Page 43 - Winter2010

Homeopathy Journal

A MOTHER’S JOURNEy
By Joette Calabrese, HMC, CCH, RSHom (NA)

Nearly thirty years ago, I worked at NBC educate folks on the detrimental effects of drinks
as an account executive. It was interesting work like Pepsi-Cola.
because I witnessed firsthand how corporate My response to the call that Tuesday morn-
America functions. One of my prized accounts ing was just as the rep could have predicted. I
was Pepsi Cola. I never directly met the people promptly roused the chief, my sales manager. He
from Pepsi Cola, but had a working relationship had more clout than even I realized as evidenced
with their advertising team in Chicago. This ac- by his purposeful stride to the other side of the
count was what we in TV media called a “bread building where the news manager resided. The
and butter” account. That meant I counted on sales manager asserted as plainly as the rep had,
their regular spending on our TV station to make “Get it off the air.”
my monthly budget. Despite the news department’s protests, my
One Tuesday morning I entered my office to sales manager stood unyielding. He knew that he
the phone ringing. It was the rep from the Pepsi had a position of strength; the sales and market-
Cola team who unsympathetically and sternly ing department always trumped the news depart-
stated, “Get it off the air.” ment. Hence, the story was indeed removed from
“Get what off the air?” I asked. the airing schedule and the reel with the warnings
“Your news exposé on the detrimental ef- against sugar was chucked into the garbage.
fects of sugar on children’s health that ran last At the time, I viewed this anecdote as a
night. It must not run again or we’ll pull our lesson in the way corporate business is run. It
budget off your station and distribute it amongst wasn’t until many years later, when I started my
the other TV stations in the market.” own family, that I realized the impact that these
Unknown to me, our news department had kinds of decisions have on society.
produced a news clip that ran the night before and Now, allow me to set forth the fact that I
was scheduled to run for four more consecutive value the free enterprise system. It’s evident to
nights as an addendum to the nightly fare. I had me that the TV station has every right to keep
only a vague idea of what the news department their advertisers content. It makes good busi-
was running nightly, yet this advertising rep was ness sense. If we value free enterprise, then we If our

keenly watching over her firm’s interests. must expect these kinds of deals to take place government
Allow me to beg your absolution. At that every day. In fact, this NBC affiliate was in the regulated
time in my life, I had no appreciation or concerns twenty-ninth market in the country. That meant
about nutrition, particularly in relation to chil- that directives such as this occurred in at least these kinds
dren. I was not a parent and it seemed to me that twenty-eight other, larger markets, to the other of messages
if a mom didn’t want her children to drink soda, two affiliates plus the independent stations across instead, what
she simply didn’t buy it. I had no understanding our nation. One thing was crystal clear: the edu-
of how pervasive sugar, preservatives and dyes cation of those who watched TV was skewed to assurance
were in children’s lives. I didn’t realize that it the advertisers’ interests. do we have
was not enough for parents to refuse to serve the Now, I ask you, is that shocking? Well, at that we’d be
stuff. I’ve since learned that it’s when kids leave first blush, one might say yes. But if our govern-
the home that they get into it. It’s the hockey ment regulated these kinds of messages instead, protected
coaches, teachers and school administrators who what assurance do we have that we’d be protected in any
agree to the vending machines in the corridors, in any better fashion? For it’s our government, better
other parents at parties, even grandparents. So I after all, that has foisted upon us the erroneous
hadn’t any awareness of how important it was to food pyramid, dubious vaccination requirements, fashion?

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