NEW AD POLICY TO BE BASED ON KARNIK AD CODE

The code for liquor and tobacco advertising drawn up for the Indian television industry by Discovery Communications India managing director Kiran Karnik last year is to be used by the government to formulate an official advertising policy. The industry had chosen Karnik to draft the code when the then furious I&B minister Sushma Swaraj had threatened to censor television channels for their excessive recourse to liquor advertising.

Last month, the government decided to amend the Cable TV Networks Regulation Act, 1995 as a means to regulate programming and advertising content on television channels by making DD's code applicable to them too. I&B officials have been in informal parleys with broadcasters to get a fix on what exactly the official ad and programming code for private broadcasters should be, but the Karnik advertising code had specifically stated:
* Liquor and tobacco ads are to be aired only after 9 pm. Channels should voluntarily restrain from airing such commercials during prime time or early in the evening.

* Such ads should not show resultant heroism after consumption of tobacco and alcoholic products.

* Such ads should not use celebrities as models as they can influence the minds of viewers. Professional models are exempted from such a bar.

* Such ads should not have children as participants, or should not be aimed at influencing children's minds.

*The code had also said that a liquor or tobacco advertiser should manufacture a specific quantity of a surrogate product (for example, sports gear) to be allowed to advertise it under a liquor or cigarette brand name. The government would specify the quantity.

The I&B ministry is also reportedly drawing up plans to set up a body, on the lines of the proposed Broadcast Authority of India (BAI), which will be responsible for implementing the new code.

"We plan to set up a regulatory sort of a body to see that amendments relating to the advertising and programming code are implemented," a close aide of information and broadcasting minister Pramod Mahajan told The Indian Cab&Sat Reporter's Delhi correspondent M. Anuradha.