Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
Before the
Federal Communications Commission
Washington, D.C. 20554
In the Matter of
Sponsorship Identification Rules 
and Embedded Advertising
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MB Docket No. 08-90
NOTICE OF INQUIRY AND 
NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULE MAKING
Adopted:  June 13, 2008  Released:  June 26, 2008
Comment Date:  (60 days after date of publication in the Federal Register)
Reply Comment Date:  (90 days after date of publication in the Federal Register)
By the Commission:  Chairman Martin, Commissioners Copps and Adelstein issuing separate statements.
I. INTRODUCTION
1. We solicit comment on the relationship between the Commission’s sponsorship 
identification rules and increasing industry reliance on embedded advertising techniques.1 Due, in part, to 
recent technological changes that allow consumers to more readily bypass commercial content, content 
providers may be turning to more subtle and sophisticated means of incorporating commercial messages 
into traditional programming.  As these techniques become increasingly prevalent, it is important that the 
sponsorship identification rules protect the public’s right to know who is paying to air commercials or 
other program matter on broadcast television and radio and cable.  Accordingly, we seek comment on 
current trends in embedded advertising and potential changes to the current sponsorship identification 
regulations with regard to embedded advertising. 
II. NOTICE OF INQUIRY
A. BACKGROUND
2. The purpose of embedded advertising, such as product placement and product 
integration,2 is to draw on a program’s credibility in order to promote a commercial product by weaving 
  
1 Embedded advertising describes situations where sponsored brands are included in entertainment programming.  
Embedded advertising is used here generally to describe both product integration and product placement, defined 
below.  See infra, note 2.    
2 Product placement is the practice of inserting “branded products into programming in exchange for fees or other 
consideration.”  See Letter from Mary K. Engle, Associate Director for Advertising Practices, Federal Trade 
Commission, to Gary Ruskin, Executive Director, Commercial Alert, 6 (Feb. 10, 2005), available at
http://www.ftc.gov/os/closings/staff/050210productplacement.pdf.  The Writers Guild and others have made a 
distinction between the mere use of products as props in television programming and the integration of the product 
into the plot of the story.  Product placement is the placement of commercial products as props in television 
programming,  whereas product integration integrates the product into the dialogue and/or plot of a program.  See
e.g., Writers Guild of America, West and Writers Guild of America, East, White Paper, Are You Selling to Me?, 
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Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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the product into the program.3 The use of embedded advertising is escalating as advertisers respond to a 
changing industry.  Digital recording devices (DVRs) allow consumers to skip traditional commercials, 
giving rise to interest in other means of promoting products and services.4 In addition, concerns have 
been raised that the availability of more programming options may translate into lower audience retention 
during commercial breaks.5 The industry appears to be turning increasingly to embedded advertising 
techniques.6  PQ Media estimates that between 1999 and 2004, the amount of money spent on television 
product placement increased an average of 21.5 percent per year.7 For 2005, PQ Media estimates that the 
net value of the overall paid product placement market in the United States increased 48.7 percent to 
$1.50 billion.8 Product placements for primetime network programming, according to Nielsen’s Product 
Placement Services, decreased in 2006,9 but the first quarter of 2007 shows an increase in product 
placements in Nielsen’s Top 10 shows.10
  
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November 14, 2005, at 2, available at http://www.wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=1422 (“Writer’s Guild 
White Paper”); Wayne Freidman and Jean Haliday, Product Integrators Tackle Learning Curve, 73 ADVERTISING
AGE 18 (2002).  Commercial Alert in its Petition for Rulemaking  (September 30, 2003) also identifies “title 
placement,” the practice of placing brand names in the title of television programs, such as the WB’s Pepsi Smash.  
See infra, note 15. 
3 See, e.g., Namati Bhatnagar, Lerzon M. Askoy, and Selin A. Malkoc, Efficacy of Brand Placements, the Impact of 
Consumer Awareness and Message Salience in L.J. Shurm, Special Session Summary, Where Art and Commerce 
Collide: A Funnel Approach to Embedding Messages in Non-Traditional Media, 30 ADVANCES IN CONSUMER
RESEARCH 170, 172 (2003) (noting that “there appears to be a general consensus that consumers are more skeptical 
of advertised claims (where persuasion is overt and easily perceived) than placed claims (where persuasion is harder 
to discern)” (citations omitted)); Cristel Antonia Russell, Investigating the Effectiveness of Product Placement in 
Television Shows: The Role of Modality and Plot Connection Congruence on Brand Memory and Attitude, 29 
JOURNAL OF CONSUMER RESEARCH 306, 307 (2002) (noting that “[i]n today's oversaturated and fragmented 
advertising landscape, such hybrid advertisements … may prove more powerful than traditional advertisements if 
they are not perceived as persuasive messages.” (citations omitted)).  
4 See Wayne Friedman, NBC’s Graboff: Mo’ Better Branding, MEDIA POST, June 11, 2007, available at
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=62104 (noting 
that “[d]ue to increased time-shifting—and as a consequence, viewers’ increasing habit of fast-forwarding through 
commercials—NBC will continue to try to get marketing messages inside programs”); Stuart Elliott, The Media 
Business: Advertising; Ads That Are Too Fast for a Fast-Forward Button, NEW YORK TIMES, May 18, 2007, 
available at
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/18/business/media/18adco.html?ex=1337140800&en=726593664a9d4d95&ei=50
88&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss (emphasizing that the industry may be moving away from traditional commercial 
breaks because of increasing prevalence of  DVR owners, and because of Nielsen Media Research’s decision to 
measure viewership of commercials).
5 See Gail Schiller, Report: Product Placements on the Rise, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, July 28, 2005 (quoting 
PQ Media president Patrick Quinn: “Advertisers and marketers are scrambling like never before to compete for 
consumers' time and money in this era of increasing audience fragmentation, advertising clutter, media multi-tasking 
and ad-skipping technology….”).
6 See Stuart Elliott, The Media Business: Advertising; Ads That Are Too Fast for a Fast-Forward Button, supra note 
5; Gail Schiller, Out of their place; Integration Dips, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER,  December 29, 2006, available 
at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/marketing/e3i73449c66171eef17b0a390b6391dfc05.
7 See David Kaplan, Product Placement Outpaces Ad Spending, March 30, 2005, MEDIA POST, available at
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=28681&Nid=12778&p=276816.
8 See Exclusive PQ Media Research: Global Paid Product Placement Spending Surged 42.2% to $2.21 Billion in 
2005; Double-Digit Pace to Continue in 2006 and Beyond, available at http://www.pqmedia.com/about-press-
20060816-gppf2006.html.   Based on these figures, the United States has the largest and fastest growing market in 
the world. 
9 See U.S. Advertising Spending Rose 4.6% in 2006, Nielsen Monitor-Plus Reports, available at  
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/menuitem.55dc65b4a7d5adff3f65936147a062a0/?vgnextoid=23
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Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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3. These trends are also reflected in the new types of advertising offered by certain networks 
and radio stations. The CW network, for example, offers “content wraps,” serialized stories within a 
group of commercials that include product integration,11 and “cwikies,” five second advertising slots 
interspersed in regular programming.12 Fox Sports Network claims a specialty in “product immersion,” 
the practice of “immersing products into programs … so that they really feel like it is part of the show.”13  
NBC has instituted a policy of bringing in advertisers during programming development.14 In 2004, 
Universal Television Networks sold to OMD Worldwide the exclusive rights to product placement 
position in a miniseries.15 The goal of many of these new marketing techniques is to integrate products 
and services seamlessly into traditional programming.
4. The Commission’s sponsorship identification rules are based on Sections 317 and 507 of 
the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (“Communications Act”), and are designed to protect the 
public’s right to know the identity of the sponsor when consideration has been provided in exchange for 
airing programming.16 Section 317 generally requires broadcast licensees to make sponsorship 
identification announcements in any programming for which consideration has been received.17 Section 
  
