The Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) says that young people were exposed to about 6 percent fewer alcohol ads in 2006 than they were in 2001, with exposure to print ads on the wane but youth exposure to alcohol ads on TV rising, AdWeek reported Dec. 20.

The report, "Youth Exposure to Alcohol Advertising on Television and in National Magazines, 2001 to 2006," found that a 50-percent decrease in youth exposure to alcohol ads in magazine was partially offset by a 30-percent increase in television ad viewing. Neilsen Media Research reported that spending on TV alcohol ads rose 19.8 percent between 2001 and 2006, to about $800 million annually.

"There's been an explosion in the TV medium," especially in ads by distilled-spirits producers, said CAMY's executive director, David Jernigan. "Alcohol marketers are all over the cable channels. The last thing kids need is more exposure to alcohol ads, and putting those ads on [TV] stations does exactly that."

Frank Coleman, a spokesperson for the Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. said that the increase in cable-TV advertising can more easily be targeted to adults. Jernigan said that the biggest growth in TV alcohol advertising has been on Comedy Central, BET, and VH1. 

TV Interivew with CAMY's David Jernigan
Watch a 25-minute PBS interview with Dr. David Jernigan, originally aired November 9, 2007. Video hosted by the New Mexico Department of Public health.