Ethics question ...

[JimmyHoward33]

Not to threadjack, but I heard a paid ad for Fred/Steve's steakhouse on 98.5 the other day and chuckled.

 

[sgreenwell]

Not to threadjack, but I heard a paid ad for Fred/Steve's steakhouse on 98.5 the other day and chuckled.

Both are on WEEI much, much less nowadays, thankfully, so I imagine they feel a bit less loyalty. Well, that and they're getting a lot less free plugs.

 

[SoCalDude]

The one around here that makes me laugh is on the Petros and Money show. Petros will segue into a commercial for Ford, that Money endorses. A little while later, Money will segue into a commercial for Chevy, which Petros endorses.
Petros: "If you were going to the game tomorrow, how would you get there? I bet you'd drive a Ford." And Money goes on about how wonderful the Ford dealer is.
Money: "Did you drive to the airport yesterday in your Chevy?" And Petros will talk about his Chevy dealer.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

If they pay for an ad, there's nothing unethical about it whatsoever. That's how radio works...

I'd wager it was a trade-out, with no money changing hands. It's amazing how much business radio stations — especially in small markets — do in trade.

Tell me about it...they tried to pay me partially that way one week. By giving me traded radio items. Um, no. Straight cash homey.

When I was doing a morning show, they did that with me when I asked for a raise after the ratings book hit. I got free dry cleaning for about two months, until the cleaners quit advertising.

That was a straight trade. It gets really shady when the business and station do a check swap. Business writes a check to the station for advertising, salesman (usually the sales manager) takes his commission, then has the station cut a check back to the business.

 

[Diego Marquez]

So we shouldn't do the writeup for the Subway ($5 Footlongs! Eat Fresh!) Athlete of the Week anymore?

 

[Ben_Hecht]

It's advertising. The restaurant brings over food for the hosts for a plug.

I get that, and I get that there's more than one way to skin a cat, but it's something we do not do in our business. If a restaurant gives me a meal, I can't just throw it into my next column for a plug. It doesn't work like that. Or at least I hope it doesn't.

Like I said, apparently it's a different animal in radio.

You must not read front-rank general gossip columns in the major national rags.

Some of these whores make it a career.

 

[YankeeFan]

When I worked for the Devil Rays, one of our radio guys was forever name dropping local businesses into the broadcast.

The problem was, they weren't sponsors, they were just people who comped in on meals and/or drinks.

He also made it clear upon arriving to town that his first goal was to get a free car from an auto dealer in return for on air plugs. He did it too.

And, the team, which had just taken the radio rights, and the ad sales, in-house, didn't do a thing about it, even though they were struggling to sell ads.

 

[BillyT]

Not to threadjack, but I heard a paid ad for Fred/Steve's steakhouse on 98.5 the other day and chuckled.

Both are on WEEI much, much less nowadays, thankfully, so I imagine they feel a bit less loyalty. Well, that and they're getting a lot less free plugs.

So who is doing drive-time now?

 

[sgreenwell]

Not to threadjack, but I heard a paid ad for Fred/Steve's steakhouse on 98.5 the other day and chuckled.

Both are on WEEI much, much less nowadays, thankfully, so I imagine they feel a bit less loyalty. Well, that and they're getting a lot less free plugs.

So who is doing drive-time now?

2 p.m. is Ordway (meh) and Michael Holley, who actually makes the show listenable at times. The news guy is usually Mikey Adams, who basically torpedoes the show from time to time with stupid crap. ("Let's talk about how Manny isn't clutch and how A-Rod but not David Ortiz is a cheat!") On football days, or when Holley or Ordway is on vacation, they rotate in Troy Brown, Teddy Bruschi, Steve DeOssie, Rob Bradford and Tom Curran.

 

[Point of Order]

I've been in the newspaper business for more than 10 years, so I understand the ethics side of things, what to do and what not to do. But I only understand those ethics for newspapers.

Listening to the radio today, a certain program was about to end when one of the hosts says, "We have to thank the boys over at Podunk Restaurant, who supplied with all of these goodies today. Podunk is one of the best spots around town you can eat."

Now what makes that OK for radio? As we all know, we'd be crucified if we did it in print. To be honest, it doesn't bother me all that much, just wondering if any talking heads out there can tell me why it's different when we're all supposed to be "journalists."

It's not an ethics question, but a business attitude question. Newspaper folks think you do something like that and personally profit it's unethical, but if you do something like that and the newspaper profits it's creative advertising.

Radio bosses seem to be a little more lenient about radio guys skimming a mention or two on the air a little to supplement their meager radio income.

 

[BillyT]

Not to threadjack, but I heard a paid ad for Fred/Steve's steakhouse on 98.5 the other day and chuckled.

Both are on WEEI much, much less nowadays, thankfully, so I imagine they feel a bit less loyalty. Well, that and they're getting a lot less free plugs.

So who is doing drive-time now?

2 p.m. is Ordway (meh) and Michael Holley, who actually makes the show listenable at times. The news guy is usually Mikey Adams, who basically torpedoes the show from time to time with stupid crap. ("Let's talk about how Manny isn't clutch and how A-Rod but not David Ortiz is a cheat!") On football days, or when Holley or Ordway is on vacation, they rotate in Troy Brown, Teddy Bruschi, Steve DeOssie, Rob Bradford and Tom Curran.

Thanks. It would be interesting to hear Holley.

 

[YankeeFan]

Not that fashion mags have ever been a paragon of integrity, but still a curious move:

On Park & Bond, a new e-commerce site for designer men’s wear, Jim Moore, the creative director for GQ, can be found describing a red Calvin Klein turtleneck as “something that can take that gray flannel suit and give it a little bon vivant.” The sweater, which costs $225, is tagged as a GQ Pick, inside the GQ Store.

In Esquire’s September issue, David Granger, the magazine’s editor in chief, invites readers to check out Clad.com, a site starting in October that will sell items like a $228 pair of chukka boots from Cole Haan or a $795 suit from Michael Kors, specifically selected by the magazine.

And fashionistas who are following the latest runway collections being shown this month have the opportunity, beginning this season, to buy some of those looks, from designers like Diane von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs and Derek Lam, right from the Web site of Vogue magazine.

A floral printed romper from Ms. Von Furstenberg’s show can be ordered for $498. A leather coat from Mr. Jacobs costs $5,900. And as the site notes, “Vogue may receive a commission on some sales made through this service.”

Fashion magazines are suddenly getting into the retailing business.

While the glossies have long had a reputation for accommodating the designers they cover, sometimes guaranteeing coverage to those who advertise in their pages, a wave of new ventures and partnerships suggests they are willing to go even further by selling the designers’ clothes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/business/media/magazines-begin-to-sell-the-fashion-they-review.html?hpw=&pagewanted=all

 

[flexmaster33]

The restaurant is probably a regular advertiser and such...I see radio more as entertainment than journalism...for the most part. The morning drive-in sports talk show is not journalism, anyway.

 

[sgreenwell]

The restaurant is probably a regular advertiser and such...I see radio more as entertainment than journalism...for the most part. The morning drive-in sports talk show is not journalism, anyway.

They're only journalists or reporters when they want to be. Otherwise, they are not part of The Media.

 

[Gator]

The restaurant is probably a regular advertiser and such...I see radio more as entertainment than journalism...for the most part. The morning drive-in sports talk show is not journalism, anyway.

They're only journalists or reporters when they want to be. Otherwise, they are not part of The Media.

Most of them are, in fact, former writers for newspapers. Beat guys who became columnists, guys who really should know the deal by now.