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922dafb3b61110VgnVCM100000ac0a260aRCRD.   There were 102,793 occurrences of product placements during 
primetime in 2005; 79,701 occurrences in 2006. 
10 See U.S. Advertising Spending Declined 0.6% in First Quarter 2007, Nielsen Monitor-Plus Reports, available at
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/menuitem.55dc65b4a7d5adff3f65936147a062a0/?vgnextoid=76
4d40cf14023110VgnVCM100000ac0a260aRCRD.  During the first quarter of 2007, product placements occurred 
8,893 times on Neilson’s Top 10 programs compared to 8,793 times in the first quarter of 2006. Many of these top 
10 shows are reality shows—such as American Idol (ranked #1) and the Apprentice (ranked #4).  See id.  See also 
Writer’s Guild White Paper at 4-6 (emphasizing that reality shows spurred the development of wide-spread product 
placement and integration because of the lower risks associated with the short-run, open ended formats of these 
shows).
11 See John Consoli, CW Creates Content Wraps within Commercial Pods, 16 MEDIAWEEK 4 (2006). 
12 See Jon Lafayette, CW Tries to Break Away from Commercials, TV WEEK, May 17, 2007, available at
http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/05/cw_tries_to_break_away_from_co.php (quoting Bill Morningstar, head of 
ad sales for CW: “[t]he idea is to surprise viewers by using nontraditional commercial forms. An individual 
advertiser such as a movie studio would air three of the "cwickies," either in a show or over the night ….   After they 
air, the sponsor could have a longer-form payoff, such as a trailer”).  We note that in 1962, the Commission issued a 
warning to broadcast stations that sponsorship identification requirements applied to “teaser announcements,” a 
series of short, promotional messages which did not identify the product until a final announcement.   See In re 
Broadcasters Warned Against “Teaser” or “Come-On” Spots Where Neither Sponsor nor Sponsor’s Product Is 
Announced, Public Notice, 40 F.C.C. 135 (1962).  There appears to be similarity between these “teaser 
announcements” and “cwickies,” although “cwickies” may or may not identify the product.  
13  See Richard Linnett, Fox Sports Specialty: Product ‘Immersion’: Net Inks Tie-Ins with Snapple, Labatt, Lincoln, 
ADVERTISING AGE, January 20, 2003. 
14 Wayne Friedman, NBC’s Graboff: Mo’ Better Branding, MEDIA POST, June 11, 2007, available at
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=62104 (quoting 
Marc Graboff, co-chairman of NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio: “Creative has been 
typically in its silo here in Los Angeles, and advertising sales in its silo in New York.  Why not have someone from 
the sales group in the room during those development meetings?").
15 See Gary Ruskin, Executive Director, Commercial Alert, Complaint, Request for Investigation, and Petition for 
Rulemaking to Establish Adequate Disclosure of Product Placement on Television (September 30, 2003) at 7 
(“Commercial Alert Petition”). 
16 See In re Applicability of Sponsorship Identification Rules, Public Notice, 40 F.C.C. 141 (1963) (“Sponsorship 
Identification”) (emphasizing that “listeners are entitled to know by whom they are being persuaded”).  
17 Section 317(a) (1) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (“Communications Act”) provides:  
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Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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317(c) requires broadcasters to “exercise reasonable diligence” in obtaining sponsorship information 
from any person with whom the licensee “deals directly.”18 Section 507 of the Communications Act 
establishes a reporting scheme designed to ensure that broadcast licensees receive notice of consideration 
that may have been provided or promised in exchange for the inclusion of matter in a program regardless 
of where in the production chain the exchange takes place.19
5. Sections 73.121220 and 76.161521 of the Commission’s rules closely track the language of 
Section 317 of the Communications Act.22 The rules apply regardless of whether the program is 
primarily commercial or noncommercial23 and regardless of the duration of the programming.24 The 
  
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all matter broadcast by any radio station for which money, service or other valuable consideration 
is directly or indirectly paid, or promised to or charged or accepted by, the station so broadcasting 
from any person, shall, at the time the same is so broadcast, be announced as paid for or furnished, 
as the case may be, by such person.
Congress also inserted a proviso in Section 317(a)(1) to clarify that “service or other valuable consideration” does 
not include any service or property furnished without charge or at a nominal charge for use on, or 
in connection with, a broadcast, unless it is so furnished in consideration for an identification in a 
broadcast of any person, product, service, trademark, or brand name beyond an identification 
which is reasonably related to the use of such service or property on the broadcast.   
Therefore, whenever a service or property is provided without charge or at a nominal charge to a station in 
connection with a broadcast, sponsorship identification is not required unless it is furnished in consideration for an 
identification that is “beyond an identification which is reasonably related to the use of such service or property on 
the broadcast.”  Id.  The House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce provided several illustrations of 
when an identification is beyond that “reasonably related to the use of such service or property on the broadcast.”  
For example, a scenic travel video provided without charge by a bus company does not trigger sponsorship 
identification requirements if the bus “is shown fleetingly in highway views in such a manner reasonably related to 
that travel program,” but does trigger these requirements if the bus is “shown to an extent disproportionate to the
subject matter of the film….”  National Association for Better Broadcasting v. FCC, 830 F. 2d 270, 277 (1987) 
(citing H.R. Rep. No. 1800, 86th Cong., 2d Sess. (1960), reprinted in [1960] U.S. Code Cong. & Admin. News 3516, 
3532).  By way of public notice, the Commission stated that it would use these illustrations as guidance in applying 
the Commission’s rules.  See Sponsorship Identification, Public Notice, 40 F.C.C. 141 (1963).  Where consideration 
is in the form of money, the proviso does not apply and a sponsorship announcement is required.  See Earl 
Glickman, 3 F.C.C. 2d 326 (1996). 
18 47 U.S.C. § 317(c); see also 47 C.F.R. §§ 73.1212(b), 76.1615(b).  Section 317(c) of the Communications Act 
provides that a licensee must: 
exercise reasonable diligence to obtain from its employees, and from other persons with whom it 
deals directly in connection with any program or program matter for broadcast, information to 
enable such licensee to make the announcement required by [Section 317].
19 47 U.S.C. § 508.   
20 47 C.F.R. § 73.1212.
21 47 C.F.R. § 76.1615.
22 Section 76.1615 of the Commission’s rules applies the broadcast provisions of Section 317 of the 
Communications Act to origination cablecasting.  Section 507 of the Communications Act, however, is not reflected 
in a rule applicable to cable programming, and its provisions do not apply to cable programming.  See Amendment of 
the Commission's Sponsorship Identification Rules (Sections 73.119, 73.289, 73.654, 73.789 and 76.221), Report 
and Order, 52 F.C.C. 2d 701 at n.10 (1975).  
23 National Ass'n for Better Broadcasting v. FCC, 830 F.2d 270 (1987).  In 2002, the Commission denied the 
Advertising Council’s request for declaratory ruling or waiver concerning certain public service announcements as 
interpreted under the Commission's sponsorship identification requirements, concluding among other things that 
“[i]t is not the nature of the message conveyed in broadcast material that determines whether an identification is 
required but whether or not a station receives valuable consideration for broadcasting it.”  Advertising Council 
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rules do not require sponsorship identification, however, when both the identity of the sponsor and the 
fact of sponsorship of a commercial product or service is obvious.25 Thus, a sponsorship announcement 
would not be required when there is a clear connection between an obviously commercial product and 
sponsor.26 Furthermore, with the exception of sponsored political advertising and certain issue 
advertising,27 the Commission only requires that the announcement occur once during the programming 
and remain on the screen long enough to be read or heard by an average viewer.28 Other decisions are 
left to the “reasonable, good faith judgment” of the licensee.29 The Commission has issued numerous 
public notices over the years reminding industry participants of their sponsorship identification 
obligations.30 In the past, the Commission has specifically reminded the industry that such obligations 
extend to “hidden” commercials embedded in interview programs.31  
  
