When Do You Think a Station Should Pull the Plug on an Infomercial?

[yumyumtree]

So I listen to a lot of AM and they have a lot of infomercials, especially on the weekends.(KVI calls theirs "Need to Know weekends") Coast used to be on KVI, but has been on KIRO FM for several years now, and there is actually a lot of talk on commercial FM now, as you've probably noticed.

At the beginning of an infomercial there is always a disclaimer telling people that they aren't responsible for content or whatever.  But at a certain point, are they?

I'll give a few examples.  I used to like KLEAN radio, even though it's an informercial, it used to very soft sell and had interesting guests.  Then Pat O'Brien came on board.  I have to admit that I've never had a lot of use for sports journalists, and he comes across as a jerk to me. On Valentines' weekend they spent a half hour on polyamory, I kid you not.  I might as well have been listening to Tom Leykis. First I was going to snail mail or email, then decided to call them out on Twitter.  No reply, but they haven't done anything like that since. They air on KVI by the way, whose slogan is "faith, family, flag and freedom" or some such.

Then there's Dr. Jerry Mixon.  I always knew that he has an agenda, and I knew he had some skeletons in the cupboard as well(sexual contact with a patient--Google it and it will be about the fifth hit) but I still liked his show on KTTH ( and partly on KIRO FM, Noory's station)on Saturday mornings.  I was able to separate out the general information from the agendized stuff meant to sell his goods and services.  But the past couple of shows I've been really concerned about his advice on senile dementia.  I know he's trying to get people into his clinic, but I wonder if he's also giving out misinformation, for example telling people that senile dementia can be reversed in early stages, that if you think you have it you probably do, that there's no DIY at home test, etc.

I notice that he's been in trouble with the law more recently than I realized, too, mostly with the human growth hormone stuff.  So really, I know It's buyer beware, and I know that the easy money in infomercials must be extremely tempting to these stations, but don't they have some responsibility? And that includes Noory, whose show is often one big infomercial.

[bateman]

When they stop paying.

[Juan]

When they stop paying.

Absolutely.

[Robert]

I know he's trying to get people into his clinic, but I wonder if he's also giving out misinformation, for example telling people that senile dementia can be reversed in early stages,

Not senile dementia per se, but there are conditions that can cause or resemble (depending how you label things) dementia that can be reversed.  Your classic example would be a problem in brain circulation that could be fixed by a bypass, stent, or possibly more conservative rx.

[PB the Deplorable]

Not senile dementia per se...

That's going on Norry's resume