Fw: Tradeouts

["Dan Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@att.net>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Strassberg <dan.strassberg@att.net>
To: Boston Radio Interest <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 8:00 AM
Subject: Tradeouts


> On a local message board a discussion has been raging about a local
station,
> which I will not name, that allegedly accepted merchandise in trade for
> airing spots and then sold the merchandise to listeners over the air using
> spots that the advertiser did not purchase (either through cash or trade).
> The merchandise was something other than basic foodstuffs, gasoline,
heating
> oil, or phone service. In other words, it was not something that the
station
> could have distributed to employees in lieu of part of their salary.
>
> Posters on the message board are incensed about the station's allegedly
> unethical conduct. I'm trying to figure out what could be wrong with what
> the station allegedly did. If the merchandise could not be used as a
> substitute for cash salary to employees, all I can figure that the station
> might have done was to give it to listeners as contest prizes (thus
> depriving the advertiser of part of the market for his goods) or give the
> merchandise as part payment to companies that provided business services
to
> the station.
>
> Can somebody please explain to me what was unethical or even illegal about
> what the station allegedly did?
>
> --
> Dan Strassberg, dan.strassberg@att.net
> 617-558-4205, eFax 707-215-6367
>