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Request For Declaratory Ruling or Waiver Concerning Sponsorship Identification Rules, 17 FCC Rcd 22616, 22621 
(2002),  recon. pending. 
24 See In re “Teaser” Announcements, 40 F.C.C. 60 (1959).  
25 See 47 C.F.R. § 73.1212(f).  Section 73.1212(f) provides: 
In the case of broadcast matter advertising commercial products or services, an announcement 
stating the sponsor's corporate or trade name, or the name of the sponsor's product, when it is clear 
that the mention of the name of the product constitutes a sponsorship identification, shall be 
deemed sufficient for the purpose of this section and only one such announcement need be made at 
any time during the course of the broadcast.
An equivalent provision applies to origination cablecasting.  See 47 C.F.R. §76.1615(e). 
26 See Letter to Edward G. Atsinger III, President of Salem Media Corporation, Radio Station WMCA(AM), 7 FCC 
Rcd 927 n.1 (1992).  See also, e.g., Classical Acquisition Limited Partnership Licensee, Radio Station WTEM(AM), 
10 FCC Rcd 11004 (1995) (emphasizing that this exception applies when the product name and the sponsor are 
“obviously intertwined in the public mind.”). 
27 See In the matter of Codification of the Commission’s Political Programming Policies, Opinion and Order, 7 FCC 
Rcd 1616 (1992). 
28 See Application of Sponsorship Identification Rules to Political Broadcasts, Teaser Announcements, 
Governmental Entities and Other Organizations, Public Notice, 66 F.C.C. 2d 302 (1977). 
29 See Codification of the Commission’s Political Programming Policies, Opinion and Order, 7 FCC Rcd 678, 687 
(1991). 
30 In 1970, for example, the Commission issued a public notice making clear that under Section 317 and 507, a 
producer receiving compensation or other valuable consideration for inclusion of matter in a program must report its 
receipt to the licensee, who in turn must make an appropriate disclosure.   Application of Sections 317 and 507 of the 
Communications Act to “Kickbacks” of Fees Paid to Performers, Public Notice, 23 FCC 2d 588 (1970).   In 1977, 
the Commission issued a public notice addressing the “widespread” failure of licensees to disclose sponsorship with 
respect to a nationwide “teaser” campaign sponsored by a religious organization, as well as for a commercial 
message paid for by governmental entities, local public service organizations, and trade associations.  The 
Commission also directed attention to “numerous complaints” filed by the public claiming that the sponsorship 
identifications associated with certain election ads were illegible. See Application of Sponsorship Identification 
Rules to Political Broadcasts, Teaser Announcements, Governmental Entities and Other Organizations, Public 
Notice, 66 FCC 2d 302 (1977).  See also In re Broadcasters Warned Against “Teaser” or “Come-On” Spots Where 
Neither Sponsor nor Sponsor’s Product Is Announced, Public Notice, 40 F.C.C. 135 (1962); In the Matter of 
Amendment of Section 3.119(e) of the Commission’s Rules and Regulations so as to Permit Utilization of “Teaser” 
Announcements Without Sponsorship Identification of Each Such Announcement, Opinion and Order, 40 F.C.C. 60 
(1959).  In 1988, the Commission warned licensees about the failure to disclose sponsored promotions and payola.  
See Commission Warns Licensees About Payola and Undisclosed Promotion, Public Notice, 4 FCC Rcd 7708 
(1988).  In 1991, the Commission issued a public notice reminding cable operators and broadcast licensees that the 
sponsorship identification requirements applied to public service announcements paid for by governmental, non-
profit, and other entities.   See Commission Reminds Broadcast Licensees and Cable Operators of Sponsorship 
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Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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6. Providing “special safeguards” against the effects of overcommercialization on children, 
the Children’s Television Act imposes time limitations on the amount of commercial matter in children’s 
programming.32 The Commission also has several longstanding policies that are designed to protect 
children from confusion that may result from the intermixture of program and commercial material in 
children’s television programming.33 The Commission requires broadcasters to use separations or 
“bumpers” between programming and commercials during children’s programming to help children 
distinguish between advertisements and program content.34 The Commission also considers any 
children’s programming associated with a product, in which commercials for that product are aired, to be 
a “program-length commercial.”35 Such program length commercials may exceed the Commission’s 
time limits on commercial matter in children’s programming and expose the station to enforcement 
action.36 The Commission has also stated that this program-length commercial policy applies to 
“programs in which a product or service is advertised within the body of the program and not separated 
from program content as children’s commercials are required to be.”37  
7. In a petition for rulemaking filed with the Commission in 2003, Commercial Alert argues 
that the Commission’s sponsorship identification rules are inadequate to address embedded advertising 
techniques, and thus, these rules fail to fulfill the Commission’s mandate under Section 317 of the 
Communications Act.38  For example, Commercial Alert asserts that “[t]here was a statement at the end of 
  
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Identification Requirements Applicable to Paid-For “Public Service” Messages, Public Notice, 6 FCC Rcd 5861 
(1991).   In 2005, the Commission issued a public notice reminding licensees, cable operators and others of their 
disclosure obligation with respect to video news releases (VNR).   See Commission Reminds Broadcast Licensees, 
Cable Operators and Others of Requirements Applicable to Video News Releases and Seeks Comment on the Use of 
Video New Releases by Broadcast Licensees and Cable Operators, Public Notice, 20 FCC Rcd 8593 (2005).
31 See  Inquiry Into Hidden Commercials In Recorded “Interview” Programs, Public Notice, 40 F.C.C. 81 (1960).  
This public notice inquired into the prevalence of “hidden commercials” in “interview programs,” describing 
situations where during the course of the interview, one party may “casually mention one or more commercial 
products.”  Because these deals were often orchestrated by parties other than the broadcaster, the Commission 
requested licensees to “use more than ordinary diligence” in monitoring sponsorship activity in these shows.  Id.  
See also In re Sponsorship Identification of Broadcast Material, Public Notice, 40 F.C.C. 69, 74 (1960) (addressing 
plugs and “sneaky” commercials, including product placement).
32 Specifically, commercial television broadcast licensees and cable operators must limit the amount of commercial 
matter that airs during programs directed to children ages 12 and under to not more than 10.5 minutes per hour on 
weekends and not more than 12 minutes per hour on weekdays.  See Children’s Television Act of 1990, Pub. L. No. 
101-437, 104 Stat. 996-1000, codified at 47 U.S. C. §§ 303b; 47 C.F.R. § 73.670; 47 C.F.R. § 76.255.
33 These policies “directly addresses a fundamental regulatory concern, that children who have difficulty enough 
distinguishing program content from unrelated commercial matter, not be all the more confused by a show that 
interweaves program content and commercial matter.”  See Policies and Rules Concerning Children’s Television 
Programming, Report and Order, 6 FCC Rcd  2111, 2118 (1991), recon. granted in part, 6 FCC Rcd 5093 (1991) 
(“Children’s Television Programming”).
34 See, e.g., Children’s Television Programming, 6 FCC Rcd at 2117-8. 
35 See id. at 2118.
36 See 47 C.F.R. § 73.670 (a). 
37 See Children’s Television Programming, 6 FCC Rcd at 2118 (citing Weigel Broadcasting Company, 41 F.C.C. 2d 
370 (1973) (eight-minute segment inviting viewers to contact sponsor about entering chinchilla ranching business in 
half-hour program on chinchilla ranching).  In addition, the host-selling rule prohibits “program talent or other 
identifiable program [characters]” from delivering any commercial pitches during a program.  See Policies and 
Rules Concerning Children’s Television Programming, Order on Reconsideration, 6 FCC Rcd at 5097. 
38 See Commercial Alert Petition at 3-4.  Commercial Alert also filed this petition with the Federal Trade 
Commission (FTC), alleging that product placement without full disclosure constitutes an unfair and deceptive 
practice in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.  In its response, the FTC stated that the 
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a segment featuring the product placement that [the television program] ‘Big Brother 4 is sponsored by 
McDonald’s.’  But there was not a hint that embedded plugs within the show were in fact paid ads.”39
Commercial Alert requests revision to these rules to require disclosure of product placement and 
integration in entertainment programming at the beginnings of programs in clear and conspicious 
language.40 Commercial Alert also requests that disclosure be made concurrently with any product 
placement and/or integration, asserting that requiring disclosure only at the beginning or the end of the 
program disadvantages viewers who might miss the announcement.41  
8. In opposition, the Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) and Freedom to Advertise 
Coalition (FAC) both argue that embedded advertising techniques are a longstanding fixture of broadcast 
advertising that cause no substantial harm to consumers, that the Commission’s existing sponsorship 
identification rules are adequate to regulate them, and that a concurrent disclosure requirement would 
violate the First Amendment.42 WLF argues that the proposed concurrent disclosure would so greatly 
interfere with programming that it would be paramount to a governmental ban on product placement.43  
By interfering with both the “commercial and dramatic reality of television production,” asserts WLF, a 
concurrent disclosure requirement would be unconstitutionally overbroad.44 Similarly, FAC argues that a 
concurrent disclosure requirement would so greatly interfere with the “artistic integrity” of a program that 
it would “censor or ban this long standing means of commercial speech.”45 FAC also asserts that a 
concurrent disclosure requirement lacks a “strong enough governmental interest” to justify the 
infringement on commercial speech.46 Accordingly, applying the four-part test developed by the U.S. 
  
