After the firing of controversial news anchor Bill O'Reilly, advertisers have begun to make amends with Fox News.
On April 1st, it was reported by the New York Times that O'Reilly and Fox News have paid at least 13 million dollars in settlements to people accusing the former of sexual harassment. When this came out, over 60 advertisers boycotted Fox News, resulting in huge losses for the news organization. After weeks of protests, and while O'Reilly was on a "planned vacation", Fox News announced his termination.
The first major advertiser to publicly applaud Fox News was Mercedes-Benz. The automobile company had pulled their advertisements after the allegations leaked regarding O'Reilly, however they said they will consider returning if the termination truly is permanent.
It's a huge risk by Fox News, as O'Reilly is by far their most popular anchor. His show, "The O'Reilly Factor", was the highest rated show on the network for several years. "Tucker Carlson Tonight" will replace the "Factor" in the 8 P.M. time slot, however experts are saying that at the very best, he may get 75% of the viewership that O'Reilly had.
This move is solely based on protecting the brand's image. With Fox News being known as a very conservative favored station, President Donald Trump has caused plenty of controversy for the network. They cannot have more of these allegations hitting them, and had no choice but to terminate the relationship. It's a bold move, but a commendable one.
I agree, I definitely admire Fox News for choosing to drop O'Reilly, despite the fact that he was probably their biggest audience draw and their biggest moneymaker. The advertisers who dropped O'Reilly after the allegations came out were just trying to protect their brand images, but obviously so was Fox, and I think that given that they may be able to renew the partnerships again without O'Reilly in the picture. Good for all involved for taking a stand though.
ReplyDeleteThis shows how powerful advertising can be. The advertisers were probably just trying to protect their brand image but they still had an impact on O'Reilly's employment with Fox News.
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