An online ad produced by the "Yes on Measure 97" campaign lists out-of-state corporations whose taxes would go up if the initiative passed.
Yes on 97 Campaign / Yes on 97
Proponents of the corporate tax initiative, Measure 97, say the region’s largest cable television provider blocked ads they tried to air.
Measure 97 would increase taxes on corporations earning more than $25 million in annual sales in Oregon. Groups both in support and in opposition to the measure have been running TV ads to get their messages out, like this one, from the "Yes" side.
But the “Yes on 97” campaign says Comcast stopped airing an ad, and refused to air another, because they specifically mentioned Comcast.
A campaign spokeswoman says there were four ads the cable company wouldn't air. Campaign officials say they re-cut the ads to remove the Comcast references, and those were accepted. (Watch the re-cut ad.)
Comcast officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Comcast-Xfinity is an underwriter of OPB.