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complaint “does not suggest that product placement results in consumers giving more credence to objective claims 
about the product’s attributes,” or sufficiently show that the product placement involves “false or misleading 
objective, material claims about the product’s attributes. . . .”  See Letter from Mary K. Engle, Associate Director for 
Advertising Practices, Federal Trade Commission, to Gary Ruskin, Executive Director, Commercial Alert (February 
10, 2005).  Similarly, in 1991, the Center for the Study of Commercialism filed a complaint and a request for 
investigation and rulemaking with the FTC regarding  product placements in motion pictures, alleging that product 
placement was an unfair and deceptive trade practice in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act 
as amended, 15 U.S.C. § 45.  See In the Matter of Unfair and Deceptive Acts and Practices in the Placement of 
Product Advertisements in Motion Pictures, Docket No. P914518, 209-59, 1991 WL 640030 (May 30, 1991).   The 
FTC denied the petition by letter, stating that because of an “apparent lack of a pervasive pattern of deception and 
substantial consumer injury attributable to product placements,” a rulemaking was not warranted.   See Press 
Release, FTC, FTC Denies Center for the Study of Commercialism's Petition to Promulgate Rule on Product 
Placement in Movies, (Dec. 11, 1992), available at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/predawn/F93/csc-petit5.htm.
39 Id. at 11. 
40 Id.  
41 Id.
42 See Comments of the Washington Legal Foundation to the Federal Communications Commission Concerning 
Television Product Placement  (April 6, 2004) at 6-7 (“Comments of Washington Legal Foundation”); Opposition to 
Petition for Rulemaking related to Disclosure of Product Placement on Television filed by Freedom to Advertise 
Coalition (November 12, 2003) at 5 (“Comments of Freedom to Advertise Coalition”). 
43 See Comments of Washington Legal Foundation at 6.  Because product placements add to the realism of 
programming, asserts WLF, a concurrent disclosure requirement would “destroy the artistic integrity of any 
programming containing such speech, and would be a nuisance to the viewer.”  Id. at 3.  WLF also argues that 
product placement and/or integration is harmless, and that the petition fails to distinguish the current embedded 
advertising practices from those occurring in the 1950s and 1960s.  Id. at 3 & 5. 
44 See Comments of Washington Legal Foundation at 7. 
45  Id. 
46 See Comments of Freedom to Advertise Coalition at 5. 
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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Supreme Court in Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission,47 FAC asserts 
that any concurrent disclosure requirement would fail to meet the intermediate standard of review 
developed for lawful, non-deceptive commercial speech.48
9. Two years after the filing of the Commercial Alert Petition, the Writer’s Guild of 
America, West; the Writer’s Guild of America, East; the Screen Actors Guild; and the associate dean of 
the USC Annenberg School for Communication formulated another set recommendations, including: 1) 
visual and aural disclosure of product integration at the beginning of each program; 2) strict limits on 
product integration in children's programming; 3) input by storytellers, actors, and directors, arrived at 
through collective bargaining, about how a product or brand is to be integrated into content; and 4) 
extension of all regulation of product integration to cable television.49 Alternatively, these groups 
requested the creation of an industry code on embedded advertising.50 More recently, in 2007, Philip 
Rosenthal testified on behalf of the Writer’s Guild of America, West and the Screen Actors Guild before 
the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet of the House Committee on Energy and 
Commerce regarding the need for greater disclosure requirements because of product placement and 
product integration.51 In addition, in 2007, Patric Verrone testified on behalf of the Writers Guild of 
America, West, during the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Hearing on Media Ownership 
in Chicago, Illinois regarding the need for greater disclosure requirements for product integration.52
B. DISCUSSION 
10. We undertake this proceeding in order to consider the complex questions involved with 
the practice of embedded advertising, and to examine ways the Commission can advance the statutory 
goal entrusted to us of ensuring that that the public is informed of the sources of program sponsorship 
while concurrently balancing the First Amendment and artistic rights of programmers.  We seek comment 
on current trends in embedded advertising and the efficacy of the Commission’s existing sponsorship 
identification rules in protecting the public’s right to be informed in light of these trends.  More 
specifically, we seek comment on whether and how Sections 73.1212 and 76.1615 of the Commission’s 
rules should be amended in order to fulfill the purposes of Section 317 and 507 of the Communications 
Act. 
11. We seek comment on the application of the sponsorship identification regulations to 
various embedded advertising techniques.  As noted above, the Commission in 1960 issued a public 
notice stating that sponsorship identification requirements applied to “hidden” commercials embedded in 
interview programs.53 How often are these embedded advertising practices occurring and in what form?  
  
47 447 U.S. 557 (1980).  Under this four-part analysis, the court initially determines whether the commercial speech 
involves unlawful activity or is misleading and thus not protected under the First Amendment; if the commercial 
speech is not misleading or unlawful, then the court applies an intermediate level of scrutiny, analyzing whether  the 
government has a substantial interest; whether the regulatory policy directly and materially advances that interest; 
and whether the regulatory policy is no more extensive than necessary to serve that interest.  Id. at 566.
48 Comments of Freedom to Advertise Coalition at 6. 
49 See Entertainment Guilds Call for Industry Code of Conduct or FCC Regulation for Product Integration in 
Programming and Film; Guilds Issue White Paper Report on the Runaway Use of Stealth Advertising in Television 
and Film, November 14, 2005, available at  http://www.wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=1422.  See also 
Writer’s Guild White Paper at 8.
50 See id. 
51 See Digital Future of the United States, Part V: the Future of Video, Testimony of Philip Rosenthal, May 10, 
2007, available at http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-ti-hrg.051007.Rosenthal-testimony.pdf.  
52 Comments of Patric Verrone, President, Writers Guild of America, West, at Chicago, Illinios, Public Hearing on 
Media Ownership (September 20, 2007) at 218-23.
53 See Inquiry Into Hidden Commercials In Recorded “Interview” Programs, Public Notice, 40 F.C.C. 81 (1960).  In 
(continued…)
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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Are the existing rules effective in ensuring that the public is made aware of product placement and 
product integration in entertainment programming?  Are persons involved in the production or 
preparation of program matter intended for broadcast fulfilling their obligations under Section 507?  Are 
broadcasters and cable operators fulfilling their reasonable diligence obligations under Section 317(c) and 
the Commission’s rules?  Does embedded advertising fit within the exception to disclosure requirements 
that applies where the commercial nature and identity of the sponsor is obvious?54  
12. We also seek comment on whether modifications to the sponsorship identification rules 
are warranted to address new developments in the use of embedded advertising techniques.  Are the 
concurrent disclosures requested by Commercial Alert necessary to ensure that the public is aware of 
sponsored messages that are integrated into entertainment programming?55 Would concurrent disclosures 
be more or less disruptive to radio programming?  Are other rule modifications warranted?  Should we 
require disclosures before or after, or before and after, a program containing integrated sponsored 
material?56 Should we require disclosure during a program when sponsored products and/or services are 
being displayed?  Should we require both visual and aural disclosure for televised announcements?57  
Should these disclosures contain language specifying that the content paid for is an “advertisement” or 
other specific terms?58 Should we require that radio disclosures be of a certain duration or of a certain 
volume? 
13. We further seek comment on the First Amendment implications of possible modifications 
to the sponsorship identification rules to address more effectively embedded advertising techniques.  In 
particular, we invite comment on the arguments raised by WLF and FAC in response to Commercial 
Alert’s petition.  Would the imposition of concurrent disclosure requirements or other regulations infringe 
on the artistic integrity of entertainment programming, as WLF argues?  Would such a regulation be 
paramount to a ban on embedded advertising, as asserted by WLF and FAC?  Does the apparently 
common existing practice of superimposing unrelated promotional material at the bottom of the screen 
during a running program belie WLF’s and FAC’s contention that concurrent identification would 
effectively preclude product integration as a form of commercial speech because it would “infringe on 
artistic integrity”?  Are the government interests at stake here substantial enough to justify any such 
requirements?  How can the Commission ensure that any modified regulations are no more extensive than 
necessary to serve these interests?  
14. We also seek comment on whether Section 317 disclosure requirements should apply to 
feature films containing embedded advertising when re-broadcast by a licensee or provided by a cable 
operator.  We note that in its prior Order, the Commission granted a Section 317 waiver for feature 
  
