Warren Braren
Warren Braren (September 2, 1931 – August 17, 2015) was a consumer protection advocate in the United States.[1]
In his early career Braren worked at Ted Bates advertising firm.[1] In 1960 he began work as manager at the National Association of Broadcasters where he stayed till 1969.[2] While there, Braren began to criticize that the industry self-regulation regarding tobacco advertising was ineffective and that it led to youth smoking.[1] In June 1970 Braren testified to the United States Congress by sharing confidential industry documents which demonstrated industry awareness that the tobacco ads targeted young people.[3] Braren said that broadcasters were unwilling to regulate themselves, and would do whatever benefited the financial interests of those who purchased advertising.[4] This led to the ban on tobacco ads on television, in the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1970.[1] In 1971 Braren worked at the National Citizens Committee for Broadcasting.[5] After leaving the National Association of Broadcasters Braren worked at Consumers Union were among other things, he advocated for restrictions on advertising to children.[1] Later Braren worked at the Times Mirror Company.[1]
Braren spoke on behalf of Consumers Union on various occasions, including in 1971 about advertising to children,[6] in 1973 about the safety of microwave ovens,[7] in 1977 at a meeting of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association regarding cable television in the United States.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Roberts, Sam (17 August 2015). "Warren Braren, 82, Dies; Urged Ban on Broadcast Tobacco Ads". The New York Times.
- ^ Campbell, Angela J. (1999). "Self-Regulation and the Media" (PDF). The Federal Communications Law Journal. 51 (3): 711–749.
- ^ Whiteside, Thomas (19 December 1970). "The Fight to Ban Smoking Ads". The New Yorker.
- ^ Brandt, Allan M. (2009). The cigarette century: the rise, fall, and deadly persistence of the product that defined America (Paperback ed.). New York: Basic Books. pp. 259–260. ISBN 978-0465070480.
- ^ Mayer, Robert N. (2015). Watchdogs and Whistleblowers: A Reference Guide to Consumer Activism. ABC-CLIO. pp. 449–450. ISBN 9781440830006.
- ^ "FTC cites advertising as potential danger". The Daily Illini. 21 October 1971. p. 25.
- ^ Times, Grace Lichtenstein Special To The New York (8 March 1973). "Consumers Union Issues a Warning Against Buying of Microwave Ovens". The New York Times.
- ^ "A different slant on cable television" (PDF). Broadcasting. 25 April 1977. p. 51.
External links
- Industry Documents Library holdings of Braren's archives at the University of California San Francisco
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