90210

August 27, 2008

BusRadio has made another huge mistake in judgment.

They have begun advertising 90210 the remake of Beverly Hills 90210. The new show is being promoted as a "sexier" and "more provocative" show for kids.

Previously BusRadio got in trouble with parents by advertising the raunchy comedy Aliens in America. Both of these shows are on the often controversial CW Network (the network that resulted from the merger of the UPN Network and the WB Network). The CW Network is an important advertiser on BusRadio. This network wants young people to hear about their TV shows without their parents being around. BusRadio is a perfect format for them. Kids are COMPELLED to listen to plugs for CW shows. If you are a parent you should be getting sick about now.

Advertising an age-inappropriate TV show like this to kids is another reason why schools are steering clear of BusRadio.

The ad for 90210 is on BusRadio’s homepage. That means that the very youngest visitors are going to see the promotion of this sexually provocative TV show. When the BusRadio DJs constantly tell kids to "go to BusRadio.com" "check it out at BusRadio.com" they are purposefully driving kids to the advertising on the web site.

We have sent an email to BusRadio employees urging them to remove all advertising for 90210. If we hear back, we’ll post the reply. Don’t hold your breath.

 

 

The producer of the BusRadio-advertised 90210 compares the new CW network show with the original Beverly Hills 90210.

"It’s going to be a little sexier ."

"It going to have kind of a harder edge."

"I think it is going to be a tiny bit controversial."

This publicity photo for the new 90210 shows a teen party where the "sophisticated" teens are drinking cocktails. Notice the martini glasses to the left.

Like the Gossip Girls, another CW network show, teens that drink and have sex are the most popular. These shows glorify underage drinking. Schools that have BusRadio may be unintentionally undermining their own efforts to fight underage drinking.

 

 

 

Above: "I think they (the original Beverly Hills 90210 producers) weren’t able to get away with as much as you can on television now."

Jeff Judah, executive producer of the new 90210.

 

 

 

Above: Scenes from a CW Network promotional video for 90210. This show is aimed at teens and preteens. That is why BusRadio is advertising it on their web site’s homepage. "Sexier!" "More provocative!" CW promotional video for the BusRadio-advertised 90210.

 

Below is the not too subtle ad for 90210 on Busradio.com. How dumb can BusRadio be?

 

 

 

 

Just in… others are concerned about 90210.

PTC Targets CW’s ‘90210’

Group frets that the show, unavailable for preview, could advocate teen sex and alcohol and drug use

Aug 26, 2008

-By John Consoli, Mediaweek
http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/media/e3i98d12e6c6469f58206e27697323395ea

NEW YORK The Parents Television Council is again going after one of its favorite targets, The CW television network, this time for not making the premiere episode of its new fall drama, 90210, available for advertisers to screen before it airs.

The PTC said if advertisers are not allowed to screen it, they might find after buying commercials in the show that it has story lines like current CW drama Gossip Girl, which the PTC said have "glamorized drug and alcohol use along with casual teen sex, including threesomes."

Arguing guilt by association, the PTC said, "If Gossip Girl is any indication of what 90210 will look like, advertisers have plenty of reason to steer clear of the show."

PTC president Tim Winter said the organization is "actively asking advertisers not to sponsor the show given the content that has been aired in previous CW programs and the fact that no content will be made available for an advance screening."

The CW responded to the PTC in a statement: "Withholding the advance screener for 90210 has nothing to do with content concerns and everything to do with strategic marketing for the most anticipated new show of the fall season. 90210 has had strong demand and enthusiastic support from the advertising community since the moment the applause ceased at our 2008 upfront presentation."