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To: Victor Lazlo who wrote (142048)	5/2/2002 7:38:08 PM
From: H James Morris	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 164684

Don't buy into the Saudi ad campaign either. >>May 2, 2002 WASHINGTON – U.S. radio and television audiences have been exposed during the past week to a multimillion-dollar attempt to sell Saudi Arabia as if it were a brand of cereal or soap. Concerned about its eroding image in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks, which involved 15 of its citizens, the fundamentalist Muslim kingdom is financing a nationwide public relations campaign to convince Americans that Saudi Arabia is a strong ally in the war on terror. At least three ads have been running on most of the major networks and hundreds of local stations in the 25 biggest media markets. The campaign, which started last week in advance of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's meeting with President Bush in Crawford, Texas, is estimated to cost at least $10 million. One TV spot shows a series of still photos of a succession of Saudi kings meeting with nearly every U.S. president from Franklin Roosevelt to Bush. "We have been allies for more than 60 years, working together to solve the world's toughest problems," an unseen announcer declares. Other ads skillfully attack some damaging perceptions of Saudi Arabia by showing what the Saudis allege are negative partial quotes by top U.S. officials in stark white letters on a black background, then transforming the contested quote into a full, positive statement. One has a quote from Secretary of State Colin Powell that starts out "Saudi Arabia has been prominent among terrorist organizations," but dissolves into: "Saudi Arabia has been prominent among the countries acting against the accounts of terrorist organizations." An unseen spokesman then warns: "Prejudice, fear and conflicting views can distort what you see and hear. Please keep your eyes, ears – and especially your mind – open." Another spot opens with a quote from Bush that at first says: "The Saudi Arabians have been less than cooperative," which evolves into a quote that says: "As far as the Saudi Arabians go . . . they have been nothing less than cooperative." The announcer then intones solemnly: "Read the editorials, tune in to the Sunday morning news shows or listen to talk radio if you want opinions. Listen to America's leaders if you want facts." All of the ads end with the declaration: "The people of Saudi Arabia, allies against terrorism." The ad campaign is being run by Qorvis Communications, a Washington-based public relations agency that has worked for the Republican National Committee and GOP candidates. The Qorvis executive managing the Saudi account did not return a telephone call. Some cable channels, however, are declining to run the spots. Matthew Frankel, a spokesman for the cable network company Rainbow Media Group, said the company's Bravo channel had been approached about the ads and declined to run them. Frankel declined to say why Bravo turned down the ads or to provide other details. USA Network and Sci-Fi Channel, which are under the same owner and share an advertising department, also declined to run the ads, said John Kelley, a spokesman for USA Network. He also declined to say why the ads were turned down. Electronic Media, a trade journal covering the television industry, reported in its Monday editions that several other cable networks also turned down the ads, including A&E, The History Channel, Lifetime and The Weather Channel. Behind the public ad campaign is an equally extensive and expensive lobbying campaign employing several high-powered Washington firms. The Saudis worry about their image in the United States because they want to maintain the U.S. military protection and the big market for their oil, said Doug Bandow, a foreign policy fellow at the CATO Institute. "Clearly they recognize they're in big trouble," said Bandow, who is not a fan of the Saudi regime. The Associated Press contributed to this report.