UPDATED: Fox Runs House Ads to Fill Empty Slots in Glenn Beck Boycott

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The advertiser pullout from Glenn Beck’s Fox News Channel show has gone from a trickle to a torrent, and Fox has been reduced to running “house” ads,* spots for its own partner properties for which it receives no may or may not receive revenue. (See updated correction below.)

According to the NY Daily News, these companies have stopped their ads on Beck: WalMart, GMAC Financial Services (Ally Bank), Best Buy, CVS and Travelocity. Tribble notes that Allergan and Broadview Security have also joined the boycott. Companies that previously yanked ads from Beck include: ConAgra, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, RadioShack, Geico, Men’s Wearhouse, State Farm, Sargento, LexisNexis, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance and S.C. Johnson.

The boycott was started by ColorofChange.com after Beck’s statement on Fox & Friends that Obama has:

… a deep-seeded hatred for white people … I’m not saying he doesn’t like white people, I’m saying he has a problem. This guy is, I believe, a racist.

Advertisers remaining on the show — and thus on the boycott hit list — are: Honda, General Electric, Farmers Insurance, Office Depot, Nestlé (Gerber), Red Lobster, the U.S. Postal Service, and Wyeth.

Fox has repeatedly noted that the advertisers have moved elsewhere on Fox, so revenue is not affected. The Daily News reported that airtime on Beck is being filled by these companies:

The Wall Street Journal, DirecTV, Honda and Oprah Winfrey’s Oxygen Channel.

The DN failed to note that, with the exception of Honda, all of those brands are owned by Fox parent News Corp.* all of those brands have been in business before with Fox parent News Corp. That’s a sign that Beck is actually hurting for revenue. As BNET noted previously, it is unlikely that Fox is making up the revenue with higher prices for moved ads elsewhere in its timeslots.

*Correction: News Corp. divested its 41 percent stake in DirecTV in 2008. Oxygen is not owned by News Corp., but is a partner in Hulu, News Corp.’s joint venture with NBC Universal. Apologies for the error.

Tags: Revenue, Advertisement, Honda Motor Co., Boycott, Advertiser, Fox & Friends, Jim Edwards

Jim Edwards, a former managing editor of Adweek, has covered drug marketing at Brandweek for four years, and is a former Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia University's business and journalism schools. Follow him on Twitter or send him an email.

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1

AlienNationRefugee

08/18/09 | Report as spam

RE: Fox Runs House Ads to Fill Empty Slots in Glenn Beck Boycott

I have written to every company that has canceled buys with Beck and thanked them for their corporate citizenship. I am also writing to every company still advertising with him to let my voice be heard.
2

gmr5353@...

08/18/09 | Report as spam

RE: Fox Runs House Ads to Fill Empty Slots in Glenn Beck Boycott

Glen Beck has a right to free speach maybe he can be a little far right but just as many have been too far left and nothing has been said about them Al Sharpton comes to mind who is deffently against white people.
3

ricmar

08/21/09 | Report as spam

RE: Fox Runs House Ads to Fill Empty Slots in Glenn Beck Boycott

I am not one who supports boycotts because the people who tend to get hurt the most are working people like me. What bothers me here is the blatent hypocrasy. George Bush was called all manner of names and there was no public outcry and I didn't care. I don't know if the president is a racist or not. That is between him and his god. I do know that he sat in the pughs of a racist church for 20+ years listening to a racist pastor. He has also appointed some people to his administration with radical and racist pasts. Mr. Beck has repoted on this many times. I find the double standard fascinating. Where were the protesters when he was exposing Bush's incompetency? I will continue to listen him and others who are willing to expose both political parties for what they really are. My hope and change is for a strong
third political party. RC
4

incog

08/26/09 | Report as spam

RE: Fox Runs House Ads to Fill Empty Slots in Glenn Beck Boycott

Yes, I'm sure that the church Obama went to talked about race relations in America every Sunday and never, ever talked about the bible, Jesus, God or any of that other stuff.

C'mon people. In 20 years time, which is over 7000 Sunday sermons, do you really think that this is all they talked about in that church? Really?

Why don't people think for themselves anymore?
5

incog

08/26/09 | Report as spam

RE: Fox Runs House Ads to Fill Empty Slots in Glenn Beck Boycott

Oh, and what in the hell does Al Sharpton have to do with anything? You all know what this is. There are right-wing nut jobs out there right now plotting violence against minorities because Obama is president. Since race relations are tenuous, it doesn't take much to ignite these people into action. What Beck did on his show is irresponsible and evil.

Obama is trying to help people of all colors (but mostly white) get health care, get jobs, and get more money in their own pockets. To call him a racist because he disagreed with a case of racial profiling is just nonsensical and retarded. Beck obviously wants to destroy America by inciting some kind of race war, and you folks are cheering him on.

Still fancy yourselves patriots?
6

cabrales1

08/27/09 | Report as spam

RE: Fox Runs House Ads to Fill Empty Slots in Glenn Beck Boycott

I guess the truth hurts it ok for obama to state a refer to the police who arrested his friend as being racially motivatede. Just like a true liberal I can say what I want , but you can't. Free speech would be gone if obama had his way. Way to go Glenn Beck
7

magic19

08/30/09 | Report as spam

RE: Fox Runs House Ads to Fill Empty Slots in Glenn Beck Boycott

why is it only racist when a white person says something? Glen Beck gives his OPINION and all hell breaks loose, remember Barbara Bush catching flax because she referred to her own grandchildren as the "brown ones". But people of color are "allow" to say whatever they please and it not be considered racist the double standard needs to stop!!!
8

adwatchblog

08/31/09 | Report as spam

RE: Fox Runs House Ads to Fill Empty Slots in Glenn Beck Boycott

The same freedom that alows right wing whackjob political view cable television hosts to spew hatred and allow their own racial bias and aversion to policies of the Democratic party is an even greater freedom that exists for advertisers making decisions on how to spend their dollars to advertise in an environment best suited to reach consumers inclined to support their brand.

This incident is just a high-profile wake-up call for a decision many advertisers should have reached some time ago based upon the controversial and polarizing content coming from that program.

As for the recent ratings boost--no surprise, You have the "train wreck" ratings grab going on to see such a disaster of a host and program. And you have the curiousity group tuning in to see if the ultimate cave-in will occur with an apology. These two groups of otherwise normal Americans add to the substantial base audience of right wing devoutees and those who desire their own racial bias to be nourished by a nightly fix on this program.

Kudos to the advertisers with the wisdom to stop the ads despite the audience size and very low CPM's in the ad rates.