“Comcast, the nation’s largest cable-TV company, made the decision last month [to ban ads for guns and ammo] after it finalized its purchase of media company NBCUniversal. . . ‘Consistent with long-standing NBC policies, Comcast Spotlight has decided it will not accept new advertising for firearms or weapons moving forward,’ said spokesman Chris Ellis of Comcast’s advertising sales division, Comcast Spotlight.” Comcast joins Time Warner Cable, the nation’s second largest cable TV provider, in their firearms/ammo ad ban. Oh, and Cox Communications, the nation’s third largest cable TV provider. And, of course, all the major TV networks, including Fox. Except for ads on . . .

the hunting channels! And even those channels have ridiculous advertising restrictions. According to the Los Angeles Times . . .

The NBC Sports Network, a cable channel, will continue to accept advertisements for weapons that are used for hunting, such as shotguns and rifles. However, NBC Sports Network will no longer accept ads for handguns, semi-automatic and automatic weapons and ammunition.

Also gone from NBC Sports Network are a couple of shows that focused primarily on handguns, including “Guns & Gear.”

But the hunting shows that have long been a part of the channel, such as “Winchester Whitetail Revolution,” “Elk Fever” and “The Buck Stops Here,” will probably be back on later this year.

I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. The mainstream media ban on firearms advertising — on TV, print and radio — is the single largest block to firearms normalization. I know the First Amendment only protects Americans from government infringement on their right to free speech, but tearing down this wall is the key to defending and extending our right to keep and bear arms.

TTAG is attempting to sell a gun program on one of the major cable channels. Meanwhile, thank God Al Gore invented the Internet.

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69 COMMENTS

  1. That’s okay, people are cutting the cord in record numbers. Local market TV advertising is a waste of money for a small business.

    • Exactly! Who pays for cable these days anyway? Netflix is way cheaper, and way better. Televised sports are the only reason I see for cable today (and I don’t watch sports).

      Basically, screw Comcast. Who needs them.

      Better yet, take a newbie friend shooting instead of staying home and watching TV anyway/

      • Yep, I dumped Media One here in Atlanta before Comcast bought them out. That was 15 years ago, Netflix and YouTube supply all the video content I need and I get my news from Drudge or from the radio. Beats opinion masquerading as news and paying for tons of crap channels that I never watched. Why should I spend money to subsidize the crap they pack into their “package” when so much of that is just worthless.

    • Agreed, Comcast is a day late and a dollar short, however, if they start to attempt to refuse server space to these businesses, then we have a very real problem

  2. If I had a better alternative to Comcast. Id dump it in a heartbeat. I have no other internet available to me that can provide the speeds I need.
    I hate supporting any company that acts like an a$$hole with my money and refuses to support a perfectly legal business based on its product..

    • I have Crapcast and they don’t even support their own cable company. At least as far as customer service and taking care of their equipment. My internet has been interrupted 8 times in the last 36 hours. I keep hoping AT&T U-verse fiber-optic comes to this side of town so I can flush Crapcast down the porcelain throne where it belongs.

      • Im not disagreeing with you one bit.
        I have no need for TV cable services. But. No fiber optic out here and I cant live with a 5 mb top speed. AT&T wont even say hello if you don’t have their TV services already. No way to get just say wireless internet in my part of town.
        So Im stuck with as you say CrapCast.

      • At one time we had the Comcast “triple play”, phone. internet, and TV. When the service was interrupted we lost all three. I would use my cell to call and let them know that I would not pay for service not rendered. Most of the time they would credit us with 1-3 days for the “inconvenience”. Give it a try the next time you lose service.

    • dumped cable crap for ROKU 3 yrs ago and have not missed a thing.
      added an Apple tv unit last christmas.
      Eff Comcrap and TmeWaster!

    • I live out on the boonies as well, we don’t even get dsl here much less cable. I suggest doing a long hard search on Google for a wisp (wireless internet service provider).

      It’s an interesting technology, they are usually small local companies and offer a better alternative to the dreaded satellite internet service. It was the only option out here that would allow me to stream Netflix/hulu and play games online.

  3. Comcast is a perrenial top 3 on the annual lists of the worst companies for customer service in the U.S.

    Now one more reason to hate them.

