PTC names best, worst TV advertisers

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The Parents Television Council likes companies that support family-friendly broadcast television, and deplores those that support programming it finds objectionable. This year, PTC named General Mills the best, and Yum Brands the worst.


“There is a direct link between advertisers and television programming,” said PTC President Tim Winter. “Put simply, TV shows would never make it to the broadcast airwaves without sponsors.  Those sponsors choose every day whether they will bring graphic or gratuitous content into American living rooms, or underwrite positive, family-friendly programming.”

PTC praised advertisers who support programming it favors, and congratulated some companies, such as Payless ShoeSource, for moving from the worst to the best list – it had been on the worst list two years back in the 2007 PTC ranking.

On the other hand, it noted that many of the companies on the Worst list also support the most objectionable material on the cable side.

Here are the lists:

BEST

1. General Mills

2. Clorox Company

3. Coca-Cola

4. Ford Motor Company

5. Wal-Mart

6. Collective Brands (Brand: Payless ShoeSource)

7. Colgate Palmolive

8.  J.C. Penney

9. State Farm Insurance

10. Kmart

WORST

1. Yum! Brands

2. General Motors

3. Sprint Nextel Corporation

4. Unilever USA (Brands: Axe Body Spray, Degree, Dove, Lipton, Slim-Fast)

5. Verizon Communications Inc.

6. Apple

7. Burger King

8. DIRECTV

9. Brinker International Restaurants (Brand: Chili’s)

10. AT&T

Source: Parents Television Council

RBR-TVBR observation: We applaud PTC’s use of its bully pulpit, which it has very effectively created, to make its views known and to shine light on advertisers, both positive and negative, as it sees fit.
We also applaud the freedom of broadcast program executives to air material that pushes the boundaries.
We support both because we support the First Amendment – enough said.