If you notice a feature about Northwestern Memorial Hospital in the middle of a new NBC health show that seems like a three-minute advertisement, well, you’re right.
That’s what it is, according to station executives. But Northwestern is calling the features “segments.”
The show, slated to launch this weekend, is hosted by a “Dateline NBC” reporter–an arrangement that appears to blur the line between unbiased health and information and information paid for by a big advertiser.
It’s the latest in a long line of budding conflict-of-interest problems for television networks and stations as advertisers continue to look for more ways to embed themselves into programming and get their messages to viewers who increasingly skip past traditional 30-second commercials.
New, so-called “innovative” ways to get advertisers involved in programming more often than not get stations and companies in ethical trouble when news personnel are involved.
Two years ago, Tribune Co.-owned WGN-Ch. 9 got into hot water when a Walgreen Co. show, originally titled “Walgreens Presents RxTV,” was going to include reports from Channel 9 reporters on the station.
In response to the criticism, Tribune announced that Walgreens would buy the full 30-minute segment and hire its own talent to host the show.
NBC’s show, to be called “Your Total Health,” begins airing at 5:30 a.m. Saturday and is being billed as a program focusing on health-care trends and treatments.
Dateline reporter Hoda Kotbwill host the half-hour show on health trends and treatments, but local stations get time slots to do their own segments.
Northwestern Memorial said it will produce a three-minute segment to air in each show. One piece might feature the new Northwestern Cardiovascular Institute, for example.
A hospital spokeswoman said the segments would be based on previous press releases.
The hospital was so proud of its affiliation with a “news outlet” that it led its news release Tuesday by saying, “Northwestern Memorial Hospital and NBC 5 announced an innovative partnership that will team one of the country’s premier academic medical centers with a prominent news outlet.”
The deal between Channel 5 and Northwestern was part of a larger advertising buy at the station worth several hundred thousand dollars, said the hospital’s spokeswoman, Kelly Sullivan.
Also included in the deal is an “Ask a Doc” area on Channel 5’s Web site where users can e-mail questions and get answers from Northwestern staff.
Dateline NBC executives referred calls to Channel 5.
Larry Wert, president and general manager of Channel 5, downplayed the relationship, saying that viewers will be able to discern that the segments are advertisements.
“I do see it as a creative use of the break by one advertiser,” Wert said. “Clearly it is not our company’s or our partner’s intent to influence the content in any way.”
In addition to the program segments, Northwestern said it had talked to Channel 5 about using Channel 5 health reporter/anchor Nesita Kwan in two programs featuring the hospital, to run in addition to “Your Total Health,” that will be produced by the hospital.
Without acknowledging whether or not that was the case, Wert said: “We’re in discussions about many programming ideas including a partnership in our annual health fair.”
Stay tuned.
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