying "support life, and get a failure as prez")

It does a good job of revealing hypocracy.

reply to post by FSBlueApocalypse


Exactly. Give me some entertainment, not preaching. It's useless to anyways. I'm already pro-life. That isn't going to change, I imagine the same for pro-choice people. If that's the case, break open the beer give me a good game, funny commercials and I'm a happy guy.

See, I'm Atheist and Pro-Choice. But, as same as I believe in freedom of choice, I also believe in freedom of speech.

If someone wants to convey a message through commercial and has enough money to get it on TV, I do not see the problem

reply to post by intrepid


From what I understand they also rejected the PETA commercial.

It seems it's not a right/left or faith/atheist thing, they just want to stay away from any kind of preaching/controversy.






[edit on 1 Feb 2009 by schrodingers dog]

reply to post by schrodingers dog


That PETA commercial was the dumbest thing I've ever seen. And I know I'm going to think the Miller High Life "one second" commercials are going to be retarded.

NBC can decide what they want to put on TV during their broadcast. These commercials will just have to try and find somewhere else to preach.

The point is that it shouldn't matter if we are pro-life or pro-abortion. This is about censorship on the part of NBC. If someone is willing to put up the money to pay for the slot for a commercial - funny or not - then that slot is supposed to be for sale for everyone.

And I'd say that for anyone wanting the slot - be it pro-life or pro-abortion.

I can understand keeping it PG-13. But this is the Obama-Network (and that is what it is) keeping off a comercial that goes against what Obama stands for. IMHO.

edited to add - I thought the commercials were very dull this year.
The only good one was the two babies talking.

[edit on 2/2/2009 by FlyersFan]

Regarding censorship, they seem to have no issue putting on godaddy.com much to my embarrassment watching it with my kid and parents. It is NBC's turf so they can put all the garbage they want on there, but hopefully everyone sees it for what it is and makes it a habit to not support the network. I didn't boycott the superbowl, but I did change it during commercials (after seeing godaddy) and am not watching it otherwise. In pursuit of justice, I flipped it to FoxNews during those times and half-time.

[edit on 2-2-2009 by saint4God]

Originally posted by saint4God
In pursuit of justice, I flipped it to FoxNews during those times and half-time.

[edit on 2-2-2009 by saint4God]

You missed a helluva show then. The Boss was ON. Best halftime show in memory.

Originally posted by intrepid
You missed a helluva show then. The Boss was ON. Best halftime show in memory.

I don't care for musicians who get mouthy about politics when they're on the music stage. Sure they have the right to speak merely because they have a microphone in hand, but if they're not willing to listen to what I think about it I'm not going to pay to see their show. It's in poor taste like godaddy.com commercials...which is ironically probably the same 'reasoning' as to why NBC wouldn't run a pro-life ad.

[edit on 2-2-2009 by saint4God]

reply to post by TasteTheMagick

NBC can decide what they want to put on TV during their broadcast.

Exactly! They're a private company, they don't have to run any commercial they don't want to.

Most TV station furnish advertisers with guidelines about what they will and will not accept. When the guidelines are unclear the station has the final choice.

If NBC doesn't refuse to let its audience be bludgeoned with obscurantist, superstitious, barbarous tripe, it deserves applause, not condemnation.

Originally posted by saint4God

Originally posted by intrepid
You missed a helluva show then. The Boss was ON. Best halftime show in memory.

I don't care for musicians who get mouthy about politics when they're on the music stage. Sure they have the right to speak merely because they have a microphone in hand, but if they're not willing to listen to what I think about it I'm not going to pay to see their show. It's in poor taste like godaddy.com commercials...which is ironically probably the same 'reasoning' as to why NBC wouldn't run a pro-life ad.

[edit on 2-2-2009 by saint4God]

I don't understand, it's OK for someone to put on a TV commercial that supports prolife, but a musician should not be able to get on TV and state his opinions about politics?

Originally posted by intrepid
reply to post by FSBlueApocalypse

 

Exactly. Give me some entertainment, not preaching. ....

????

Well thought through?

PREACH-definition-to get the word out...

E-trade?
Pepsi?
Bud?
Go Daddy?
etc
etc
etc....


Were they not trying to get "their" word out?

OT understands whats at play here...U2U if interested....