A campaign spearheaded by the conservative Parents Television Council calling for advertisers to boycott America's Got Talent unless it removes shock jock Howard Stern as one of its new judges has apparently fallen on deaf ears. Most advertisers have simply ignored the organization, which in the past, has successfully mounted similar protests -- in particular one that flooded the FCC with more than 500,000 letters protesting as indicent the Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction" during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, a campaign that prompted the regulator to fine and censure CBS. (The fine was later overturned by a federal court.) One AGT advertiser has not remained silent, however, but far from yanking its ads, it has rebuffed the PTC. Pizza Hut, a division of Pepsico, Inc., has told the gossip website TMZ that its advertisements "are designed to draw attention to our products and appeal to a broad audience." It acknowledged, however, that like the product it serves at its restaurants, "we may not always [be successful] in generating a positive impact on every guest, and we apologize if our methods offend some." Recent reports have indicated that it will be a G-rated Stern who will be appearing on AGT this season.

14/05/2012