When NBC newsman Reuven Frank started in television journalism more than 50 years ago, corporate sponsors commonly attached their names to programs -- even news broadcasts. Frank got his break in 1950 with a classic of the genre: "Camel News Caravan," the NBC evening news program sponsored entirely by Camel cigarettes.
"We weren't allowed to show a live camel, because a Camel is a smooth cigarette, not a dirty beast," Frank said.
That type of corporate sponsorship of news broadcasts passed from the scene long ago. But Clear Channel Communications Inc. radio stations in Madison, Wis., and Milwaukee are turning back the clock.
Starting in January, the news on WIBA-AM in Madison will deliver its report from the Amcore Bank News Center. The station has sold naming rights to its newsroom to Amcore, a regional institution operating in southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois and Iowa. About two years ago, WISN-AM in Milwaukee introduced listeners to its newscast from the PyraMax Bank News Center.
The banks do not sponsor the newscasts exclusively and will not impose strictures on the broadcasts. But under the arrangement, the shows are closely identified with the institutions.
The agreements reflect the proliferation of corporate sponsorships in recent years -- think FedEx Field and MCI Center -- and the pressure many newsrooms feel to boost revenue. Close alliances between companies and news enterprises, however, raise a special set of issues related to journalistic integrity, ethicists say.
With journalism still under a cloud from some high-profile scandals, newsrooms must go to the greatest lengths to convince the public of their independence and credibility, said Kelly McBride, a journalism ethics expert at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a journalism training center.
"This undermines all the efforts we're making to protect our credibility," she said. "It creates the perception that the newsroom is for sale to the highest bidder."
The news broadcast also puts itself at risk by tying its image to that of the sponsor, McBride said. "A company could have some big corporate scandal, and you will instantaneously be associated with it because that name is now part of your name," she said.
David Carlson, president of the Society of Professional Journalists, worries that some listeners will be confused about where the news originates and who is controlling it. Sponsorships of stadiums clearly represent a paid branding opportunity, but a news sponsorship could be construed as an exertion of influence over the judgment of journalists, he said.
"How can you not wonder if a story about Amcore is told as tenaciously as a story about another bank might be?" Carlson said.
The stations and the banks dismiss the worries, saying the arrangements are just like any other sponsorship and imply no influence whatsoever over the news programs.
"There are certain lines that have to be maintained," said Jerry Bott, director of AM operations for Clear Channel Radio Milwaukee. PyraMax "has never asked for any control, and if they came to me and asked, they would be denied."
For Amcore Bank, the link-up provides an opportunity to reach a targeted audience with its brand. Amcore is expanding rapidly in its region and is facing stiff competition from larger rivals.
"WIBA attracted us because we were looking for an opportunity to position us in a quality environment," said Eleanor Doar, senior vice president and marketing director at Amcore. "They really have the top news station in the area."
Amcore spokeswoman Katherine Taylor added: "We don't expect or anticipate any preferential or different treatment in news coverage. We don't feel it's in our best interest."
Back in the 1950s, when Camel imposed some directives on NBC News as the price of sponsorship, there was a rule against showing anyone smoking a cigar, Frank recalled.
"I had to get a special exception for Winston Churchill," Frank said. "But I couldn't get one for Groucho Marx."