(…Continued from previous page)
its petition, Commercial Alert stresses that more recently, several pharmaceutical companies have used paid 
spokespersons to promote certain drugs, “often without disclosing that they were paid by pharmaceutical companies, 
or had other financial ties to them.”  See Commercial Alert Petition at 5.
54  See 47 C.F.R. § 73.1212(f). 
55 See Commercial Alert Petition at 4. 
56 Id. 
57 See Writer’s Guild White Paper at 8.  We note that in a 1991 Report and Order, the Commission adopted a rule 
requiring both audio and video sponsorship identification for television political advertisements.  In the matter of 
Codification of the Commission’s Political Programming Policies, 7 FCC Rcd 678 (1991).  However, as part of the 
same proceeding, in response to petitions for reconsideration addressing these requirements, the Commission 
subsequently eliminated the audio identification (agreeing with petitioners that this requirement was unduly 
burdensome to candidates, particularly for short spot announcements) and set forth the specific standards for video 
sponsorship identification currently in effect.  7 FCC Rcd 1616 (1992).
58 See Commercial Alert Petition at 4. 
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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films.59 We found that there was a lack of evidence of sponsorship within films and observed that there 
was a lag time between production of feature films and their exhibition on television.  In the 1963 Order, 
the Commission found no public interest considerations which would dictate immediate application of 
Section 317 to feature films re-broadcast on television.  At present, the Commission’s rules continue to
waive the sponsorship identification requirements for feature films “produced initially and primarily for 
theatre exhibition.”60 We seek comment on the use of embedded advertising in feature films today, and 
whether the Commission should revisit the decision to waive Section 317 disclosure requirements.
III. NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING
15.       As stated above, with the exception of sponsored political advertising and certain issue 
advertising,61 the Commission only requires that the announcement occur once during the programming 
and remain on the screen long enough to be read or heard by an average viewer.62 In this Notice of 
Inquiry and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NOI/NPRM”), we seek comment on a proposed rule 
change to make the current disclosure requirement more obvious to the consumer by requiring that 
sponsorship identification announcements 1) have lettering of a particular size and 2) air for a particular 
amount of time.  Currently, the sponsoring announcement for any television political advertising 
concerning candidates for public office must have lettering equal to or greater than four percent of the 
vertical picture height and air for not less than four seconds.63 Also, any political broadcast matter or 
broadcast matter involving the discussion of a controversial issue of public importance longer than five 
minutes “for which any film, record, transcription, talent, script, or other material or service of any kind is 
furnished…to a station as inducement for the broadcasting of such matter” requires a sponsorship 
identification announcement both at the beginning and the conclusion of the broadcast programming 
containing the announcement.64 We seek comment on whether the Commission should apply similar 
standards to all sponsorship identification announcements and, if so, we seek comment on the size of 
lettering for these announcements and the amount of time they should air.  We seek suggestions on any 
other requirements for these announcements. 
16.    We also invite comment on whether the Commission’s existing rules and policies governing 
commercials in children’s programming adequately vindicate the policy goals underlying the Children’s 
Television Act and Sections 317 and 507 with respect to embedded advertising in children’s 
programming.  If commenters believe that these rules and policies do not do so, we invite comment on 
what additional steps the Commission should take to regulate embedded advertising in programming 
directed to children.65 For example, we note that embedded advertising in children’s programming would 
run afoul of our separation policy because there would be no bumper between programming content and 
  
59 In the Matter of Amendment of Sections 3.119, 3.289, 3.654 and 3.789 of the Commission’s Rules, Report and 
Order, 34 F.C.C. 829, 841 (1963).  
60 See 47 C.F.R. § 73.1212(h). 
61 See In the matter of Codification of the Commission’s Political Programming Policies, Opinion and Order, 7 FCC 
Rcd 1616 (1992). 
62 See Application of Sponsorship Identification Rules to Political Broadcasts, Teaser Announcements, 
Governmental Entities and Other Organizations, Public Notice, 66 F.C.C. 2d 302 (1977).  We note that the 
sponsorship identification announcement must state "paid for," "sponsored by," or "furnished by" and by whom the 
consideration was supplied." 47 C.F.R. §§ 73.1212(a)(1) and (a)(2).
63 47 C.F.R. § 73.1212(a)(2)(ii).
64 47 C.F.R. 73.1212 (d). 
65 See Writer’s Guild White Paper at 8 (proposing “strict limits on the usage of product integration in children’s 
programming.”).
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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advertising.66 Should that prohibition be made explicit in our rules?
17.      WGA asks that we extend regulation of product integration to cable television.67 Section 
76.1615 of the Commission’s rules applies to origination cablecasting by a cable operator, which is 
defined as “programming (exclusive of broadcast signals) carried on a cable television system over one or 
more channels and subject to the exclusive control of the cable operator.”68 Should the Commission take 
additional steps with respect to sponsorship identification announcements required of cable programmers?  
18.       We also invite comment on issues raised by radio hosts’ personal, on-air endorsements of 
products or services that they may have been provided at little or no cost to them. In such circumstances, 
should we presume that an “exchange” of consideration for on-air mentions of the product or service has 
occurred, thus triggering the obligation to provide a sponsorship announcement? Should we do so in all 
such circumstances or should we limit this presumption to situations where other factors enhance the 
likelihood that an exchange of consideration for air time has taken place.  In addition, we invite comment 
on the scope of the “obviousness” exception to the sponsorship announcement requirement.69 Does that 
exception apply to endorsements or favorable commentary by a radio host that are integrated into 
broadcast programming, i.e., made to sound like they are part of a radio host’s on-air banter rather than an 
advertisement?
IV. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
A. Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
19. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act,70 the Commission has prepared an Initial 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (IRFA) of the possible significant economic impact on a substantial 
number of small entities of the proposals addressed in this Notice of Inquiry and Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (“NOI/NPRM”).  The IRFA is set forth in the Appendix.  Written public comments are 
requested on the IRFA.  These comments must be filed in accordance with the same filing deadlines for 
comments on the NOI/NPRM, and they should have a separate and distinct heading designating them as 
responses to the IRFA. 
B. Paperwork Reduction Act Analysis
20. This NPRM contains potential revised information collection requirements. If the 
Commission adopts any revised information collection requirements, the Commission will publish a 
  
66 As noted above, the Commission requires broadcasters to use separations or “bumpers” between programming 
and commercials during children’s programming: “The separation policy is an attempt to aid children in 
distinguishing advertising from program material. It requires that broadcasters separate the two types of content by 
use of special measures such as ‘bumpers’ (e.g., ‘And now it's time for a commercial break,’ ‘And now back to the 
[title of the program]’).” Policies and Rules Concerning Children's Television Programming, 6 FCC Rcd 2111, 
2127 n. 147 (1991), recon. granted in part, 6 FCC Rcd 5093 (1991).
67 See Entertainment Guilds Call for Industry Code of Conduct or FCC Regulation for Product Integration in 
Programming and Film; Guilds Issue White Paper Report on the Runaway Use of Stealth Advertising in Television 
and Film, November 14, 2005, available at http://www.wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=1422. See also 
Writer’s Guild White Paper at 8.
68 47 C.F.R. § 76.5(p).  See also Amendment of the Commission's Sponsorship Identification Rules (Sections 73.119, 
73.289, 73.654, 73.789 and 76.221), Report and Order, 52 F.C.C.2d 701, 712 (1975) (“We see no reason why the 
rules for such cablecasting should be different from those for broadcasting, for the consideration of keeping the 
public informed about those who try to persuade it would appear to be the same in both cases.”).
69 See 47 C.F.R. § 73.1212 (no announcement required “when it is clear that the mention of the product constitutes a 
sponsorship identification”).
70 See 5 U.S.C. § 603.
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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notice in the Federal Register inviting the public to comment on the requirements, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520). In addition, pursuant to 
the Small Business Paperwork Relief Act of 2002, Public Law 107-198, see 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(4), the 
Commission seeks specific comment on how it might “further reduce the information collection burden 
for small business concerns with fewer than 25 employees.”
C. Ex Parte Rules 
21. Permit-But-Disclose. This proceeding will be treated as a “permit-but-disclose” 
proceeding subject to the “permit-but-disclose” requirements under section 1.1206(b) of the 
Commission’s rules.71  Ex parte presentations are permissible if disclosed in accordance with 
Commission rules, except during the Sunshine Agenda period when presentations, ex parte or otherwise, 
are generally prohibited.  Persons making oral ex parte presentations are reminded that a memorandum 
summarizing a presentation must contain a summary of the substance of the presentation and not merely a 
listing of the subjects discussed.  More than a one- or two-sentence description of the views and 
arguments presented is generally required.72 Additional rules pertaining to oral and written presentations 
are set forth in section 1.1206(b).
D. Filing Requirements
22. Comment Information.  Pursuant to sections 1.415 and 1.419 of the Commission’s rules, 47 
CFR §§ 1.415, 1.419, interested parties may file comments and reply comments on or before the dates 
indicated on the first page of this document.  Comments may be filed using:  (1) the Commission’s 
Electronic Comment Filing System (ECFS), (2) the Federal Government’s eRulemaking Portal, or (3) by 
filing paper copies.  See Electronic Filing of Documents in Rulemaking Proceedings, 63 FR 24121 
(1998).
§ Electronic Filers:  Comments may be filed electronically using the Internet by accessing the 
ECFS:  http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/ or the Federal eRulemaking Portal:  
http://www.regulations.gov.  Filers should follow the instructions provided on the website for 
submitting comments.  
§ For ECFS filers, if multiple docket or rulemaking numbers appear in the caption of this 
proceeding, filers must transmit one electronic copy of the comments for each docket or 
rulemaking number referenced in the caption.  In completing the transmittal screen, filers 
should include their full name, U.S. Postal Service mailing address, and the applicable 
docket or rulemaking number.  Parties may also submit an electronic comment by 
Internet e-mail. To get filing instructions, filers should send an e-mail to ecfs@fcc.gov, 
and include the following words in the body of the message, “get form.”  A sample form 
and directions will be sent in response.
§ Paper Filers:  Parties who choose to file by paper must file an original and four copies of each 
filing.  If more than one docket or rulemaking number appears in the caption of this proceeding, 
filers must submit two additional copies for each additional docket or rulemaking number.
Filings can be sent by hand or messenger delivery, by commercial overnight courier, or by first-
class or overnight U.S. Postal Service mail (although we continue to experience delays in 
receiving U.S. Postal Service mail).  All filings must be addressed to the Commission’s Secretary, 
Office of the Secretary, Federal Communications Commission.
  
