4/10/2007

Money talks

Controversy continues to swirl around radio shock jock Don Imus, who has been suspended from his morning show for making a racially offensive remark toward the Rutgers University women's basketball team. Now, several high-profile sponsors, including General Motors and Procter & Gamble, have pulled their advertisements from Imus' show, a development that piqued the attention of Kathy Newman, an associate professor of English at Carnegie Mellon and a student of popular culture.

"This pullout by advertisers is an interesting reminder of the power that advertisers, and, sometimes, consumers, have over the commercial broadcasting system. Since the beginning of advertising-sponsored radio, consumers have banded together to tell advertisers that they will refuse to buy their products if they continue to sponsor certain programs. These movements have not always been progressive: Racist Southerners organized boycotts of sponsors who delivered integrated programming, and Catholic viewers protested violence and sexual innuendo on television programming in the 1950s," said Newman, the author of "Radio Active: Advertising and Activism, 1935-1947."

Said Newman, "On the other hand these movements have shown that the boycott can be a powerful tactic in the hands of ordinary Americans who are passionate about an issue and willing to act collectively. The many expressions of collective outrage, from the black community as well as the mainstream media, have made advertisers think twice about associating themselves with Imus. Ironically, this is in spite of the fact that Imus has earned his reputation on one of the best pitchmen in the history of radio."

If you are a member of the media who is interested in speaking to Newman about Don Imus, please email me at jpotts@andrew.cmu.edu. 

Jonathan Potts