TV ad bustedThe Media Foundation, the Vancouver-based publisher of the slickly corporate-looking but stridently anti-corporate Adbusters magazine, is gearing up for its next "culture-jamming" campaign: TV Turnoff Week, April 24-30. But, as usual, no one will let them get the word out. The Media Foundation produced a 30-second TV spot to promote TV Turnoff Week, but they were turned down by the big three U.S. networks and by CTV in Canada--despite their willingness to pay full price for the spot. "CTV doesn't own the airwaves," insists Adbusters editor Kalle Lasn. "They lease them from Canadian citizens. We think free speech should precede business interests on public airwaves."
Lasn says he sees no contradiction in his attempt to use a TV ad to get people to turn off their TV. "That's what we're about--we want to make consumer culture bite its own tail." Philip Preville
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