RTNDA: Current Sponsorship Rules OK

The Radio-Television News Directors Association is telling the Federal Communications Commission that existing sponsorship identification rules and disclosure requirements for radio and television stations are sufficient to inform viewers about broadcast content that has been paid for, including embedded advertising, and that the proposals advanced by certain advocates would represent an unconstitutional intrusion into broadcast newsrooms. As it did in a similar proceeding concerning the use of video news releases, RTNDA cautioned the FCC not to open the door to, or otherwise legitimize, government regulation of the content of newscasts because of misplaced concerns about commercialism. RTNDA maintains that existing sponsorship rules serve to inform the public when material that is broadcast has been paid for or otherwise sponsored by a third party.