C
Cycle America/N
Guest
Slightly off topic but they do compromise our share of the road:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/08/business/media/08SUVS.html?ex=10426932
00&en=4c65574ab6ffe612&ei=5006&partner=ALTAVISTA1
TV Ads Say S.U.V. Owners Support Terrorists By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
ASHINGTON, Jan. 7 ‹ Ratcheting up the debate over sport utility vehicles, new television commercials
suggest that people who buy the vehicles are supporting terrorists. The commercials are so
provocative that some television stations are refusing to run them.
Patterned after the commercials that try to discourage drug use by suggesting that profits from
illegal drugs go to terrorists, the new commercials say that money for gas needed for S.U.V.'s goes
to terrorists.
"This is George," a girl's voice says of an oblivious man at a gas station. "This is the gas that
George bought for his S.U.V." The screen then shows a map of the Middle East. "These are the
countries where the executives bought the oil that made the gas that George bought for his
S.U.V." The picture switches to a scene of armed terrorists in a desert. "And these are the
terrorists who get money from those countries every time George fills up his S.U.V."
A second commercial depicts a series of ordinary Americans saying things like: "I helped hijack an
airplane"; "I gave money to a terrorist training camp in a foreign country"; "What if I need to go
off-road?"
At the close, the screen is filled with the words: "What is your S.U.V. doing to our national
security?"
The two 30-second commercials are the brainchild of the author and columnist Arianna Huffington. Her
target audience, she said, is Detroit and Congress, especially the Republicans and Democrats who
last year voted against a bill, sponsored by Senators John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and John
Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, that would have raised fuel-efficiency standards.
Spokesmen for the automakers dismissed the commercials.
Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said of Ms. Huffington,
"Her opinion is out-voted every year by Americans who buy S.U.V.'s for their safety, comfort and
versatility." He said that S.U.V.'s now account for 21 percent of the market.
In an interview, Senator Kerry distanced himself from the commercials. He said that rather than
oppose S.U.V.'s outright, he believed they should be more efficient.
"I haven't seen these commercials," he said, "but anybody can drive as large an S.U.V. as they want,
though it can be more efficient than it is today."
SV. Huffington's group, which calls itself the Detroit Project, has bought almost $200,000 of air
time for the commercials, to run from Sunday to Thursday. While the group may lose some
viewers if stations refuse to run the advertisements, the message is attracting attention
through news coverage.
The advertisements are to be broadcast on "Meet The Press," "Face the Nation" and "This Week With
George Stephanopoulos" in Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and Washington.
But some local affiliates say they will not run them. At the ABC affiliate in New York, Art Moore,
director of programming, said, "There were a lot of statements being made that were not backed up,
and they're talking about hot-button issues."
SW. Huffington said she got the idea for the commercials while watching the antidrug commercials,
sponsored by the Bush administration. In her syndicated column, she asked readers if they would
be willing to pay for "a people's ad campaign to jolt our leaders into reality."
She said she received 5,000 e-mail messages and eventually raised $50,000 from the public. Bigger
contributors included Steve Bing, the film producer; Larry David, the comedian and "Seinfeld"
co-creator; and Norman Lear, the television producer.
M A R T I N K R I E G : "Awake Again" Author Bent Since '83, Car Free Since '89, Attacking with
Love Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor '79 & '86 TransAm Vet - Invites you to:
http://www.BikeRoute.com/SCNBGFest N A T I O N A L B I C Y C L E G R E E N W A Y
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/08/business/media/08SUVS.html?ex=10426932
00&en=4c65574ab6ffe612&ei=5006&partner=ALTAVISTA1
TV Ads Say S.U.V. Owners Support Terrorists By KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
ASHINGTON, Jan. 7 ‹ Ratcheting up the debate over sport utility vehicles, new television commercials
suggest that people who buy the vehicles are supporting terrorists. The commercials are so
provocative that some television stations are refusing to run them.
Patterned after the commercials that try to discourage drug use by suggesting that profits from
illegal drugs go to terrorists, the new commercials say that money for gas needed for S.U.V.'s goes
to terrorists.
"This is George," a girl's voice says of an oblivious man at a gas station. "This is the gas that
George bought for his S.U.V." The screen then shows a map of the Middle East. "These are the
countries where the executives bought the oil that made the gas that George bought for his
S.U.V." The picture switches to a scene of armed terrorists in a desert. "And these are the
terrorists who get money from those countries every time George fills up his S.U.V."
A second commercial depicts a series of ordinary Americans saying things like: "I helped hijack an
airplane"; "I gave money to a terrorist training camp in a foreign country"; "What if I need to go
off-road?"
At the close, the screen is filled with the words: "What is your S.U.V. doing to our national
security?"
The two 30-second commercials are the brainchild of the author and columnist Arianna Huffington. Her
target audience, she said, is Detroit and Congress, especially the Republicans and Democrats who
last year voted against a bill, sponsored by Senators John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and John
Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, that would have raised fuel-efficiency standards.
Spokesmen for the automakers dismissed the commercials.
Eron Shosteck, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said of Ms. Huffington,
"Her opinion is out-voted every year by Americans who buy S.U.V.'s for their safety, comfort and
versatility." He said that S.U.V.'s now account for 21 percent of the market.
In an interview, Senator Kerry distanced himself from the commercials. He said that rather than
oppose S.U.V.'s outright, he believed they should be more efficient.
"I haven't seen these commercials," he said, "but anybody can drive as large an S.U.V. as they want,
though it can be more efficient than it is today."
SV. Huffington's group, which calls itself the Detroit Project, has bought almost $200,000 of air
time for the commercials, to run from Sunday to Thursday. While the group may lose some
viewers if stations refuse to run the advertisements, the message is attracting attention
through news coverage.
The advertisements are to be broadcast on "Meet The Press," "Face the Nation" and "This Week With
George Stephanopoulos" in Detroit, Los Angeles, New York and Washington.
But some local affiliates say they will not run them. At the ABC affiliate in New York, Art Moore,
director of programming, said, "There were a lot of statements being made that were not backed up,
and they're talking about hot-button issues."
SW. Huffington said she got the idea for the commercials while watching the antidrug commercials,
sponsored by the Bush administration. In her syndicated column, she asked readers if they would
be willing to pay for "a people's ad campaign to jolt our leaders into reality."
She said she received 5,000 e-mail messages and eventually raised $50,000 from the public. Bigger
contributors included Steve Bing, the film producer; Larry David, the comedian and "Seinfeld"
co-creator; and Norman Lear, the television producer.
M A R T I N K R I E G : "Awake Again" Author Bent Since '83, Car Free Since '89, Attacking with
Love Coma, Paralysis, Clinical Death Survivor '79 & '86 TransAm Vet - Invites you to:
http://www.BikeRoute.com/SCNBGFest N A T I O N A L B I C Y C L E G R E E N W A Y
