Recently, KBJR said some of its viewers became concerned when they saw a portion of the station’s newscast in an ad for Minnesota Senator Al Franken‘s re-election campaign.
David Jensch,station manager of the Duluth, MN, NBC and CBS affiliate, told viewers not to worry. Franken’s campaign used the footage without permission and there’s nothing they can do about it.
“It’s very important that the viewers here in the Northland understand that KBJR and KDLH have no political bias, have no preference with candidates, and would never take a position in a political campaign,” Jensch said Wednesday. “This is an ad that we can’t stop, it’s airing all over the state of Minnesota and we don’t like it, but legally there is nothing we can do about it.”
AdvertisementJensch said he checked with station lawyers and was told that Franken’s ad does not infringe on copyright laws because it falls under the “fair use” exception.