And the problem is????
I’d file this story away in the pile of who really cares, but I just couldn’t help but put it out there because I thought the sum of money was too substantial to overlook. I knew right-wing talkers like Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, and Levin were raking the cash, but I had no idea the well ran this deep. Seven figures from one “advertiser”, “sponsor”, or whatever you want to call it? That’s quite a chunk of change.
It seems it’s not the money that intrigues others. I guess they think listeners are too stupid to know when Rush or Glenn are cutting to an ad spot.
The Heritage Foundation, which is credited with pioneering sponsorships of this style and magnitude, reportedly pays about $2 million in sponsorship fees to “The Rush Limbaugh Show” and $1.3 to “The Sean Hannity Show.”
And Heritage has absolutely no reservations about it.
“We approach it the way anyone approaches advertising: where is our audience that wants to buy what you sell?” Genevieve Wood, Heritage’s vice president for operations and marketing. “And their audiences obviously fit that model for us. They promote conservative ideas and that’s what we do.”
What the seven-figure deals guarantee for the organization varies, but most arrangements include a specified number of instances in which the host reads from a script or a set of talking points provided by the organization. The message encourages listeners to visit the organization’s Web site or make a financial contribution.
From the Politico piece…
Really? People don’t realize that Limbaugh, Levin, Hannity, and Beck aren’t turning in their microphones for public service? People don’t realize they’re being “entertained?” When did “people” get so stupid? Correction: When did “people” analyzing “people” get so stupid?
If any of these really smart people feel like passing the word along to the rest of their really smart friends. Republican Redefined would really like to bring in some advertisers – smart, dumb, or otherwise. Just run it up the flagpole. I might even be willing to say nice things about Politico if the price is right.
