REI Denies AAR Blacklist -- Says They Asked To Advertise On AAR.

[byronius]

I got really angry when I saw that REI was included on the AAR Blacklist. I shop there constantly, and am a huge fan. So I fired off the following email, and got an immediate response:

My email:

'I am utterly shocked to find your name on an Air America blackout list. This is so wholly offensive that I must ask you to deny this. If this list is correct, then you will have lost my business forever. You may research my purchase history -- I have spend thousands and thousands of dollars at your store over more than ten years -- and now I discover that you may be Republicans. If you have committed this act, which is in my view A CRIME, then we're done here. If you do not respond, we're done as well. I will have been ashamed to have ever shopped at your store, and I will spread the word to everyone I know in my hiking groups. Goddamn you if this is true.

I demand a response.'

The response:

'Today, an internal memo on ABC Network letterhead was posted on the Air American website and picked up by various blog sites. The memo lists companies that refused to have their radio advertising supporting Air American and Al Franken’s programming. REI was listed as one of the companies declining to advertise; however this information is incorrect.

The memo posted on the internet is not correct. REI has not refused to advertise during Air America’s programming. In fact, REI has placed radio ads on stations carrying the Air America programming.

It is unfortunate that this misinformation has been widely distributed. We are currently working with our advertising agency and the ABC radio network to track down how this happened.

Please excuse the impersonal notice. I have a lot of emails to respond to.

Mike Foley
REI Public Affairs'


I am now more curious about the memo. I've heard some of the listees advertising on my local station, AM 1320 -- I'm pretty much a constant daily listener. REI isn't featured, but I trust them somewhat -- what is going on here?

[LTR]

1. This is up at Media Matters

http://mediamatters.org/items/200611010005?src=newsbox-ltradio.blogspot.com

Responding to Media Matters for America's October 31 posting of an ABC Radio Networks memo indicating that nearly 100 ABC advertisers insist that their commercials be blacked out on Air America Radio affiliates, ABC provided Media Matters with a statement in which the company did not challenge the memo's authenticity but instead noted: "It is not uncommon for advertisers and/or agencies to request that their ads run or not run in specific programming environments or dayparts. ABC Radio Networks does not solicit nor encourage these requests from advertisers. If a request is made by an advertiser/and or agency we make our best effort to comply."

However, one of the advertisers included in ABC's list, REI, apparently claims it did not request that its ads not be aired during Air America programming. Several Media Matters readers have sent this response from REI.

[gully]

2. Thank you so much for sharing this information.

recommended.

[Cassandra]

3. I'm wondering about this.

" REI has placed radio ads on stations carrying the Air America programming". Some stations carry some AAR programming mixed with right wing programs. If they're on the stations, are they specifically on AAR programs?

[originalpckelly]

4. Air American? What the hell?

I don't think this dumbshit knows what he is talking about.

[tridim]

5. Was the list distributed to diminish AAR's sale price?

Who really leaked the list?

I wonder because Malloy has confirmed that AAR has been infiltrated by GOP moles who are there for the sole purpose of driving them out of business. Did the moles release the list?

[LTR]

7. Peter B. Collins, a progressive talk show host, got it from someone

He read it on the air last Friday when he had on Jeff Cohen from FAIR. There was also a thread about this on DU last Friday.

From there, Media Matters got a copy of the memo.

I have an mp3 of the segment here. Also, here's what I wrote about it on my blog.

[htuttle]

6. Yeah, that was one of the names I had trouble believing was on there

REI is a coop, for christs sakes, and I think lefties probably buy more of their stuff than anyone else.

[Lex]

8. There's some ABC/Republican style rat-fucking going on here

and I hope a BIG investigation is launched into this.

[byronius]

9. Doesn't it look Rovian as hell?

Goddamn these assholes. You just never know how low.

[KharmaTrain]

10. That Memo Was A "Traffic Order"

Anyone whose worked Continuity at a radio station has seen many of these type of sheets. It's usually sent to affiliates so they keep certain commercials that could compete with their customers. It's also sent as an advisory that reflects the advertiser...or most probably their advertising agency's instructions not to advertise on or near what controversial programming...both right and left.

AAR has no Disney/ABC affiliates. This may apply to a handful of stations that air ABC News at the top of the hour and can easily be represented as a black list. This has little to nothing to do with AAR's financial problem.

[Ian David]

11. Wow... some of those companies are supposed to be "Blue."

As for Wal-Mart, Air America has a policy banning them from advertising on their stations (although they still advertise Sam's Club).

People need to steer their business to companies that contribute to Democratic and Progressive causes:

http://www.BuyBlue.org



Here's the list of AAR boycotters:

Allstate, American Heart Association, Aventis, Avon, Bank Of America, Bayer (all products), BMW Motorcycles, Chattem (Gold Bond, Phisoderm, Selson, etc), Cigna, Cingular, Clorox, Coke, Coty, Dean's Morningstar Foods, Dell, Denny's, Discovery Channel, eHarmony.com, Epson, Expedia.com, ExxonMobil, Farmer's Insurance, FedEx, Foot Action, Frito-Lay, GE, Gillette Venus, Goodyear, Heineken, Hershey's, HP, Home Depot, Hormel, Hyatt, Interstate Batteries, JC Penney, Kohl's, Kraft Foods, Levi's, Masterfoods, McDonalds, Merial Frontline, MGM, Michelin, Microsun (?), Morningstar, Nations' Cattlemen's Beef, Nestle, Nissan, NYSE, Office Depot, Outdoor Life Network, Proctor & Gamble, Paramount, Pepsi, Phillip Morris, Pier 1 Imports, Red Lobster, Re/Max, REI Sporting Goods (since denied), Rent-Way, Robert Hall, Schering-Plough, Sherwin Williams, Sony, State Farm, Toys R Us, Travelocity, True Value, United Healthcare, US Navy, USPS, Visa, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Welch's, Wrigley, Wyeth

Does anyone have an "Email Blast" set-up for these guys?

