Study: Young Blacks See More Alcohol Ads By REBECCA CARROLL, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Young blacks see far more than their share of the $333 million worth of advertising placed in major magazines by the nation's alcohol industry, a university study says.
A report by Georgetown University's Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth, released Thursday, said blacks from 12 to 20 years old saw 77 percent more of these ads in 2002 than their non-black peers did.
The disproportionate exposure was amplified when the report broke down types of alcohol. Young blacks saw 81 percent more magazine ads for distilled spirits, the study found.
… The magazines that most exposed young blacks to alcohol ads were Sports Illustrated, Vibe, Cosmopolitan, ESPN The Magazine, Jet, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Ebony, In Style, Playboy, GQ, Essence and People.
The Center said young blacks were over-represented in the readership of most of these magazines and that market surveys of consumers showed that youths in general saw more advertising for alcohol than adults.
The report also found that alcohol companies spent $11.7 million in 2002 on advertising in the 15 television shows that are most popular among black youth, including "The Bernie Mac Show," "The Simpsons," "King of the Hill" and "George Lopez."
Young blacks were also more likely than their non-black counterparts to hear radio ads for alcohol products.
Because most radio alcohol advertising is placed locally, the report examined the information by region. Five areas � New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston-Galveston and Washington � accounted for 70 percent of black youth exposure to alcohol advertising on the radio.
