Issues@Hand
AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs
May 2002 – If you are offended by trash on TV, Volkswagen says turn it off. The company’s reply was in response to a request by OneMillionMoms.com (OMM) and OneMillionDads.com (OMD), asking VW to stop sponsoring the Fox drama Boston Public. Because of the company’s unsatisfactory response, AFA is calling for a boycott of the carmaker.
The second-year series, about the faculty and students at a public high school in Boston, is one of the worst on television in terms of sleazy content.
In response to the drama’s lewd content, thousands of OMM and OMD members E-mailed Volkswagen, asking them to stop supporting Boston Public. However, James Kamradt of VW Customer Relations wrote back and said his company has no control over the content of a particular program, and often has only a general description of a show’s subject matter in advance of its airing.
“Generally speaking,” Kamradt added, “we hope people will use their best judgment when viewing entertainment. If they find a program’s content offensive, they do have a choice of not viewing any further.”
AFA President Don Wildmon insists that Kamradt’s response is misleading. “The sex-obsessed content of Boston Public is no secret to anyone,” Wildmon said. “Plus, if Volkswagen or any other company is considering advertising on a show, it can simply request from the network a preview copy of the entire program, and the network will send it out. The bottom line is that Volkswagen is responsible for wherever its company name appears.”
That sense of responsibility, Wildmon said, had already led many companies to withdraw their sponsorship of Boston Public, including Kellogg, Southwest Airlines, Merrill Lynch, Wendy’s, Qwest, Papa John’s, Hallmark Cards, Marriott, Home Depot, Kmart, Warner-Lambert and Campbell’s Soup.
Wildmon also took issue with Kamradt’s statement that parents should simply turn off an offensive program, rather than contact Volkswagen. “It’s not enough for Mr. Kamradt to say, ‘If you don’t like it, turn it off,’ because shows like Boston Public pollute the culture we all live in – even if parents don’t allow it in their own home,” he said. “His response is like saying ‘If you don’t like drunk drivers on the road, stay home.’ Yes, parents are responsible for what airs in their living room, but Volkswagen is responsible for what airs on Fox when the company is paying for it.”
Both Wildmon and AFA Director of Special Projects Randy Sharp have tried to open a dialogue with Kamradt, but he has refused to return their calls.
VW’s sponsorship of Boston Public is not the company’s only misstep. According to Parents Television Council, of the hundreds of advertisers on television, Volkswagen is the eighth worst advertiser in terms of sponsoring objectionable content.
Wildmon said that is why AFA, OMM and OMD are calling for a boycott of Volkswagen (and Audi, also made by Volkswagen). He said, “We are urging concerned individuals to contact their local Volkswagen and Audi dealers and let them know why they are participating in the boycott.”
Boston Public subject matter from this season’s episodes has consistently contained themes such as masturbation, fornication, sexual arousal, oral sex and homosexuality.
Dannon, Midas, Arby’s use sex to sell their products
In the case of three other companies, Wildmon noted that the problem is the content of their own commercials. He said Arby’s, Midas and Dannon have all resorted to sexually-oriented ads.
“All three companies refused the request of OneMillionMoms.com to pull the sex-laden commercials,” Wildmon said. “When purchasing products from these companies, consumers should beware of their new advertising direction.”
The Dannon yogurt ad features a sexually suggestive rendezvous between a husband and wife. The commercial for Arby’s portrays a man moaning over a delicious sandwich while co-workers, overhearing him on a speakerphone, think he’s engaging in sexual activity. In the Midas spot, an elderly woman is so impressed with the company’s auto service work that she confronts a sales attendant, strips open her blouse, and exposes herself (back to camera), asking the man what Midas could do “for these.”
For more detailed explanation of the content of Boston Public or the commercials aired by Arby’s, Midas and Dannon, go to either www.onemillionmoms.com or www.onemilliondads.com. 
Action Addresses
President Gerd Klauss
Volkswagen of America
3800 Hamlin Road
Auburn Hills, MI 48326
1-800-374-8389 or 1-800-822-8987
Online: www.vw.com/VwSFB/index (click on “VWinfocenter,” then “topic 2”)
Pres. Thomas Kunz
The Dannon Company, Inc.
120 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591
Toll free: 1-877-326-6668
Online: www.dannon.com (“Contact Dannon”)
Chrm. Wendel H. Province
Midas, Inc.
1300 Arlington Heights Road
Itasca, IL 60143
Toll-free: 1-800-621-8545
Online: www.midas.com
Chrm. Nelson Peltz
Triarc Companies, Inc. (Arby’s)
280 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Toll-free: 1-800-272-9764
E-mail: dcampbell@triarc.com