    I dropped them years ago and never regretted it.

    • There was a widely published recording of a guy who tried to cancel and they spent an hour refusing to do it. Horrible people.
      I’d rather read books than give them a dime

    • Why should they care about customer service? They have a virtual monopoly in most markets they’re in, and they continue to buy out one cable company after another. Comcast is as bad as Ma Bell was back in the day. Maybe worse.

  4. They still air Sportsman’s Channel and Outdoor Network, which carry NRA TV show, and a bunch of self defense shows. Not to mention, a plethora of hunting programs.

    • Are you and I the only non-clueless on TTAG Jon? I spend half my day watching Sportsman and Outdoor channels on Comcast Monday and Wednesday. NBC has never been pro-gun and I noticed they quit all hunting anything on their crap network. There is no good alternative to Comcast here. My city has an exclusive deal with ’em too. AT&T is about the same $ and much slower.And my wife has an internet business and Xfinity is way better. I HAVE seen a few gun shop ads on local TV but I really don’t notice. And NRA on Faux nooze. In reality every company is left-leaning and anti-gun. Yep-thank God for the internet(for now).

    • Sportsman and Outdoor channels and those other shows would do well if they streamed online. I would gladly pay $20/month just for those channels if they were online. I have Charter and to get those channels I would have to pay at least that much and also get a bunch of channels I would never ever watch,.

  5. Dumped NBC owned Comcast in December.

    With web based tv/streaming etc, let those like Comcast choke on it. Like newspapers,
    Soon just bird cage liner.

  6. A lot of corporations have been filling up their executive ranks with hardcore Liberal Fascists lately, so this does not surprise me. Ayn Rand sure saw this coming didn’t she.

  7. I’ll bet they advertise a lot of alcohol and prescription drugs, though. Good thing nobody ever died because of those…

  8. Inevitable, when ComradeCast started sniffing the loathsome nether regions of NBC Universal.

  9. Comcast is a backer of Hillary. They also own CNN. This makes a lot of sense. Screw them. I will say that I’d like to get Google as an alternative but they’re not any better. If anything it’s like buying gasoline; Unless you really know what you’re doing it’s hard not to support a group of assholes.

  10. Glad I am not one of their customers. Also didn’t realize that they repealed the Hughes Amendment.

  14. Roku with Netflix and Amazon Prime for years now. Haven’t missed the networks or cable at all…

  15. I don’t think I ever saw a gun or ammo ad on TV in my life–sure can’t recall one anyway. And before I dumped TV altogether a couple of decades or so ago, I watched a lot of TV. I’m not sure this will make a whole lot of difference.

    • See an occasional Henry or Glock ad on Dish. That’s pretty much it. My late dad the radio salesman would consider this quite the underserved market.

  16. I fired these bozos 10 years ago and never regretted it. They are hq near me and I know a few poor souls that work for them.

  18. Comcast has the worst customer satisfaction. I have them for internet access and that’s it. No landline and my TV service is from Dish. The problem here is that Century Link service for internet is worse than Comcast. Eventually a company will get fiber-optics installed with ridiculous speeds and until then, I’m stuck with the Comcast idiots, but I can still hate on them. Comcast SUCKS!

  19. Just when I thought I had thought of every reason to hate Comcast, I was wrong. Customer service is a bad joke, ineptitude reigns supreme. Been thinking about firing them for a while now, this is as good a last straw as any.

  20. Think they’ll cancel all the syndicated movies from John Wayne to Rambo as well? Or would that hurt their pocket book too much?

  23. DVR. Who the hell watches commercials? Ever?!?

    And I’ll join in on the hate on comcast. No better alternative for high speed internet besides Sprint or whoever bought them.

  24. After years of horrible customer service on multiple occasions ….. and the availability of u-verse… I dumped comcrap. I don’t miss them one bit. And I never will. If I move somewhere that they are the only choice… I won’t have tv.
    And this just firmed up that decision.

  25. Comcast is the worst company I’ve ever had the displeasure of dealing with. They’re some serious scum bags. Id rather have no TV than them. I have Direct and it’s decent. I don’t know their political leanings but they’re easy to work with and don’t try to sodomize you too much.

    • Hi. I’m Rob Lowe, and I have DirecTV.

