Ed Schultz's Payola scam

[Adam]

Unions Paid MSNBC's Schultz $177,000 in 2012, $75,000 in 2013

[size=3]A Department of Labor search shows that not only is liberal MSNBC host Ed Schultz paid for his TV show and radio show, but he is getting a hefty amount of money from labor unions. Schultz received at least $177,000 from labor unions in 2012; the average median income for an American family is around $44,000 a year.

This year alone the DOL shows Schultz has been paid $75,000 by the AFL-CIO; just yesterday AFL-CIO Richard Trumka appeared on The Ed Show. As we ring in the new year in just a couple of weeks we will keep track of how much union pay for play Schultz gets in 2014.

I only caught a little bit of it last night, soon after this broke, but our local afternoon drive guy was hopping mad about this, and rightly so, I think. It's an astounding breach of the public trust in media.

It turns out this has been going on for a while now. Better than half a million dollars' worth of Payola over the course of nine years. And no one at BSDNC even questions it.

Astounding.

[Billy Jingo]

Karl Rove laughs at this piker.

Half mil?

Chump.

[Billy Jingo]

Just to be clear, I could care less about these guys and this is bad. But cable "news" is bad in general so this sort of thing does not surprise me.

[Novaheart]

I don't find this surprising.

What I do find surprising is that no one has investigated conservative talk radio's funding. I listen to various conservative talk radio shows, and the advertisers simply don't add up in my head to the kind of money you would expect to be paying Rush Limbaugh's enormous salary of $100 Million signing and 37M per year from Clear Channel.

Look at the advertisers:

Work From Home (Amway scam)
Buy Gold and SIlver
QUicken Loans
Trinity Debt Management (Christian bankruptcy sort of)
a back up cloud server
Identity Theft protection
dehydrated food
adjustible beds
dog vitamins
testosterone replacement

I don't think I have ever heard an ad from a car company, car dealer, oil company, or any luxury goods.

[scott]

I don't find this surprising.

What I do find surprising is that no one has investigated conservative talk radio's funding. I listen to various conservative talk radio shows, and the advertisers simply don't add up in my head to the kind of money you would expect to be paying Rush Limbaugh's enormous salary of $100 Million signing and 37M per year from Clear Channel.

Look at the advertisers:

Work From Home (Amway scam)
Buy Gold and SIlver
QUicken Loans
Trinity Debt Management (Christian bankruptcy sort of)
a back up cloud server
Identity Theft protection
dehydrated food
adjustible beds
dog vitamins
testosterone replacement

I don't think I have ever heard an ad from a car company, car dealer, oil company, or any luxury goods.

Are you aware that radio stations pay to broadcast Rush and they do indeed run ads from all the above?

[Gramps]

obviously, there is some secret slush fund that some unknown uber conservative group is funneling to keep Rush on the air

nobody listens to him
no advertisers want time on his show

I get it

[Novaheart]

Are you aware that radio stations pay to broadcast Rush and they do indeed run ads from all the above?

As I understand it, Rush has a contract with Clear Channel. As for his advertisers, I don't have an official publication, but the ones I hear when I tune in are as described are the sleazy ones listed and not the mainstream stuff you hear on popular FM channels.

[Novaheart]

obviously, there is some secret slush fund that some unknown uber conservative group is funneling to keep Rush on the air

You say that like it's unlikely.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2011/06/15/politico-conservative-groups-pay-for-talk-radio/180592

If you're a regular listener of Glenn Beck's radio show and you wanted to contribute to a political group that would advance the populist conservative ideals he touts on his show, you'd have plenty of reason to think that FreedomWorks was your best investment.

But if you're a fan of Mark Levin's radio show, you'd have just as much cause to believe that Americans for Prosperity, a FreedomWorks rival, was the most effective conservative advocacy group. And, if Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity are who you listen to, you'd be hear a steady stream of entreaties to support the important work of the Heritage Foundation.

That's not coincidence. In search of donations and influence, the three prominent conservative groups are paying hefty sponsorship fees to the popular talk show hosts. Those fees buy them a variety of promotional tie-ins, as well as regular on-air plugs - praising or sometimes defending the groups, while urging listeners to donate - often woven seamlessly into programming in ways that do not seem like paid advertising.

"The point that people don't realize," said Michael Harrison, founder and publisher of the talk media trade publication TALKERS Magazine, "is that (big time political talk show hosts) are radio personalities - they are in the same business that people like Casey Kasem are in - and what they do is no different than people who broadcast from used car lots or restaurants or who endorse the local roofer or gardener."

[scott]

As I understand it, Rush has a contract with Clear Channel. As for his advertisers, I don't have an official publication, but the ones I hear when I tune in are as described are the sleazy ones listed and not the mainstream stuff you hear on popular FM channels.

So which mainstream advertisers are on Air America?


oops

[Adam]

So which mainstream advertisers are on Air America?


oops

[daveman]

Karl Rove laughs at this piker.

Half mil?

Chump.

Rove is a journalist?

[daveman]

So which mainstream advertisers are on Air America?


oops

I heard the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Clubs bought some air time...sorta.