Why do businesses advertise on right wing radio stations? Shame on them.

[certainot]

I just heard an ad for Whole Foods during Sean Hannity's show.

I've heard ads for the US food stamp program during Rush Limbaugh's show, a guy who regularly ridicules people who need food stamps and has done more to threaten such programs than any other American.

The Pella and Anderson window manufacturers advertise on right wing radio while touting energy savings. Like many other construction related companies they could increase their business by leaps and bounds if the US started to retrofit for energy efficiency. Or improve and expand infrastructure. But Limbaugh and Hannity and most local right wing talkers are dedicated to global warming denial and obstruction of any action to deal with our most important problem.

For months Limbaugh and Hannity and probably 99% of the talkers on right wing radio have been sending the same messages about the debt ceiling- the ones most Republican and Tea Party representatives are repeating now. Default is no big deal. And after paying off the debt Obama's going to have to start cutting 'parasites' and 'bottom feeders' from 'entitlement' programs.

Why would any sane business support and endorse their economic terrorism? Defaulting could be disastrous for all business. How many of those sponsors will suffer from higher interest rates and worried consumers? And climate change is a national security threat.

Why would universities endorse those stations by broadcasting their athletics on them? How do those associations jive with university 'mission statements' and stated goals? How many students who go to those universities will suffer in terms of grants and loans?

I can think of two main reasons a business sponsors right wing radio.

1) It's good business. They're loud with many possible customers. Maybe their ad agency included it in a package.

2) The business owner is an ignorant racist jerk.

Very few of the business owners I've spoken with defend the racism and global warming denial. Most don't listen to the shows and may believe that it's all just political theater to bring in customers. I think in most parts of the country business is the main reason.

I spoke with a couple of Democrats who told me they wanted the loudest signal - it was business - and then ended up sponsoring the smaller progressive station in the area. It sounded like they had never seriously thought of their negative role

I've spoken with employees who were horrified to find out their organizations or employers were advertising on the Limbaugh station.

I suspect this is the rule, not the exception, and many business owners and managers would find alternatives with a little prodding. Such as when they get a few calls. Or maybe when they hear of a protest at those stations.

There are many blue communities that are dominated by right wing radio and have NO progressive radio. If the talkers were merely conservative that might make sense.

But if they are part of a coordinated attack on democracy, directed by corporate think tanks to short circuit the normal feedback mechanisms a democracy needs to sort out what is true and important, they need to be challenged, not ignored.

Those radio stations are capable of making national rational discussion of our most important issues impossible by creating an alternate reality with a different set of facts. Tea Party facts. And with call screening and paid callers there is no one standing in front of the carnival barkers to yell back "You're a liar and a fool."

That has to change if this is going to get better.

Shame on all of those sponsors.

[ananda]

1. I've been avoiding Whole Foods as much as possible.

nt

[Brickbat]

2. The food stamps spot is probably an Ad Council thing.

And the Whole Foods owner is a union-hating prick.

[MineralMan]

3. It's Advertising. Advertising has a specific function.

That function is to put the advertising message in front of people who are potential customers for the business and who can afford to purchase your goods and services. For the most part, it's politically neutral. Few businesses run ads with the intent of supporting the medium on which they appear. If the right wing station has listeners, then the business wants to sell products or services to that audience, just like any other audience.

Replacement windows, like the ones you mention, have no political consequence. Very few businesses that sell those windows inquire into the political beliefs of the customers who buy them. It's irrelevant.Only in the case of an advertisement hurting sales because of the medium on which it is placed will most businesses alter their advertising strategy. In some cases, boycotts based on the medium on which the ad appears work, but mostly, they don't. The business consults its sales records before making the decision.

Is that right? Is that fair? No, but it's real. If a medium has an audience, advertisers will buy space or time on that medium, if it produces customers. The ad doesn't support the message of the medium. There's little to no connection between the two. The medium provides the audience for the ad. That's why ads appear on media that have an audience.

[certainot]

13. but in the window example , it is a bad business decision based on a lack of knowledge that RW radio

has been instrumental in obstructing action on global warming- and that is a failure of the left wing also

[MineralMan]

23. You don't run a business, do you?

Advertising a business is not a political thing. It's designed to get customers to buy products or services. It's designed to do that TODAY, not years down the road.

[certainot]

26. which is why millions are spent on lobbying?

and no, i am not a business person

i would agree that selling windows now is probably their priority, but it makes no long term sense

[MineralMan]

29. Most businesses do not operate on long-term schedules.

They're selling products now, and measure sales on a monthly or quarterly basis. So your long term issues are irrelevant to them. If you sell windows, you aren't waiting to sell them for even a month. In much of the United States, window sales happen in a 6-9 month window each year.

[elocs]

4. Why? Simple...it works. Otherwise they wouldn't do it. n/t

[certainot]

12. my point is it doesn't work, unless you sell weapons, riot gear, and gold

and a few other products.

