Army and Air Force Exchanges issued new guidance Wednesday recommending in-store televisions display sports rather than news channels in order to “appease” customers.
A memo was issued yesterday stating news channels will no longer be shown in common areas. According to Stars and Stripes, the agency stated the change was "due to their divisive political nature."
“We’ve always had feedback from customers,” said Chris Ward, senior public affairs manager for Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES). “If a TV is on CNN somebody is gonna a make a comment. If a TV is on FOX [News] someone is gonna make a comment. Really, more than anything, it’s just kind of reminding the stores of your options.”
AAFES has now sent out an update to clarify the initial memo.
The newest guidance states, "The Exchange recommends sports channels/sports programming on all common area TVs when an Exchange channel is not being shown."
The Army and Air Force Exchange says this isn’t a hard and fast rule but allows flexibility for the “news of the day” and “local needs.”
When asked if AAFES expects complaints about whether ESPN or CBS Sports Network would be the preferred channel, Ward told Connecting Vets, “I’ve never had any complaint about sports channels, I don’t think that gets quite as heated as political commentary."
The Exchange operates almost 2,700 facilities serving military members and their families in the United States and abroad.