WEUX TV Chippewa Falls Runs Afoul of Kids’ Ad Limits
Station Faces $8,000 Fine from Federal Communications Commission
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 2/5/2008 4:58:00 PM
The Federal Communications Commission proposed fining WEUX TV Chippewa Falls, Wis., $8,000 for violations of FCC limits on advertising during kids’ programs.
In applying for a new license, the station admitted that on four occasions, it exceeded the time limits, including two so-called program-length commercials.
The FCC limits ads during kids’ shows to 10.5 minutes per hour on weekends and 12 minutes per hour on weekdays.
A program-length commercial happens when a character from a show appears, no matter how fleetingly, in an ad within that show.
The station claimed human error and inadvertence, but neither argument has held much sway, although both can be mitigating factors in terms of the severity of the sanction, which ranges from an admonition -- an official reprimand -- to a fine either lesser or greater than the $8,000 "base" fine.