RW radio sponsors have sponsored us into bush, iraq, this economy and may have just bought a shitload of higher interest rates and an even worse economy, merely because the left is ignoring right wing talk radio.

[pintobean]

22. Maybe those businesses know

the audiences better than you do.

[Ozymanithrax]

5. Because customers listen to those shows and businesses want their money...

The Hannity demographic is their demographic. Business is an amoral enterprise and profit is their only purpose.

[certainot]

11. if it's the bottom line though, they're buying higher interest rates and a depressed economy

[Ozymanithrax]

30. That isn't how businesses look at it.

There are customers there,and they reach for them.

The only way to get them to stop is to convince them that they will lose more than they gain.

[NV Whino]

6. The companies themselves don't choose individual stations

The ads are placed through agencies who place them in specific demographic markets. The companies buy a certain amount of time (or space with print material); the agencies find the best placement. Like it or not, right wing radio has a huge audience, which makes it a no brainer for the agencies.

[certainot]

14. the left needs to put those agencies on notice that they need to offer alternatives to their clients

and that would come from clients demanding better placement, which starts with feedback from the Left.

maybe also there is a business opportunity for ad agencies that specialize in finding alts in radio- eg more smaller stations, etc.

[KharmaTrain]

7. A Couple Things About Radio Advertising...

...firstly, it's in a massively depressed state. Radio's lost a large portion of its audience over the past decade (thanks in some part to hate radio) and most of the large owners are under water that has led to more and more cutbacks that has resulted in even greater losses of both listeners and revenues. These days they'll take whatever they can wherever they can.

As far as the advertising you hear on a hate radio show, it's not always what you think. Shows like rushbo alot only a small amount of time each hour to local advertising...the rest of the time its spots from the network (people who surely know what rushbo's all about). In some cases you may hear a spot that is "Run of Schedule"...that the advertiser bought a large amount of time and their commercial are rotated around...they have no knowledge or control on when they're placed.

If you're pissed...here's what I suggest.

Nothing gets a station manager's attention faster than a pissed off local advertiser. Note the sponsors of the show and call those sponsors to express your outrage. You may get lucky that the advertiser thinks the same way you do and will call the station and threaten to cancel...that WILL get management attention.

Another option is to write a letter to the station expressing your dismay. Make sure you document the letter (send it registered mail) Then...in 30 days go down to the station (don't call...show up in person) and ask to see their public inspection file. Check to see if your letter is in the file. If it isn't, you can report the station to the FCC...a major violation and upwards of a $10,000 fine could be headed their way.

The problem with Progressive talk has been its lack of a strong network/management. Most networks have been cash-strapped and relegated to weak signals. The "good" news is hate radio is dying...the advent of the People Meter is finally showing how few people are tuning into talk radio and its leading stations to drop the format altogether.

[TexasProgresive]

8. Thanks for your voice of sanity.n/t

[certainot]

9. thanks for the info and suggestions. i know complaining to local advertisers works.

since you sound knowledgeable, a question: might there be a progressive biz opportunity for an ad agency that finds alternatives for businesses wanting to reach similar crowds without the blowhard station?

and i like this: "Another option is to write a letter to the station expressing your dismay. Make sure you document the letter (send it registered mail) Then...in 30 days go down to the station (don't call...show up in person) and ask to see their public inspection file. Check to see if your letter is in the file. If it isn't, you can report the station to the FCC...a major violation and upwards of a $10,000 fine could be headed their way."

most RW station managers are GOP assholes so this sounds good.

as far as the lack of control of where a biz's ad gone, i've heard that excuse from them and the left should make that a concern for ad agencies re their clients demanding not to go on RW radio stations- i suspect, despite whether the ceo of whole foods is a GOP prick or not, their spot during hannity may become something to regret.

[KharmaTrain]

15. "De-Regulation" (coughbullshitcough)

I was around the early days of hate radio in the late 80s and early 90s that dovetailed with the "deregulation" of radio. This dropped many local requirements and allowed stations to hook up to satellites that became the conduits of what we hear today. The De-Reg '96 wiped away a lot of the ownership caps and remaining local control and soon you had corporations like Clear Channel and Cumulus with hundreds of stations. Clear Channel was founded by the Mayes family from San Antonio, Texas and close friends of the booooshies. They assured that rushbo and other right wing firebreathers would gain access to the best signals in the top markets. Catering to the GOTB has always been "good business" for radio as they're the ones who push for more and more "de-regulation". They also provide "manna from heaven" these days as hate radio stands to make a bunch of cash from the big spending we're sure to see in next year's elections. The Kochs and their ilk will spend generously and mostly on hate radio stations.

