About AIDS

Ten years ago, when the Fox network ran the first televised condom advertisement, prevention professionals' response was an elated "Yesss!!" It seemed as if a barrier had been crossed, and that American society would explore more openly this important disease and pregnancy prevention tool - tastefully, of course, but openly. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened.

A new study released last week by the Kaiser Foundation finds that condom ads continue to be nonexistent on network TV. CBS and NBC, along with Fox, technically allow condom ads, but with such restrictions that manufacturers don't even bother. The permitted late or late-late night slots don't hold much appeal to potential advertisers, as such placement probably would miss the audience most likely to respond as customers - and for whom they might have the most beneficial prevention impact. (ABC and Warner do not accept condom ads at all.)

Ironically, CBS and NBC policies changed to take rubber ads when the federal law began to permit prescription drugs advertising, resulting in ads for birth control pills. However, condom ads must limit their content (nonerotic, of course) to disease prevention and avoid touching on pregnancy prevention.

As is often the case, the public is way out in front of timid decision

makers: a Kaiser survey shows that 71% of Americans favor allowing condom ads on TV, with half of those saying the ads should run at any time, not just late night.

Network TV openly discusses sex in primetime, but seldom its consequences. (Witness Boston Public schoolgirls drooling over the new stud(ent) being "hung like an elephant" and vying "to climb his pole.") If this blatantly sexual fare is good enough for youth-oriented shows at 8pm, then a little information about staying safe could hardly seem offensive. It would be a start, at least.