How can they say that?

[Ian]

I've been listening to the Paracast for a couple of years now and recently downloaded the 11 July edition, the first to be broadcast on the GCN network.

Nice overview of the subject for new listeners with good cross-section of co-hosts.

But some of the commercials now in the show... I'm no medical expert but how do those selling "superfoods" and water treatment products get way with their claims?

Here in the UK we have strict laws governing claimed benefits of products and I guess the USA does too, so how do they get on the air?

Perhaps The Paracast team don't get to review the commercials or are not in a position to pick and choose. I'm really surprised some of them are even legal and think they may be seen as reducing the show's credibility.

Regards,

Ian

 

[Gene Steinberg]

I think this network is still a bit under the radar as far as this kind of thing goes. As someone who does ads all the time for pharmaceuticals (working on one right now) I can tell you that no reputable company advertises the way these guys do. This is strictly bush league, fly by night, hucksterism (a tradition started by Dr. Brinkley) that has not yet been noticed by the regulating authorities.

I am not sure what stations these air on but I would be surprised if they are heard on a mainstream radio station in even a medium sized market. Maybe these are podcast only?

Lance

Actually that's probably true for some of the announcements. Basically the network gets 3 minutes per hour and we get three minutes per hour. The rest are allocated to local stations along with time for the hourly news breaks, but since they'd be different from station to station, the network inserts their's to fill the time spots.

And, no, we don't have veto power. If you don't like a sponsor's product, don't buy it, or fast forward. They'll know how it impacts their business.

But if you do like what they offer, consider them, because it helps us and the network.

 

[Kandinsky]

Actually that's probably true for some of the announcements. Basically the network gets 3 minutes per hour and we get three minutes per hour. The rest are allocated to local stations along with time for the hourly news breaks, but since they'd be different from station to station, the network inserts their's to fill the time spots.

And, no, we don't have veto power. If you don't like a sponsor's product, don't buy it, or fast forward. They'll know how it impacts their business.

But if you do like what they offer, consider them, because it helps us and the network.

Damn good answer....honest too. It's kinda put a sticking plaster on my 21st Century cynicism.

 

[paraschtick]

I've been listening to the Paracast for a couple of years now and recently downloaded the 11 July edition, the first to be broadcast on the GCN network.
...
Perhaps The Paracast team don't get to review the commercials or are not in a position to pick and choose. I'm really surprised some of them are even legal and think they may be seen as reducing the show's credibility.

Regards,

Ian

Welcome to the world of GCN Live, my friend . They have some doozies don't they?? Mind you they used to be worse than they are now.

So for an example of this please find attached to this very message an old mp3 featuring a couple of adverts from a storable food company, efoodsdirect. I've attached it as a txt. All you have to do is download it and rename it back to an mp3 (ie change the extension from txt to mp3). You will never look at food the same way again .

[On the ad it will say RBN but Steve Shenk (the owner of efoodsdirect) used to use it on all the radio stations he advertised with including GCN ... oh and don't have nightmares.]

Ok ... scratch that ... the attachment is too big ... so via the auspices of the internet wayback machine please check out this link:

http://web.archive.org/web/20080520...01-13_Steve_Shenk_of_Fear_Mongering_Radio.MP3

You will never look at the word 'poop' the same way again.

Best wishes

paraschtick

 

[Walter Bosley]

The good thing is we have federal laws and regulations that will get around to hammering these guys for making any claims they should not, where medicinal or health products are concerned. One guy named Kevin Trudeau is forbidden to sell products other than books -- and his books merely identify where to go to get something he suggests. We in the US pretty much choose whether we'll give them our money or NOT, and give it time to see what trouble the hucksters get into. Most people here are smart enough to ask a doctor first, or do some personal research, before trusting a product. In a free society, the dummies suffer for their own actions (as they should).

 

[Ian]

I love the "..and to protect from dishonest suppliers..." in the link from paraschtick- the irony!

Of course in the UK we have plenty of commercials in our radio and TV broadcasts - except those from the BBC. Domestic BBC broadcasts are funded entirely by an annual TV licence fee of 145.50 pounds or about 223 dollars.

I have just returned from a holiday in the USA and did quite a lot of radio listening to AM talk stations. Most of the commercials seemed as tame as ours - just more "shouty", but there were many memorable "facts" I heard in some programmes:

One in particular came from a religious station; apparently the End Times are coming to the Gulf States because hurricanes will suck up the oil and gasses from the well, lightning will ignite them and burning skies will be rained down on the populations below "as is foretold in the scriptures".

To an innocent like me this begs three questions:

1) Does the presenter actually believe this?
2) Do a significant number of listeners believe this?
3) Does anyone remind them when what they "foretold" doesn't happen - which must be quite often?

Regards,

Ian

 

[Angel of Ioren]

The good thing is we have federal laws and regulations that will get around to hammering these guys for making any claims they should not, where medicinal or health products are concerned. One guy named Kevin Trudeau is forbidden to sell products other than books -- and his books merely identify where to go to get something he suggests. We in the US pretty much choose whether we'll give them our money or NOT, and give it time to see what trouble the hucksters get into. Most people here are smart enough to ask a doctor first, or do some personal research, before trusting a product. In a free society, the dummies suffer for their own actions (as they should).

I can't stand that Kevin Trudeau guy. He's a complete huckster.

 

[Walter Bosley]

Yeah, it's kind of enlightening when you look at his book(s) after hearing his claims and you essentially are directed to a website where you have to pay to get the answers he implies you would find directly in his books. In fairness, his second natural cures book emphasizes the word 'Revealed', so if you look at his books as a source for further info, he's not defrauding the buyer -- and I think most people look at a book pretty thoroughly before purchasing it, I know I do.

Personally, I try to defer to the principle of not passing judgment either way on a case like Trudeau's when I haven't read the actual case file. Having been a fed, I know there are facts and details that often don't get out to the public, especially not from the one who was judged against and convicted. Sounds cynical, but hey...experience has made me that way where some things are concerned. I'd probably come off as a real asshole to experiencers in this realm, if I wasn't one myself!

One thing that bothers me with Trudeau is his anecdote about organic versus non-organic. He has told a story about going out to dinner with friends after having cleansed himself and eating only organic meat, etc, for a while. He has a steak or something, maybe chicken, and it's not organic. He can tell immediately and rushes to the men's room to violently throw up because his body rejected the non-organic meat. OK, that came across to me a bit sensationalistic. Maybe it happened, I can't call him a liar, I wasn't there and I don't know, maybe that does happen. But I wondered. A lot of his delivery is a sort of Chicken Little approach and it reminds me of the Y2K circus back in '99.

Oh, and I must say, when I wonder if something is BS, I'm sure some people will say, 'Wow it must be some real horsecrap if Walter Bosley thinks it's nuts! He sees wacky things on mountainsides!'

 

[Angel of Ioren]

Oh, and I must say, when I wonder if something is BS, I'm sure some people will say, 'Wow it must be some real horsecrap if Walter Bosley thinks it's nuts! He sees wacky things on mountainsides!'

L O F'n L.

Thanks for the laugh Walter.