LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Supervisors Vote to Protest TV Airing of Brandy Ads
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to draft a letter of protest to the Telemundo television network for airing distilled liquor advertisements that some fear are aimed at young Latinos.
The commercials for Presidente brandy have been running on the Spanish language network since February, 1994, in apparent violation of a voluntary agreement by distilled liquor companies not to advertise their products on radio or television, said Ray Chavra, a member of the county’s Commission on Alcoholism.
Chavra said the commission requested Tuesday’s board action out of concern that the ads target young Latinos, a group that studies have shown are more likely to be heavy drinkers than others in their age group.
The board’s unanimous vote comes about two months after Supervisor Gloria Molina threatened to call a boycott of Telemundo if the network did not provide a contribution to the campaign against Proposition 187.
On Tuesday, a Molina spokeswoman said the two issues were unrelated.
“The commission has been working on this since October, before the election,” said Pat Bond. “There is no relation.”
Telemundo declined comment, but issued a statement that blamed social issues, not advertising, for alcohol-related problems in the Latino community.
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