71 See 47 C.F.R. § 1.1206(b); see also 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.1202, 1.1203.
72 See 47 C.F.R. § 1.1206(b)(2).
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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§ The Commission’s contractor will receive hand-delivered or messenger-delivered paper 
filings for the Commission’s Secretary at 236 Massachusetts Avenue, NE., Suite 110, 
Washington, DC  20002.  The filing hours at this location are 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  All 
hand deliveries must be held together with rubber bands or fasteners.  Any envelopes 
must be disposed of before entering the building.
§ Commercial overnight mail (other than U.S. Postal Service Express Mail and Priority 
Mail) must be sent to 9300 East Hampton Drive, Capitol Heights, MD  20743.
§ U.S. Postal Service first-class, Express, and Priority mail should be addressed to 445 12th
Street, SW, Washington DC  20554.
People with Disabilities:  To request materials in accessible formats for people with disabilities (braille, 
large print, electronic files, audio format), send an e-mail or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs 
Bureau at 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (tty).  
Comments, reply comments, and ex parte submissions will be available for public inspection during 
regular business hours in the FCC Reference Center, Federal Communications Commission, 445 12th
Street, S.W., CY-A257, Washington, D.C., 20554.  These documents will also be available via ECFS.  
Documents will be available electronically in ASCII, Word 97, and/or Adobe Acrobat. 
23.      Additional Information.  For additional information on this proceeding, contact John 
Norton, John.Norton@fcc.gov, of the Media Bureau, Policy Division, (202) 418-2120.
V. ORDERING CLAUSES
24.      Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to the authority contained in Sections 4(i) & (j), 
303, 317, 403, and 507 of the Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C §§ 154(i) & (j), 303(r), 303a, 317, 
403, and 508, this Notice of Inquiry and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking IS ADOPTED.
25. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Commission’s Consumer and Governmental 
Affairs Bureau, Reference Information Center, SHALL SEND a copy of this Notice of Inquiry and 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, including the Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, to the Chief 
Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration. 
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
Marlene H. Dortch
Secretary
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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APPENDIX
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis
1. As required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as amended (the “RFA”),1 the 
Commission has prepared this Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis (“IRFA”) of the possible significant 
economic impact of the policies and rules proposed in the Notice of Inquiry and Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (“NOI/NPRM”) on a substantial number of small entities.2 Written public comments are 
requested on this IRFA.  Comments must be identified as responses to the IRFA and must be filed by the 
deadlines for comments on the NOI/NPRM.  The Commission will send a copy of the NOI/NPRM, 
including this IRFA, to the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (“SBA”).3  
In addition, the NOI/NPRM and IRFA (or summaries thereof) will be published in the Federal Register.4
A. Need for, and Objectives of, the Proposed Rules 
2. Our goal in commencing this proceeding is to seek comment on current trends in 
embedded advertising and potential changes to the current sponsorship identification regulations with 
regard to embedded advertising.  Given the increased prevalence of embedded advertising techniques, it is 
important that sponsorship identification rules protect the public’s right to know who is paying to air 
commercials or other program matter on broadcast television and radio and cable.
3. In this NOI/NPRM, we seek comment on a proposed rule change to make the current 
disclosure requirement more obvious to the consumer by requiring that sponsorship identification 
announcements 1) have lettering of a particular size and 2) air for a particular amount of time, and seek 
suggestions for any other requirements for these announcements.  We also invite comment on whether the 
Commission’s existing rules and policies governing commercials in children’s programming adequately 
vindicate the policy goals underlying the Children’s Television Act and Sections 317 and 507 with 
respect to embedded advertising in children’s programming.  We also ask  whether we should take 
additional steps with respect to sponsorship identification announcements required of cable programmers.  
In addition, we invite comment on issues raised by radio hosts’ personal, on-air endorsements of products 
or services that they may have been provided at little or no cost to them:  should we presume that an 
“exchange” of consideration for on-air mentions of the product or service has occurred, thus triggering the 
obligation to provide a sponsorship announcement; and does the “obviousness” exception to the 
sponsorship announcement requirement apply to endorsements or favorable commentary by a radio host
that are integrated into broadcast programming, i.e., made to sound like they are part of a radio host’s on-
air banter rather than an advertisement?
B. Legal Basis
4. The authority for the action proposed in this rulemaking is contained in Sections 4(i) & 
(j), 303(r), 317, 403, and 507 of the Communications Act of 1934 as amended, 47 U.S.C. §§ 154(i) & (j), 
303(r), 303a, 317, 403, and 508.
  
1 The RFA, see 5 U.S.C. §§ 601 – 612, has been amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness 
Act of 1996 (“SBREFA”), Pub. L. No. 104-121, Title II, 110 Stat. 857 (1996).
2 See 5 U.S.C. § 603.  
3 See 5 U.S.C. § 603(a).
4 Id.
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
 15
C. Description and Estimate of the Number of Small Entities to Which the Proposed 
Rules Will Apply
5. The RFA directs agencies to provide a description of, and where feasible, an estimate of 
the number of small entities that may be affected by the proposed rules, if adopted.   The RFA generally 
defines the term “small entity” as having the same meaning as the terms “small business,” “small 
organization,” and “small governmental jurisdiction.”   In addition, the term “small business” has the 
same meaning as the term “small business concern” under the Small Business Act.   A “small business 
concern” is one which:  (1) is independently owned and operated; (2) is not dominant in its field of 
operation; and (3) satisfies any additional criteria established by the Small Business Administration 
(“SBA”). 
6. Television Broadcasting.  The Census Bureau defines this category as follows:  “This 
industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in broadcasting images together with sound. These 
establishments operate television broadcasting studios and facilities for the programming and 
transmission of programs to the public.” 5 The SBA has created a small business size standard for 
Television Broadcasting entities, which is:  such firms having $13 million or less in annual receipts.6  
The Commission has estimated the number of licensed commercial television stations to be 1,379.7 In 
addition, according to Commission staff review of the BIA Publications, Inc., Master Access Television 
Analyzer Database (BIA) on March 30, 2007, about 986 of an estimated 1,374 commercial television 
stations (or approximately 72 percent) had revenues of $13 million or less.8 We therefore estimate that 
the majority of commercial television broadcasters are small entities.
7. We note, however, that in assessing whether a business concern qualifies as small under 
the above definition, business (control) affiliations must be included.9 Our estimate, therefore, likely 
overstates the number of small entities that might be affected by our action, because the revenue figure on 
which it is based does not include or aggregate revenues from affiliated companies.  In addition, an 
element of the definition of “small business” is that the entity not be dominant in its field of operation.  
We are unable at this time to define or quantify the criteria that would establish whether a specific 
television station is dominant in its field of operation.  Accordingly, the estimate of small businesses to 
which rules may apply does not exclude any television station from the definition of a small business on 
this basis and is therefore possibly over-inclusive to that extent.
8. In addition, the Commission has estimated that number of licensed noncommercial 
educational (NCE) television stations to be 380.10 These stations are non-profit, and therefore considered 
small entities.11 In addition, there are also 2,295 low power television stations (LPTV).12 Given the 
nature of this service, we will presume that all LPTV licensees qualify as small entities under the above 
  
5 U.S. Census Bureau, 2002 NAICS Definitions, “515120 Television Broadcasting” (partial definition); 
http://www.census.gov/epcd/naics02/def/NDEF515.HTM. 
6 13 C.F.R. § 121.201, NAICS code 515120.
7 See FCC News Release, “Broadcast Station Totals as of December 31, 2007,” dated March 18, 2008; 
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280836A1.pdf. 
8 We recognize that BIA’s estimate differs slightly from the FCC total given supra.
9 “[Business concerns] are affiliates of each other when one concern controls or has power to control the other or a 
third party or parties controls or has power to control both.”  13 C.F.R. § 21.103(a)(1).
10 See FCC News Release, “Broadcast Station Totals as of December 31, 2007,” dated March 18, 2008; 
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280836A1.pdf. 
11 See generally 5 U.S.C. § 601(4), (6).
12 See FCC News Release, “Broadcast Station Totals as of December 31, 2007,” dated March 18, 2008; 
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280836A1.pdf. 
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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SBA small business size standard.
9. Cable Television Distribution Services.   Since 2007, these services have been newly 
defined within the broad economic census category of Wired Telecommunications Carriers; that category 
is defined as follows:  “This industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in operating and/or 
providing access to transmission facilities and infrastructure that they own and/or lease for the 
transmission of voice, data, text, sound, and video using wired telecommunications networks. 
Transmission facilities may be based on a single technology or a combination of technologies.”13 The 
SBA has developed an associated small business size standard for this category, and that is:  all such 
firms having 1,500 or fewer employees.   To gauge small business prevalence for these cable services we 
must, however, use current census data that are based on the previous category of Cable and Other 
Program Distribution and its associated size standard; that size standard was:  all such firms having $13.5 
million or less in annual receipts.14 According to Census Bureau data for 2002, there were a total of 1,191 
firms in this category that operated for the entire year.15 Of this total, 1,087 firms had annual receipts of 
under $10 million, and 43 firms had receipts of $10 million or more but less than $25 million.16 Thus, the 
majority of these cable firms can be considered to be small.  
10. Cable Companies and Systems. The Commission has also developed its own small 
business size standards, for the purpose of cable rate regulation.  Under the Commission’s rules, a “small 
cable company” is one serving 400,000 or fewer subscribers, nationwide.17 Industry data indicate that, of 
1,076 cable operators nationwide, all but eleven are small under this size standard.18 In addition, under 
the Commission’s rules, a “small system” is a cable system serving 15,000 or fewer subscribers.19  
Industry data indicate that, of 7,208 systems nationwide, 6,139 systems have under 10,000 subscribers, 
and an additional 379 systems have 10,000-19,999 subscribers.20 Thus, under this second size standard, 
most cable systems are small.    
11. Cable System Operators.  The Communications Act of 1934, as amended, also contains a 
size standard for small cable system operators, which is “a cable operator that, directly or through an 
affiliate, serves in the aggregate fewer than 1 percent of all subscribers in the United States and is not 
affiliated with any entity or entities whose gross annual revenues in the aggregate exceed 
$250,000,000.”21 The Commission has determined that an operator serving fewer than 677,000 
subscribers shall be deemed a small operator, if its annual revenues, when combined with the total annual 
  
13 U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 NAICS Definitions, “517110 Wired Telecommunications Carriers” (partial definition); 
http://www.census.gov/naics/2007/def/ND517110.HTM#N517110. 
14 13 C.FR. § 121.201, NAICS code 517110.
15 U.S. Census Bureau, 2002 Economic Census, Subject Series:  Information, Table 4, Receipts Size of Firms for the 
United States:  2002, NAIC code 517510 (issued November 2005).
16 Id.  An additional 61 firms had annual receipts of 25 million or more.
17 47 C.F.R. § 76.901(e).  The Commission determined that this size standard equates approximately to a size 
standard of $100 million or less in annual revenues.  Implementation of Sections of the 1992 Cable Act: Rate 
Regulation, Sixth Report and Order and Eleventh Order on Reconsideration, 10 FCC Rcd 7393, 7408 (1995).
18 These data are derived from:  R.R. Bowker, Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2006, “Top 25 Cable/Satellite 
Operators,” pages A-8 & C-2 (data current as of June 30, 2005);  Warren Communications News, Television & 
Cable Factbook 2006, “Ownership of Cable Systems in the United States,” pages D-1805 to D-1857.
19 47 C.F.R. § 76.901(c).  
20 Warren Communications News, Television & Cable Factbook 2006, “U.S. Cable Systems by Subscriber Size,” 
page F-2 (data current as of Oct. 2005).  The data do not include 718 systems for which classifying data were not 
available.
21 47 U.S.C. § 543(m)(2); see 47 C.F.R. § 76.901(f) & nn. 1-3.
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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revenues of all its affiliates, do not exceed $250 million in the aggregate.22 Industry data indicate that, of 
1,076 cable operators nationwide, all but ten are small under this size standard.23 We note that the 
Commission neither requests nor collects information on whether cable system operators are affiliated 
with entities whose gross annual revenues exceed $250 million,24 and therefore we are unable to estimate 
more accurately the number of cable system operators that would qualify as small under this size 
standard.
12. Radio Stations. The proposed rules and policies potentially will apply to all AM and 
commercial FM radio broadcasting licensees and potential licensees.  The SBA defines a radio 
broadcasting station that has $6.5 million or less in annual receipts as a small business.25 A radio 
broadcasting station is an establishment primarily engaged in broadcasting aural programs by radio to the 
public.26 Included in this industry are commercial, religious, educational, and other radio stations.27  
Radio broadcasting stations which primarily are engaged in radio broadcasting and which produce radio 
program materials are similarly included.28 However, radio stations that are separate establishments and 
are primarily engaged in producing radio program material are classified under another NAICS number.29  
According to Commission staff review of BIA Publications, Inc. Master Access Radio Analyzer Database
on March 31, 2005, about 10,840 (95%) of 11,410 commercial radio stations have revenue of $6.5 million 
or less. We note, however, that many radio stations are affiliated with much larger corporations having 
much higher revenue. Our estimate, therefore, likely overstates the number of small entities that might be 
affected by our action.
D.  Description of Projected Reporting, Recordkeeping and Other Compliance 
Requirements
13. The NOI/NPRM does not propose any additional recordkeeping requirements but these 
types of requirements may be suggested by commenters.  Some of the proposed rules do require 
additional on-air reporting to the public of sponsorship identification, which could result in more 
sponsorship identification announcement requirements for stations/cable systems to monitor and for 
producers to insert into their programming.
E.   Steps Taken to Minimize Significant Economic Impact on Small Entities and  
Significant Alternatives Considered
14. The RFA requires an agency to describe any significant alternatives, specifically small 
business alternatives, that it has considered in reaching its proposed approach, which may include the 
following four alternatives (among others): “(1) the establishment of differing compliance or reporting 
requirements or timetables that take into account the resources available to small entities; (2) the 
  
22 47 C.F.R. § 76.901(f); see Public Notice, FCC Announces New Subscriber Count for the Definition of Small 
Cable Operator, DA 01-158 (Cable Services Bureau, Jan. 24, 2001).
23 These data are derived from:  R.R. Bowker, Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2006, “Top 25 Cable/Satellite 
Operators,” pages A-8 & C-2 (data current as of June 30, 2005); Warren Communications News, Television & 
Cable Factbook 2006, “Ownership of Cable Systems in the United States,” pages D-1805 to D-1857.
24 The Commission does receive such information on a case-by-case basis if a cable operator appeals a local 
franchise authority’s finding that the operator does not qualify as a small cable operator pursuant to § 76.901(f) of 
the Commission’s rules.  See 47 C.F.R. § 76.909(b).
25 See 13 C.F.R. § 121.201, 2007 NAICS Code 515112.
26 Id.
27 Id. 
28 Id.
29 Id.
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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clarification, consolidation, or simplification of compliance and reporting requirements under the rule for 
such small entities; (3) the use of performance rather than design standards; and (4) an exemption from 
coverage of the rule, or any part thereof, for such small entities.” 
15. The proposals in the NOI/NPRM30 would apply equally to large and small entities and we 
have no evidence that the burden of any of our proposals is significantly greater for small entities.  As 
noted, some of the proposed rules do require additional on-air reporting to the public of sponsorship 
identification, which could result in more sponsorship identification announcement requirements for 
stations/cable systems to monitor and for producers to insert into their programming.  We anticipate that  
some portion of the cost of compliance with the proposals will fall on producers of programming, which 
are indirectly affected.  However, we acknowledge that some portion of the cost may fall on stations 
themselves.  Accordingly, we welcome comment on modifications of the proposals if such modifications 
might assist small entities and especially if such comments are based on evidence of potential economic 
differential impact of the regulations on small entities that might have to absorb some of the cost of 
compliance.  
F. Federal Rules that May Duplicate, overlap, or Conflict with the Commission’s  
Proposals.
 16. None.
  
