Almost two dozen public interest groups have asked the Federal Communications Commission to start a proceeding on what they call "advertainment"—TV programming saturated with product placement. "We must not allow television programs to become Trojan horses," the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood (CCFC) wrote to the FCC on Thursday, "carrying messages that would otherwise be criticized by the public or even deemed illegal."

The Campaign includes Children Now, Free Press, the Parents Television Council, the Benton Foundation, the United Church of Christ, and 18 other groups.

These organizations cite as cause for concern a Nielsen report indicating a 13 percent boost in product placement spots on network TV last year—over 25,000 placements in the top ten shows. If you watch American Idol on a regular basis, you saw over 4,000 product placements in 38 episodes this year, CCFC says.

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