Fast-food, snack ads on BET scrutinized

A spokesman said BET targets ages 18 to 34, not children.
CHICAGO (AP) -- There are far more ads for fast food and snacks on black-oriented TV than on channels with more general programming, researchers report in a provocative study that suggests a link to high obesity rates in black children.
The results come from a study that lasted just one week in the summer. Commercials on Black Entertainment Television, the nation's first black-targeted cable channel, were compared with ads during afternoon and evening shows on the WB network and Disney Channel.
Of the nearly 1,100 ads, more than half were for fast food and drinks, such as sodas.
About 66 percent of the fast-food ads were on BET, compared with 34 percent on WB and none on Disney. For drinks, 82 percent were on BET, 11 percent on WB and 6 percent on Disney; and for snacks, 60 percent were on BET, none on WB and 40 percent on Disney.
The study in a pediatric medical journal accompanies separate research: a study indicating kids consume an extra 167 calories, often from advertised foods, for every hour of TV they watch; and a report suggesting even preschoolers get fat from watching more than two hours of daily TV.
The articles appear in April's Archives of Pediatrics & amp; Adolescent Medicine, a theme issue on media and children's health released Monday.
BET spokesman Michael Lewellen said BET's target audience is blacks age 18 to 34 and said its programming "does not target children." He also questioned the study's methods.
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