Progressive radio has been its own worst enemy. I suggest if you haven't seen "Left of the Dial" it really gives a great insight into what was good and bad about Air America and trying to establish a progressive radio network. Here in Chicago the Progressive talk station is owned by a very loyal Democrat but one whose track record of station ownership has been abysmal. There's little local programming and even less promotion...thus its ratings have been poor and stagnated. The Catch 22 here is the less money the station makes the less inclined owners are to invest and promote their stations that means things backslide even further. The internet has become the Progressive radio network...as potent as hate radio and far more interactive.

Cheers...

[certainot]

18. thanks for that. but i'd disagree with ability of internet counter talk radio (see below)

[certainot]

10. PS radio may be on the wane but the dittohead teabaggers prove it kicks internet ass when

it comes to messaging and determining what is and what isn't acceptable- it just need s a little coordination, but no other medium is capable of that level of coordinated, and unfortunately ignored, repetition.

[KharmaTrain]

16. More Like It's Affect On The Beltway Corporate Media Elite...

The rushpublicans use a lot of mediums very effectively to get their message out. Hate radio is just one cog in that "mighty wurlitzer" that integrates with Faux noise, right wing magazines and websites. There are days where you can watch this thing in action...a story gets planted in a news site or blog at night, by the morning its being bantered about on Twitter and starts to pop up on hate radio. By midday the talking point is getting the full treatment by Rushbo and by the evening its the top story on the cables. It's targeted at the producers, bookers and others corporates who determine what is "newsworthy" and what occupies hours on end on the cables.

The Democrats have no real answer for this...and probably for good reason. Unlike the rushpublicans who stand on a very narrow plank of "ideals" for a specific demographic, Democrats represent a wide array of interests that may agree on core principals but lack anywhere near the message discipline. Just look around here when one person's special interest is coopted by anothers...it's popcorn time.

[certainot]

17. the coordination makes it work but the radio stations are samson's hair

the radio does the groundwork repetition, without which much of the rest looks like lies and propaganda.

the GOP politicians and operatives know/feel the radio/limbaugh at their back- the fact that by prime time the talking point has already been pounded into the earholes of 10s of millions is essential for that certainty they need to look into the camera and repeat the lie.

fox and no number of blogs and emails could have turned bush into a commander in chief and kerry into a flip flopper, or the democratic party into the democrat party.

[KharmaTrain]

21. The Medium Is The Message...

I agree with most of what you say. However I'll say that the Internet had a major factor in the Democrats retaking the House in '06 and in Obama's victory in '08. The netroots energized the Democratic party...starting with Howard Dean and then in recruiting and funding candidates. It also connected with voters under 40...many who sat out the 2010 election.

That doesn't undercut what you're saying. The right wing hate radio machine delivers the talking points and repeats them into oblivion and those get picked up by the rest of the corporate media. It told us we "wanted to have a beer" with boooosh, but I think that power is less than it once was. In '04 there wasn't a Rachel Maddow or Ed Schultz...so I do see progress.

[Shagbark Hickory]

19. The answer is reason "#1", not reason #2, I assure you. With the exception of maybe chickfila....

most corporations are not idealogues. They just want to tap into every market they can and make as much money as they can.

I would advertise to wingers. They've got money and I'm happy to take as much of it as they will give.
For a commie, I'm pretty decent at capitalism.

The only reason hate radio exists is because it makes money. Some here have said it's dying. I don't believe that for a second.

[certainot]

27. would you continue to advertise on it if some customers blamed you for their higher interest rates?

and put your business name on signs?

[Shagbark Hickory]

34. It depends.

"some" customers, probably yes.

Lots of customers, maybe not.

[Odin2005]

20. The owner of Whole Paycheck is a RW anti-union gasbag.

[L0oniX]

24. ...because the stupid are more gullible.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

25. Their money is as green as anyone else's...

...and I'm all for taking those morons' money as possible. They spend where they think the company is as idioticly red as they are. If we owned a business, we'd cater to whomever would give us money. Are you kidding? It's brilliant marketing strategy. And if I would discount to liberals and atheists if I knew about it.

[certainot]

28. would you keep doing it if those liberals made a stink about it and

those customers went elsewhere because they blamed you for their higher interest rates, or for helping sell the lies that got their son sent to iraq to get his leg blown off?

[YellowRubberDuckie]

31. Of course not....

But I think you're over dramatizing.

[certainot]

35. those 1000 coordinated radio stations are the single biggest reason we're in this mess

and it only works for them because we give it a free speech free ride.

[WCGreen]

32. I agree with most of the people in this thread believe that business is business....

And I do as well, up to a point...

These businesses that advertise on Right Wing radio shows need to know that you are upset about where they choose to advertise.

Go ahead and write a letter to the company and tell them.

But perhaps a better way is to write a letter to the your friends and political associates about the advertising and also about contributions the CEO makes to PAC's and Right Wing political folks.

[ThoughtCriminal]

33. Which is a more profitable target audience?

Gullible idiots who will buy anything?

or

Critical thinkers?