      Hi. I’m mamby-pamby hoplophobe Rob Lowe, and I have Cable.

      • Thought it quite amusing watching Rob Lowe DirectTV ads on Dish. Money’s money, I guess.

        • I will note that walmart was all over selling Kindles, apparently until it occurred to someone in Bentonville that Amazon was eating their lunch and they were helping them.

    • re Direct TV

      ” I don’t know their political leanings but they’re easy to work with and don’t try to sodomize you too much.”

      Wait till you try and change your package or leave.

      I had to threaten to fly out there and introduce the CSR manager’s face to my boot or find a lawyer for a class action suit to get them to back off on dunning me after I left them re a bill I had paid.

  26. It’s tyranny by private enterprise. Six corporations own 90 percent of the media: Comcast, Newscorp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS.

    We have the Internet for now, but anti-gun Google is trying to take over that too. They already have YouTube, and God forbid you upload a YouTube gun video and have it post on google plus by mistake, like hickok45.

  29. Whatever you’re pitching, I will NOT watch some f’n reality show that focuses on off-range soap opera. Top Shots was fine as long as they were shooting or doing other gun-stuff, not so much in the bunkhouse. Probably why they didn’t last, among other reasons.

  30. Had lots of problems with Comcast for my computer, finally dropped them for Verizon. Kept Comcast for TV.
    No real problem with customer service (I’m a Comcast stockholder), but I’m happier with Verizon (I own Verizon stock as well).

  31. I’m posting this on my Comcast internet right now. i have their cable too because to get the speed of internet I want it’s only like $10-$20 more a month for 200 channels and HBO. I so want to cut the cord.

  32. TV networks are just rendering themselves irrelevant.

    The focus for decent people ought to be on opening up the vast chunks of radio spectrum currently hogged by the military and a few other uses. Just let anyone broadcast over it. As well as getting rid of any and all nimby nonsense laws barring stringing and/or digging fiber anywhere. By far the best way to get rid of the rabble’s influence, is just to route around them.

  34. So let me get this straight…

    A couple who owns a bakery refuses to make a wedding cake for a gay couple, and the bakery owners get sued to high hell.

    Yet legitimate companies wanting to buy air time from a cable company are denied and no one cries foul? Well, no one except TTAG, of course…

    Where is the lawsuit? Seriously, WTF?

  35. I can’t watch hunting, fishing, hockey, or baseball on TV, without wanting to be out there. It’s terribly boring if I can’t participate. The only gun-related commercials I remember seeing on the non-hunting cable channels were for a local range, and I didn’t even really notice that they were gone the last time I watched (Time Warner) cable TV.

  36. I haven’t seen a gun or ammo ad on Time Warner in NY in years, but I see a ton of ads that tell me I should be more respectful and accepting of others. All cable sucks.

    That fact that my TV hasn’t been shot multiple times is amazing.

  37. I used to install cable for Charter before I got my start in Law Enforcement. Not sure what their policy is but I know I wasn’t supposed to have a weapon in my truck while on the clock.

    Cable television is a total waste. Cable internet is pretty dang unbeatable though, unfortunately. With a good cable internet connection you can just buy an Apple TV or Roku device and order and pay for just the channels you watch.

    If the cable companies don’t start breaking down and offering a similar option then their only saving grace will be Internet and their stocks will surely slide. And if AT&T ever figures out how to make their U-Verse package match cable internet speeds they are really screwed.

  38. I’ve been on satellite TV for over 15 years and RoKu for the last 2 years. I don’t miss the crappie service of cable.

  39. Oh no, not a medium that nobody utilizes anymore! The horror!
    Of course, ISPs could crack down on gun-related sites and content, too.

  40. Nothing new here. In Jacksonville (FL) the largest local gun store advertises as an “outdoor” store on the cable channels while on the over the air channels it advertises as a gun store. Sales are still booming despite Comcast’s hoplophobic advertising policy.

  41. If I were a stockholder, I would wonder what their justification would be for turning away millions of dollars in advertising revenue from legitimate businesses.

  42. Had cumcast in chitown. they SUCK and are damned high priced. 10 years ago. NEVER again. Hell I don’t even have a T.V. anymore thanks to crappy cable like that.

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