[Ian David]

12. BuyBlue.org has done some good homework on this for us

From http://www.BuyBlue.org (They have links to profiles of the companies below):

ABC Advertisers: Don't air our commercials on Air America programs
In the News
Posted by Raven on October 31, 2006 - 8:48pm

<snip>

On this list you'll find the following names. I've taken the liberty of linking you to our profile of them (if one exists) or otherwise trying to show their political giving practices. All data comes from the 2004 election cycle unless otherwise noted.

* Hewlett Packard 120K, 59% to GOP
* Allstate 161K, 70% to GOP
* Bank of America 1.13M, 61% to GOP (note BofA now owns MBNA which donated 674K, 73% to GOP)
* BMW Motorcycles No contributions
* Cingular which is a partnership between SBC and Bell South 1.8M+, 65% to GOP
* Clorox 37K, 69% to Dems
* Coke 165K, 61% to GOP
* Dell 332K, 88% to GOP
* Denny's no contributions
* eHarmony 1k, 100% to GOP
* Exxon-Mobile 780K, 95% to GOP
* FedEx, 1.5M, 71% to GOP
* Goodyear, 243K, 89% to GOP
* Heineken, 43K, 77% to GOP
* Hershey, 34K, 95% to GOP
* Home Depot, 448K, 82% to GOP
* Hormel, 5K, 95% to GOP
* Hyatt, 164K, 94% to Dems
* JC Penney, 186K, 88% to GOP
* Kohls, 2K, 100% to GOP
* Kraft, 51K, 78% to GOP
* Levi's, 47K, 100% to Dems
* McDonalds, 107K, 95% to GOP
* Michelin, 26K, 90% to GOP
* Microsoft, 1.1M, 56% to GOP
* Nestle, 92K, 75% to GOP
* Nissan, No contributions
* Office Depot, 10K, 88% to GOP
* Procter & Gamble, 226K, 79% to GOP
* Pepsi, 309K, 68% to GOP
* Phillip Morris (Altria), 813K, 69% to GOP
* Pier 1, 41K, 99% to GOP
* Red Lobster (Darden - Olive Garden), 240K, 91% to GOP
* RE/Max, 85K, 100% to GOP
* REI, 6K, 100% to Dems
* Sherwin-Williams no contributions
* Sony, 265K, 53% to GOP
* State Farm, 45K, 65% to GOP
* Toys R Us no contributions
* True Value no contributions
* Visa no contributions
* Walgreens, 86K, 65% to GOP
* Wal-Mart, 1.7M, 78% to GOP






We cover most of the 90 brands/companies listed there and it doesn't take too much to see the pattern here. Right now at BuyBlue we've only got 2003-2004 election cycle data, but if you take a trip over to The Blue Fund and check out their list of blue companies you'll probably find this data reinforced for those that are publicly traded (The Blue Fund bases their list on political contribution data from the 1998 election cycle to the current cycle).

There are some notable exceptions in that list which I indicated with italics that either donated the majority of their political spending to Democrats or were apolitical.

I find this particularly interesting because it provides more evidence to confirm some of the things our research has shown. Despite protests to the contrary most companies do have a specific political leaning and you'll find that expressed time and time again through the actions of their leadership.

But let's put politics aside for a moment and look at this from a business perspective. It could be possible that all of these companies simply have brands that are incompatible with the demographic found on a progressive talk format. That's what you'd have to expect if politics wasn't a factor. (I won't claim to know much about the radio industry but I do know a decent bit about marketing and I have friends that have fed me facts here and there. But if I completely step all over something just make a comment and correct me.)

[Nomad559]

14. You Missed One

Apple Computer INC

Most of the donations are to rePUGlicans.

http://cal-access.ss.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1012686&view=contributions&session=2003

:)

[choie]

13. Something weird about this list.

Thanks for posting your emails.

Frankly I'm suspicious about this list of companies that allegedly refused to advertise on Air America affiliates. In addition to REI, I know I've heard commercials for Gold Bond and eHarmony.com on the NYC Air America station, which happens to be their flagship station.

Exactly why someone would fake a list like this, I have no idea. But something's not adding up, that's for sure.

[ronnykmarshall]

15. Bank of America has ads on KTLK.

and they were on "the list" too.

[Rosco T.]

16. I SAID THIS YESTERDAY, that it may not be the advetisers, but ABCRadio.

.. pulling a rat fuck and was 'poo-poo'ed....

well poo-poo on those that said I was off base... I bet we'll find a LOT more of these have been held off air that wanted to advertise on AAR.

[Lex]

17. K & R.

:kick: