That was the case last year when the most effective ad was banned by CBS, a scathing commercial by MoveOn.org that showed children on production lines working to pay off the country's enormous debt. The network claimed it doesn't run political ads.
This year Fox, which is airing Super Bowl XXXIX Sunday beginning at 4 p.m. on KSTU Channel 13, and Budweiser have banned a hilarious 30-second spot that pokes fun at Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction." Apparently, it was too controversial for today's audiences.
In it, a halftime show flunky spots a bottle of Bud Light and opens it using the breast cup of Jackson's costume - the one that, you know, caused the "malfunction."
The lackey then hastily tapes up the cup, thus causing what everyone else saw on television.
Funny stuff, only Fox and Budweiser decided to not broadcast something "that made fun of an event that many people found offensive," according to a Fox spokesman who did not want to be identified.
Thankfully, you can still see the ad on Budweiser's Web site at http://www. budweiser.com.
Since the Jackson fiasco, the most talked-about event at last year's Super Bowl, the self-censoring has spread throughout television entertainment, from complaints about "Desperate Housewives" to the banning of "Saving Private Ryan" to an upcoming episode of PBS Kid's "Postcards from Buster," which has an episode featuring lesbian couples that PBS refuses to air.
Advertisers also are likely to be more careful in this new TV era, according to Jim Hanas, chief editor of AdCritic.com, a Web site devoted to the advertising industry.
"I definitely think that's on people's minds this year when we go into the Super Bowl," he said. "It's the NFL and the network who broadcast it that want to tread lightly. They're the ones who drew the heat last year."
That's too bad because Super Bowl commercials, known for their creative spins, need some spice. The last well-known Super Bowl ads were the Budweiser "Whazzup" commercials from 2000. How many do you remember since then?
Time is money
Want to get your product seen by more than 90 million Americans? It's going to cost you.
This year's Super Bowl commercial time costs a record $2.4 million for a 30-second spot. So far, 59 slots have been sold with just a few more to go (that, according to a Fox spokesman, is normal).
Who has the dough to dish out for the commercial time? Mega companies with products like Budweiser and Pepsi. Anheuser-Busch alone bought 10 slots to the tune of $24 million, while Pepsi took six, accounting for more than a quarter of the game's total ad time.
Also expect commercials from Ford, General Motors, Honda and Volvo. Meanwhile movie studios will spend a lot to promote their spring and summer blockbusters (which, along with Jim Carrey's salary, explains why your movie ticket costs more than seven bucks). Planned are previews of "Batman Begins," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "The Longest Yard" and "War of the Worlds."
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Television columnist Vince Horiuchi appears Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He can be reached at vince@sltrib.com.
Channeling
State of the Union Address: KSL, KTVX, KUTV, KSTU, CNN, Fox News. President Bush addresses Congress at 7 p.m.
American Idol: KSTU Channel 13, tonight, 8:30. America's most popular show is pushed back an hour and a half due to the State of the Union. Singer Brandy is a guest judge.
