Yesterday, for the fifth day in a row, the UK broadcast of Glenn Beck’s TV show was forced to run without any advertisements. This is thanks to efforts by StopBeck.com to pressure companies advertising on Beck’s UK broadcast.
It’s an amazing milestone in the larger effort to push advertisers away from Glenn Beck, which started last July. And at the same time, we’ve reached another important milestone — over 100 companies have now stopped their ads from appearing on Beck’s show.
From our press release:
The U.K. broadcast of Glenn Beck’s eponymous television program was forced to air free of paid advertisements on four consecutive days last week. This according to StopBeck.com, an extension of the anti-Beck campaign created by ColorOfChange.org. StopBeck.com confirmed that, with the latest group of defections from Beck’s overseas broadcast, Fox News Channel was forced to fill commercial breaks with news headlines and local weather updates from its U.K.-based sister network, Sky News, instead of paid advertisements.
The news comes on the heels of a new group of U.S. companies who have asked Fox News Channel to stop their ads from running or pledged not to run ads on the show going forward. The latest U.S. defections — Allstate Insurance, Anheuser-Busch, Best Western International, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals (maker of Flomax), Brother International Corporation, Hear Music, Idaho Potato Commission, Intersections Inc., Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School, Marriott International, Nestlé USA, Republic of Macedonia, Starkist Co., United Healthcare, USFidelis, Volkswagen and Western Union — coupled with the international movement to bring the total number of companies distancing themselves from Beck to over one hundred.
“We’re incredibly thrilled that StopBeck.com has taken our campaign and successfully executed it internationally,” said James Rucker, Executive Director of ColorOfChange.org. “This is a huge blow against Glenn Beck. As we continue our fight against those that support Beck domestically, we will use this victory as further proof that more and more companies are taking a stand against his racial demagoguery.”
“People now on both sides of the Atlantic are using Twitter and other social media to let companies know that by advertising on Beck’s program, they are subsidizing hate,” said Angelo S. Carusone, lead organizer of StopBeck.com. ”Fox News’ willingness to use filler from Sky News, rather than address Beck’s fear mongering, raises real questions about the network’s priorities.”
While Beck’s UK broadcast has been forced to run without ads, his US broadcast has been reduced to running promos for other shows on Fox, ads from direct marketers (think exercise equipment and gold coins) and a handful of private companies headed by right-wingers.
If you want to participate in StopBeck’s efforts, you can find them on the web at StopBeck.com and StopBeckUK.info, and follow them on twitter at @StopBeck and @StopGlennBeck.
Here are statements from the most recent group of U.S. advertisers distancing themselves from Beck:
“While we do purchase advertising on Fox News Channel, we did not intentionally purchase commercials in or around the show, ‘The Glen [sic] Beck Program,’ nor do we sponsor the program,” said Jennifer L. Egeland, director of integrated marketing communications for Allstate Insurance Company, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. “You should not expect to see Allstate advertising during this program in the future.”
“Our company has not agreed to advertise during the Glenn Beck show,” said Johnny Furr, vice president of community affairs for Anheuser-Busch, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. “We purchase advertising on the Fox News Channel for time slots other than this show, and the ad you saw inadvertently ran during that program.”
“Best Western ads will no longer run during the Glenn Beck show,” said Troy Rutman, director of external communications for Best Western International, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. “As a global, family-oriented brand with guests of all persuasions and viewpoints, we seek to avoid any controversial programming, regardless of political affiliation.”
“Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. does not intend to advertise during the Glen [sic] Beck Show and has communicated this to the FOX network,” said Susan Holz, Senior PR Specialist for the company, in an email to ColorOfChange.org.
“Moving forward, Brother won’t have it on there [Beck's show],” said Peggy Carlton, account executive for Brother International at MS&L Worldwide, in a voice mail message to ColorOfChange.org. “Moving forward there won’t be any specifically on Glenn Beck.”
“We in no way want to promote the hateful rhetoric of Mr. Glenn Beck, and therefore take this matter very seriously,” said Dino Balzano, director of advertising at Concord Music Group, parent company of Hear Music, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. “Although we did not specifically request the airing to take place on that show, we did buy time on Fox News, and the spot happened to air during Beck’s program. After we were made aware of the situation, we made the immediate decision to insist all further of our scheduled Fox airings were not on Glenn Beck.”“It has been our long-standing policy to not advertise on any controversial programs,” said Frank Muir, President & CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. “We have informed FOX that the Idaho Potato Commission will no longer advertise on the Glen [sic] Beck Show.”
“I first learned about this controversy [in November] and asked Fox to take his show out of our rotation,” said Steve Schwartz, executive vice president of consumer services for Intersections, Inc., in an email to ColorOfChange.org. “We no longer advertise on Glenn Beck’s show.”
Angela Loiacono, manager of corporate communications at Career Education Corporation (CEC), parent company of Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School, confirmed that CEC had asked Fox News not to allow its ads to run during Glenn Beck’s program. “Our commercials…should be off-air in mid-February,” said Loiacono in an email to ColorOfChange.org.“We do not intend to have any additional ad placements during the program,” said Jeff Flaherty, spokesperson for Marriott International, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. “I’d like to point out that diversity and inclusion are core values at Marriott and an essential component of our success.”
“We do not advertise on the Glenn Beck radio or television show,” said Cathy Johnson, consumer services manager for Nestle USA, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. “Nestlé USA has family friendly programming guidelines in place that are routinely monitored and enforced. However, we are aware of a recent commercial that aired during the Glenn Beck show. Airing the spot on FOX and this program was an error that has been corrected.”
“Although we only have a few more spots left to air on Fox, we have requested that the remaining spots not be aired during Glenn Beck’s program,” said Natali Rancevic, a spokesperson for the Republic of Macedonia, Agency of Foreign Investments, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. “Fox has agreed to honor our request.”
“We have chosen to not air our commercial during Glenn Beck’s program going forward given a number of alternatives that meet our advertising plan’s criteria,” said Mary Sestric, a corporate affairs staffer for Starkist Co., in an email to ColorOfChange.org.
“Back in August of this year United Healthcare instructed FOX News to not run any of our ads during the Glenn Beck show,” said Lynne High, director of media relations, in an email to ColorOfChange.org.
“We are no longer advertising on this show or station,” said Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, marketing coordinator for US Fidelis, in an email to ColorOfChange.org. “Thank you for bringing this to our attention.”
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