30 See para. 3 of IRFA.
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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STATEMENT OF
CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN
Re:  Sponsorship Identification Rules and Embedded Advertising, MB Docket No. 08-90.
At our first media ownership hearing in June of 2006, several witnesses raised concerns about the issue of 
product integration. TiVos and Digital Video Recorders now allow viewers to more easily skip 
commercials. Due, in part, to these technological developments, networks may be turning to more subtle 
and sophisticated means of incorporating commercial messages into traditional programming. As these 
techniques become increasingly prevalent, there is a growing concern that our sponsorship identification 
rules might fall short of their ultimate goal: to ensure that the public is able to identify both the 
commercial nature of any programming, as well as its source.
I believe it is important for consumers to know when someone is trying to sell them something. That is 
why, at our media ownership hearing in September of 2007, I called on my colleagues to adopt this 
Notice, which seeks comment on the relationship between the Commission’s sponsorship identification 
rules and increasing industry reliance on embedded advertising techniques. Specifically, we examine 
whether it is necessary to amend the Commission’s sponsorship identification rules to ensure adequate 
disclosure to the public.
I am pleased that the Commission has finally and unanimously voted to approve this item.
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER MICHAEL J. COPPS
Re:  Sponsorship Identification Rules and Embedded Advertising, MB Docket No. 08-90.
The fundamental premise of our sponsorship identification rules is that the American public is 
entitled to know who is trying to persuade them.  That premise applies to a wide range of conduct, from 
payola to political advertising to product placement.  This rulemaking is intended to determine whether 
our sponsorship identification rules need updating in order to provide adequate notice of certain types of 
“embedded” advertising practices that have proliferated in recent years.
It is difficult to watch television and not be struck by the amount of product placement.  
According to press reports, product placement on broadcast TV during the first quarter of 2008 was up 
almost 40% from the previous year—including a whopping 3,291 product placements on top-rated 
American Idol alone. Concerns have also been raised about the growth of “product integration,” in 
which, unlike product placement, the commercial product is not shown but is woven into the plot of a 
storyline or script. These kinds of stealth advertising may be particularly insidious because viewers often 
are unaware that someone is trying to influence, persuade, or market to them.
Whether these embedded advertising techniques have proliferated because DVR households fast-
forward through commercials or for other reasons, it is the Commission’s job to make sure that sponsored 
programming is properly identified.  I agree with the recent filing by a group of 23 public health, media 
and child advocacy groups that all of these issues could have been addressed—and should have been 
addressed—in a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM).  Unfortunately, that position did not command 
a majority at the Commission.  In the end, I supported the proposal to split the docket into an NPRM and a 
Notice of Inquiry (NOI).  While this means more time than I would like to reach final rules in some areas, 
I believe it is important to initiate the public dialogue and begin developing a detailed record.  Moreover, 
the NPRM section tees up certain key issues on which we can move directly to rules—such as whether 
and how to make sponsorship identification more obvious to consumers, and rules regarding embedded 
advertising in children’s programming.  
On the latter point, it is my strong initial belief that embedded advertising in children’s 
programming is already prohibited because it would run afoul of our existing requirement that there be 
adequate separation between programming content and advertising.  The Commission’s existing policies 
in this area—which also include a ban on host-selling and tie-ins on children’s programming—target 
those practices that unfairly take advantage of the inability of children to distinguish between 
programming and commercial content.  I hope we can move quickly to clarify our rules in this area as 
necessary and to take any appropriate enforcement action.        
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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STATEMENT OF
COMMISSIONER JONATHAN S. ADELSTEIN
Re: Sponsorship Identification Rules and Embedded Advertising, MB Docket No. 08-90.
Today’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking addresses head-on a concern I have pushed for many 
years: the need to clarify our sponsorship identification rules.  It also addresses concerns at the heart of 
my Agenda to Protect American Children and Families,1 specifically whether our current rules governing 
commercials in children’s programming need to be updated to adequately protect children from 
embedded advertising.
“Reality TV” should mean informing viewers about who is secretly pitching to them in the TV 
shows they are watching.  The true reality is that news and entertainment alike are practically being 
turned into undisclosed commercials.  Many current practices fly in the face of viewers’ legal right to 
know who is pitching to them.
After more than three years since I originally called on the Commission to update our sponsorship 
identification rules and to clarify the application of these rules to children’s programming,2 I am pleased 
that we are finally seeking comment on what additional steps the Commission should take.  Just this 
month, I have spoken twice about the urgency to move this item forward and explained the need for the 
Commission to protect our children from marketers’ efforts to prey upon their unsuspecting minds.  
Despite longstanding majority support, including Chairman Martin’s commendable leadership, the release 
of this Notice has suffered from almost unprecedented delays.  
The Notice takes an important step in addressing the concerns that parents, experts, and I have 
been voicing for years about the unhealthy messages American media are feeding our kids.  Children 
under the age of eight simply do not recognize that ads are trying to persuade them and tend to accept 
them as true and unbiased.3 Given that the majority of TV ads targeted to kids are for food products,4 and 
that the ad industry spends more than $10 billion per year in marketing food to them,5 it is no surprise that 
studies have linked commercials to the dramatic increases in childhood obesity and associated health 
problems like diabetes.6 Because children are ill-equipped to identify advertising, especially when it is 
embedded in a program with their favorite character, 7 we need to review and update our sponsorship 
identification rules.  Those of us who are concerned about children need to show leadership, not foot-
dragging, in addressing these practices.
  
1 Remarks of Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein, “Stuck in the Mud: Time to Move an Agenda to Protect 
America’s Children,” June 11, 2008. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-282885A1.pdf
2 Remarks of Commissioner Jonathan S. Adelstein, “Fresh is Not as Fresh as Frozen:" A Response to the 
Commercialization of American Media,” May 25, 2005. http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-
258962A1.pdf
3 See Dale Kunkel, “Children and Television Advertising,” Handbook of Children and the Media, ed. Dorothy G. 
Singer & Jerome L. Singer (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2001): 375-393.
4 Id.
5 Comm. On Food Mktg. & the Diets of Children & Youth, Inst. Of Med., Food Marketing to Children and Youth: 
Threat or Opportunity? 145 (J. Michael McGinnis et al. eds., The National Academies Press 2006), available at 
http://www.nap.edu/books/0309097134/html/R1.html.
6 See Kaiser Family Foundation, The Role of Media in Childhood Obesity (Menlo Park: Kaiser Family Foundation, 
2004), http://www.kff.org/entmedia/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/ getfile.cfm&PageID=32022, generated 
April 4, 2005.
7 See Angela J. Campbell, Food Marketing to Children and the Law. 39 LOY. L.A. L. REV. 447, 465 (2006). 
Federal Communications Commission FCC 08-155
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I am also pleased that today’s Notice has adopted the suggestion I made in 2005 to define what is 
meant by “disclosure” in our sponsorship identification rules.  Many current practices make a mockery of 
our regulatory requirement that consumers have a right to “full and fair” disclosure.8 If it takes a 
magnifying glass to see a tiny acknowledgement whizzing by the screen at the end of a show, that is 
evading the spirit of the law.  More clarification is clearly needed.  The main accomplishment of this 
Notice is that it seeks to establish specific guidelines addressing the nature of the disclosure, including 
font size of the sponsorship credits and the amount of time they are aired.  The need for updating the 
disclosure rules is critical.  Not only do we need to help parents protect their children from over-
commercialism, we need to ensure that all Americans have the tools necessary to separate the 
programming wheat from the advertising chaff.
I would have liked to have gone further in asking more questions in the NPRM, rather than 
shunting them off to a Notice of Inquiry.  We should not be afraid to put all options on the table.   As 
Congressmen Markey and Waxman noted in their September 26, 2007 letter to the FCC regarding this 
proceeding, as embedded advertising expands, sponsorship identification law must evolve to ensure that 
broadcasters and cable operators comply in a meaningful way.  Because an NOI cannot lead directly to 
rule making, the result may be a piecemeal approach to reforming these rules.  
Embedded advertising is increasing at a staggering rate, and we must examine how to update the 
rules in a comprehensive fashion.  Product placement on broadcast TV rose at an annual rate of almost 40 
percent in the first quarter of 2008, with reality shows The Biggest Loser and American Idol each 
embedding over three thousand product placements during that time.9  Also, major networks have created 
client-facing divisions specifically focused on how best to embed advertisers’ messages and products into 
programming.  In the age of convergence, the line between promotional and editorial voices has been 
blurred.  Viewers engrossed in the story are not likely to apply critical thinking to identify advertising.  
Even if they do look for sponsorship ID, it is nearly impossible to detect them in the single, instantaneous 
period they roll by in the credits at the end of the program.  
Such inadequate disclosure is bad for content, democracy, and our children’s health.  When 
viewers cannot distinguish content from advertising, the market check on content quality fails, and we see 
a race to the bottom where television shows become program-length infomercials.  We have heard from 
the Writers Guild about this – writers are upset about being told to write story lines around 
advertisements.10 Further, when audiences are fooled into believing they are watching real news by video 
“news releases” and so-called news analysts who are paid off, their trust in the discourse shapers – the 
news broadcasters, TV writers, and DJs – suffers and so does the marketplace of ideas.11 The public 
deserves to know what it is watching, and democracy demands it.  This Notice makes real progress in 
helping ensure those goals are met.    
While it does not accomplish everything I would have liked, we are moving in the right direction 
by adopting this Notice to consider improvements to our sponsorship identification and children 
advertising rules. Accordingly, I approve this item.
  
8 47 CFR 73.1212(e)
9 Amy Schatz, Product Placements Get FCC Scrutiny, WALL ST. J., June 23, 2008, at B3.
10 See Writers Guild of America, Are You Selling to Me?: Stealth Advertising in the Entertainment Industry (2005).
11 See Ellen P. Goodman, Stealth Marketing and Editorial Integrity. 85 TEX. L. REV. 83, 125 (2006).