Advertiser Reaction to Glenn Beck Controversy
Big Firms Pull Ads off His Fox Shows as Consumers Threaten Boycotts
Aug 25, 2009
The 2009 advertiser boycott of Glenn Beck’s television and radio shows on the Fox networks is a milestone in the sometimes rocky relationship between advertisers and journalists. For one thing, it involves perhaps three dozen advertisers, instead of just the usual one.
For another, the advertisers are not pushing or defending their own actions, but are reacting to President Obama being referred to as a racist. They have been threatened with boycotts of their own products and services if they support Beck.
Similar objections have been raised in the past to racial and off-color remarks by disc jockeys, but the Beck case involved a show with more than two million viewers and has brought action by such advertising giants as Wal-Mart, Sprint, Clorox and CVS.
And as the Associated Press reported, Fox has distanced itself from Beck’s remarks, despite many other Fox-based criticisms of the president. It has not issued the customary "we stand by" statement that publishers often release in defense of a reporter.
Journalists Fear Advertiser Control
Advertisers and journalists have had a testy relationship for decades because journalists have long feared that advertisers might control the content of their writing and their publications. In the United States anyway, the greatest threat to freedom of the press and their freedom of speech has come not from the government, but from advertisers who financed their publications and stations.
Many writers have watched quietly as publishers and broadcast managers push the publication of puff pieces about large advertisers, telling themselves such stories do little harm other than to tarnish the publication’s credibility a bit. They take solace in the belief that readers and listeners recognize such pieces for what they are.
Some journalists have taken firmer stands, and usually won, when advertisers attempted to censor or cover up unfavorable reports. Some have won awards for exposing public deception and crimes by industrial giants and advertisers.
But the advertiser is always there, a subtle reminder of who finances the operation and is the source for most salaries. Smaller publications and stations probably feel the presence more than giants like the New York Times and Washington Post. The current recession has increased the importance of advertising to all media.
The recent rise of agenda-oriented publications and stations has increased the understanding that owners expect certain flavors in their content, whether to satisfy customer or advertiser demands.
Although politically biased publications may have increased in recent years, they owe their beginning to America’s oldest papers and magazines, some of which never attempted to be objective in their coverage.
Stewart and Limbaugh Survived Controversies
The long-term impact on both Beck and Fox will not be known for a while, but viewers and advertisers often experience short memories. Martha Stewart, Rush Limbaugh and other commentators have recovered well from highly-publicized controversies.
The AP quoted one advertiser saying it would quit advertising on talk shows that are likely to generate "inflammatory speech used by either liberal or conservative talk show hosts."
Ad rates and the quality of advertisers may also drop. The Associated Press said that since Beck made his racist remark Beck’s advertisers have recently included "a male enhancement pill, a law firm looking to sue on behalf of asbestos victims, a company selling medical supplies to diabetics and a water filter company."
The attention that Beck and Fox have garnered from the controversy may promise large enough audiences to draw numerous niche advertisers for future shows. Obama critics may also take advantage of the audience that he draws, perhaps at discounted rates.
FTC May Investigate Bloggers for Graft
Merging Advertising and Public Relations
 |
