<P> After World War II , cigarette companies advertised frequently on television programs . To combat this move by the cigarette companies , the Federal Communications Commission required television stations to air anti-smoking advertisements at no cost to the organizations providing such advertisements . In 1970 , Congress took their anti-smoking initiative one step further and passed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act , banning the advertising of cigarettes on television and radio starting on January 2 , 1971 . After the television ban , most cigarette advertising took place in magazines , newspapers , and on billboards . However , in 1999 all cigarette billboard advertisements were replaced with anti-smoking messages , with some of these anti-smoking messages playing parodies of cigarette companies advertising figures and slogans . Since 1984 , cigarette companies have also been forced to place Surgeon 's General warnings on all cigarette packs and advertisements because of the passing of the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act . Restrictions on cigarette companies became even tighter in 2010 with the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act . The act prohibits tobacco companies from sponsoring sports , music , and other cultural events and also prevents the display of their logos or products on T - shirts , hats , or other apparel . The constitutionality of both this act and the Food and Drug Administration 's new graphic cigarette warning labels are being questioned under cigarette companies ' first amendment rights . </P>
when did they stop cigarette advertising on television
January 2 , 1971