TV Networks Continue Ban : AIDS Crisis Forces Media to Alter Condom Ad Policy

This week, for the first time in its 54-year history, Newsweek magazine carries a condom advertisement. And, unlike many condom ads seen on rare occasions in the past, it does not feature a hand-holding silhouetted couple walking into the sunset and discussing family planning.

Instead, this ad shows the full and worried face of a young woman saying: “I’ll do a lot for love, but I’m not ready to die for it.”

When asked why the magazine changed its mind on condom advertising--and chose to run this particular ad--a Newsweek official said: “In a word, AIDS.”

Until recently, all three television networks and a majority of newspapers and magazines have followed a long-standing self-imposed ban against accepting condom advertising. But because condoms are the only known way to prevent sexual transmission of the AIDS virus, the deadly epidemic has begun forcing media officials to rethink their policies.

The debate over condom advertising has raged for many years, but it has escalated lately as a result of Planned Parenthood’s campaign against teen-age pregnancy and, more recently, of the burgeoning AIDS crisis. Several major reports on AIDS released this fall, including that of the U.S. surgeon general, have recommended condoms as a method of protection against infection by the AIDS virus--a fact that introduces a critical public health issue into the continuing argument over whether it is appropriate to advertise contraceptives to the public.

“There is no reason to censor contraceptive advertising, especially now, when we have two epidemics--AIDS and teen-age pregnancy--going on at the same time,” said Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health, which has scheduled hearings on the issue early next month.

“The networks refuse those ads, saying that the whole subject is too controversial,” he added. “I think that is highly irresponsible, coming from media people who think nothing about running ads for feminine deodorant sprays or hemorrhoid medication on the air. They shouldn’t think that their sense of taste is more important than disease control.”

KRON to Donate Revenue

Last week, television station KRON, the NBC affiliate in San Francisco--the city with the second highest rate of AIDS in the nation after New York--announced that it would begin accepting condom commercials, would donate the advertising revenue to AIDS research and require the condom manufacturer to make a matching donation.

In addition, WRTV, the ABC affiliate in Indianapolis, announced this week that it too would accept such ads. Both stations said that the ads must emphasize disease prevention, rather than birth control.

But, even as some policies are beginning to change, it still appears unlikely that there will be a mass rush among the media to allow condom advertising, particularly on the part of the three major networks. Officials from all three said that they believe they are fulfilling their public service responsibilities through their overall news coverage of AIDS.

“We still feel it’s inappropriate to air that product on television,” said Jeff Tolvin, ABC’s director of business information. “A significant portion of our audience finds these products inappropriate for advertising on a medium with such a powerful reach into American homes. Many viewers believe that information regarding contraception is more appropriately discussed within a family environment and in the context of a family’s ethical and religious values.”

‘A Real Conflict’

George Schweitzer, vice president of communications for CBS, agreed. “The whole AIDS issue raises a real conflict for us--and it’s been getting a lot of attention internally,” he said.

Still, Schweitzer said, “putting a 30-second ad for condoms on television is not going to solve this problem. It’s going to take a lot more than that.”

Betty Hudson, NBC’s vice president for corporate and media relations, said that the network applauded the decision of its San Francisco affiliate to accept condom ads because KRON “has a better feel for the needs of its service area than we possibly could.”

NBC’s position, like that of ABC and CBS, is that condom advertising “is an issue best evaluated on a market-by-market basis” by local stations, rather than the network, she said.

“Many people don’t want (contraceptive advertising) introduced without some warning,” she said. “Viewers can decide not to watch because they can read the TV listings. But commercials are randomly scheduled.”

Destroys Immune System

AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is caused by a virus that destroys the body’s immune system, leaving it powerless against certain cancers and otherwise rare infections. It can also invade the central nervous system, causing severe neurological disorders. In addition to anal and vaginal sexual intercourse, it is also commonly transmitted through the sharing of unsterilized hypodermic needles, and by mother to child during pregnancy.

In this country, AIDS has primarily afflicted homosexual and bisexual men, intravenous drug users and their sexual partners. As of Jan. 12, 29,435 Americans had contracted AIDS, of whom 16,667 had died.

Further, federal health officials have estimated that as many as 2 million Americans may be infected with the AIDS virus but show no symptoms. Many of them may be unaware that they are carrying the virus, an argument used by proponents of condom advertising to stress the urgency of condom use.

KRON officials said that they had accepted three of four commercials submitted by Carter-Wallace Inc., the manufacturer of Trojan condoms. The three deal with disease prevention, while the rejected fourth ad focused on contraception.

Heterosexual Community

Javier Valencia, public affairs coordinator for KRON, said that the spread of AIDS into the heterosexual community prompted the station to re-examine the issue of condom advertising. AIDS education “was being handled properly by the gay press,” he said, and resulted in an increase in safer sexual practices among gay men in San Francisco. But, he said, as a result of increasing heterosexual spread of the disease, “now is an appropriate time to start addressing the issue on a broader level.”

He said that the commercials would not be shown during children’s television programming. Similarly, WRTV in Indianapolis said that its condom ads would be aired after 11:30 p.m.

One of the ads accepted by KRON shows a young woman who says: “You might know somebody pretty well. But do you really know him? He had a life before he met you. The thing is, you’re vulnerable.”

Times Policy on Ads

The Times has had a long-standing policy of accepting condom advertising, providing it is tasteful.

Newsweek decided to run its condom ad, for LifeStyles condoms, manufactured by Ansell International, because the magazine has reported the AIDS story, “and we have frequently reported that condoms are one recommended way of protecting against AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases,” said Diana Pearson, director of communications.

“We felt that it was time,” she added.

Staff Writer Ilana DeBare in San Francisco contributed to this story.