Scheduling
8 Scheduling
See also Section 1, Rule 4. Licensees must exercise responsible judgements when scheduling categories of advertisement which may be unsuitable for children and younger people, for those listening to religious programmes and around sensitive programming or news items.
The station’s actual audience profile according to research, rather than its target audience profile, should be taken into account when deciding whether or not advertising is suitable for the station or time of day (and see Rule 9 Good Taste, Decency and Offence to Public Feeling, below).
For the purpose of this Rule, the ASA and BCAP generally consider that children and younger people are those aged below 16 years. However, there may be exceptional circumstances when advertising messages may be targeted at those aged 12-15 (eg. anti-AIDS information or sanitary protection).
Responsibility should be exercised where advertisements or their scheduling could be perceived as insensitive because of a tragedy currently in news or current affairs programmes, for example, a commercial for an airline should be immediately withdrawn if a neighbouring news bulletin featured details of a plane crash.
Advertisements for alcoholic drinks, sensational newspapers/magazines/websites (or their content) and violent or sexually explicit material must not be broadcast in or around programming/features aimed particularly at those aged below 18 years or around religious programming.
Particular care is required for the following categories: divination and the supernatural, sexual material, sanitary protection products, family planning products and services (including contraceptives, pregnancy-testing services/kits), anti-AIDS and anti-drugs messages, and solvent abuse advice.
Advertisements for gambling must not be broadcast in or around programming/features aimed particularly at those aged below 18 (or 16 years for lotteries, football pools, equal chance gaming (under a prize gaming permit or at a licensed family entertainment centre), prize gaming (at a non-licensed family entertainment centre or at a travelling fair) or Category D gaming machines).