There's no list as such, and just who finds what objectionable and to what degree varies widely, depending on who the advertiser is. But there are TV shows that experienced media buyers know many of their clients won't allow their spots to run on.
Commonly it's the show's sexual content, or its coarse language, and sometimes it's violent content of the sort that arouses complaints to the Federal Communications Commission. And sometimes it's simply a case of the advertiser not liking the show.
Yet there appears to be a consensus among media buyers as to the most objectionable shows, based on a Media Life survey posted last Friday.
Topping the list is "The Jerry Springer Show," which showed up on the most lists of respondents.
It's not hard to figure out why, either. "Springer" has it all, foul language, violence, the occasional exposed body part when the fights begin, as they invariably do. And of course the content is rich with infidelity and just about everything else.
Here's the full list, as chosen by readers:
1. "Jerry Springer" (syndicated)
2. Fox's "Cops"
3. FX's "Nip/Tuck"
4. (tie) Fox's "America's Most Wanted" and "Family Guy"
6. (tie) "WWE," syndicated court shows, NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
9. (tie) ABC's "Desperate Housewives," Fox's "The War at Home," "Sex and the City" (syndicated), any MyNetwork TV show, ABC's "Primetime," "Maury" (syndicated), FX's "The Shield," E!'s "The Girls Next Door," CBS's "Two and a Half Men"
But also getting mention was "Dr. Phil," the daytime talker, and that brings up an interest phenomenon. It's not just objectionable content that can scare advertisers but the fear of objectionable content. Advertisers don't know what topic is liable to come up.
A few years back, in a Media Life story on the Dirty Dozen, "Oprah" made the list, and the reason was that while the Winfrey show was a hit and for the most part warm and fuzzy with advertisers, there was always the fear that its host would go into risky territory, discussing incest, for example.
In addition to asking readers to rank shows, Media Life also asked them to list in order the red flags among clients. Readers were asked to select one or more.
Sex ranked No. 1 at 57.6 percent, and obscene language wasn't far behind at 48.5 percent.
But right up there, tied for No. 2, was unpredictability of guests and/or topics.
After that came violence and content likely to anger consumers, such as politically sensitive issue like abortion, at 36.4 percent.
Right behind, at 33.3 percent, came mature content on a young-skewing program. At 24.2 percent came shows that had been criticized by family watchdog groups.
But of all these, the most important red flag is clearly sex. Media Life rephrased the question, asking readers to pick just one red flag that most frightens advertisers from among the list, and sexual content was tops at 24.1 percent.
Interestingly, the next red flag was content likely to anger consumers. So after sex, what advertisers most dread is controversy, presumably political content, which in these divisive times really isn't that surprising.
Third, at 17.2 percent, came mature content on a young-skewing program.
Among the different areas of television, cable is the leader in objectionable content. Asked to name a particular area of program that’s most likely to be objectionable, 60.7 percent of respondents chose cable. Broadcast was a distant second at 17.9 percent, slightly ahead of syndication at 14.3 percent.
Among the broadcast networks, Fox is most likely to air offensive shows, according to respondents, at 28 percent, well ahead of ABC and MyNetworkTV, both at 12 percent.
Among cable networks, the clear leader was FX, followed by MTV.
Among the types of shows most likely to scare off advertisers, reality was the clear leader at 41.1 percent of respondents. Drama and syndicated talk shows tied for second but well behind at 17.2 percent, and comedy was third at 10.3 percent.
But of course not all advertisers shy away from controversial shows.
The price may be just right for advertisers who are looking to reach younger audiences, especially males. Products can include beer, movies, legal services, trade schools, direct response and general bottom-feeders, advertisers who are more concerned with price than content.
The most sensitive advertisers in terms of content, according to readers: high-end products, large corporations, packaged goods, retailers and family-friendly companies.
