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Published on Tuesday, 08 May 2012 17:35
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has today rejected advertising from Merlin Media radio station WIQI-FM/FM News 101.1, according to an inside source. The ads for the interior and exterior of Chicago buses were turned down by a CTA supervisor, claiming they were "offensive."
The so-called "offensive" ads are similar to the ones that have been seen on billboards all across Chicago in the last few weeks, featuring former Governor and convicted felon Rod Blagojevich's face. Somebody from within the CTA legal department said the ads were "offensive" and violated their rules.
The reason for the rejection of the advertising income to the CTA was that "ads that present crime as entertaining or amusing are not permitted." They added: "The ads make fun of or ridicule the former governor... It is portraying crime as entertaining or amusing."
According to a report by Lynne Marek in
Crain's Chicago Business last week, the CTA is the only one who does not have a sense of humor about the comedic ads. Sheldon Sorosky, one of the attorneys who represented Blagojevich in his trials where he was convicted of Federal corruption charges, is upset that Merlin Media did not get the former Governor's consent in advance of creating the billboards. A lawsuit has been threatened, but none has yet materialized.
Here now are the two "offensive" ads that the CTA rejected today:
