FCC Launches 'Rats' Hunt
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has written TV executives quizzing them on their handling of a Republican National Committee (RNC) commercial that Democrats say included a subliminal message.
The letter, sent Friday, asked a series of questions about how the ad was handled, including whether station executives knew the word "rats" flashed on the screen for a split-second.
For those who knew, the FCC asks "to explain the facts and circumstances of your decision to broadcast the advertisement."
The letter went to 217 television stations which may have aired the ad, said FCC spokeswoman Linda Paris.
The ad takes on Al Gore's plan to add prescription drugs to Medicare. After it aired for two weeks, the Gore campaign spread word that the word "rats" flashed briefly. Democrats and some outside experts speculated that the GOP was trying to send a negative message. Republicans say the barely detectable flash was meant to make the ad more visually interesting.
A pair of Democratic senators complained that ad amounted to subliminal advertising, which the FCC bans - and the FCC is now reviewing the matter.
The FCC has no power over the campaigns, but does regulate TV stations.
The letter reminds TV station executives that subliminal advertising is banned, but carefully notes that "the commission has made no determination in this matter."
The letter asks the stations if they ran the commercial, the number of times it was aired and when. It also pointedly asks whether anyone knew of the "rats" reference and includes a reminder about subliminal ads.
"Whether effective of not, such broadcasts clearly are intended to be deceptive," the letter noted, quoting FCC policy since 1974.
In seeking information from TV stations, the FCC says it needs details of how the ad was handled "in order to assist the commission in addressing the complaint."
The ad has been a thorn in the side of Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush, knocking him off message as he confronted questions about it.