The list of advertisers grows--thanks you for your diligence

I was going to respond to things Savage has been saying on his show. I'm so tempted. I won't do it, though. I refuse to feed the troll. I have actually deleted most of this post twice now, because I have gone off on rants that speak directly to his spin. I refuse to debate him. I refuse to lend him that kind of legitmacy. Yes, he's the famous person and I'm just some guy who is the father of a child with autism, but if I debate his points as he makes them, I am only drawing attention away from the effort to get rid of him. We don't need him around. He's perpetuating myths about autism and casting suspicion on anyone with the diagnosis of autism.

He just doesn't get it.

For those of you out there who don't understand the reasons why my blood boils over this issue, and why others are so outraged, let me try to clarify it for you: when Savage claims that 99 percent of the cases where autism is the diagnosis are fraudulant, he casts suspicion on every single child and parent for whom autism is a reality. So now, when I tell other people that my daughter has autism, people who listen to Savage will doubt it. He is trivializing autism, even as he tells his audience that "real" autism is heartbreaking and devastating. He's making the word meaningless to his listeners. He's turning it into the default, catch-all diagnosis for any behavior in children outside of the norm, and that is where the problem really lies.

What I find most ironic is that while those of us who are trying to get him off the air are doing it the way consumers would in a free market, given that it's the only power we would have in the absence of regulation of commerce, Michael Savage is attempting to cast his derision on Media Matters by having his listeners demand tax returns from the organization--he's using government regulation, which is something he normally despises.

In any case, thanks to people who have responded to the call for an effort to log the advertisements on his show in various markets, the list of Michael Savage's advertisers is now more complete. It is going to take some time to update. I urge you to contact every one of them, and if you receive a response, please post it on your blog, and I will link to it from mine, or send it to me so I can post it here.

By the way, Home Depot and Geico, who have both denied advertising on Savage's show, have had five and four commercials tonight, respectively, on the station in my market.

Please keep up the great work, those of you who are writing to the sponsors and those of you who are sending me advertising logs, and those of you who are spreading the word.

My exchange with Home Depot

Home Depot has denied and denounced advertising on Michael Savage's show. Since I heard a Home Depot commercial on his show with my own ears on July 18th on WDTK out of Ferndale, Michigan, I had to follow up. The following is my exchange with the Home Depot representative:

___________

Hi Greg –
The Home Depot does not currently advertise on The Michael Savage Show, nor do we have any kind of sponsorship in place with the program.

We strive to ensure that the programs we support through advertising reflect our core values. Feedback from customers like you plays a large role in helping us to maintain these standards, and this is why already have selected not to be an advertiser on this show.

Again, we do not advertise with this program and any suggestion of such support is false.


Thanks -

Sarah Molinari Corporate Communications Manager The Home Depot

___________


Hi Sarah Molinari,

If I had not heard the commercial on July 18th with my own ears, I would not have written my message. Geico and Prison Fellowship Ministries were not aware of their advertising airing during the Michael Savage show, and neither was Chattem (makes of Gold Bond). As the good representative of Chattem explained, her company buys in local markets, and not directly from shows. If Home Depot buys advertising time on radio stations the same way, it is quite possible for your commercials to air during the Michael Savage show without your knowledge. Again, I urge you to speak to anyone associated with Salem Communications or Talk Radio Network to let them know that you do not want your commercials aired during Savage's show.

I did not hear a Home Depot commercial during last night's broadcast. If I hear another Home Depot commercial, I will let you know. It definitely aired on July 18th sometime between 10 PM and 1 AM on WDTK out of Ferndale, Michigan.

Sincerely,Greg Reich

______________

Thanks Greg –

We have had reports of some NY area customers who claim to have heard an ad last week – is that also where you’re located? If not let me know where so we can check with that station too. We have confirmed that we did not purchase air time for any such time slot in NY (or elsewhere). You see we support many AM radio stations and weekend home improvement programs that run on these stations. Sometimes an ad will run in error during other programming, which we suspect may have been the case here.

Thanks for letting us know -

Sarah Molinari Corporate Communications Manager The Home Depot

___________

Action Alert: The Disability Community Unites Against The Savage Nation and Talk Radio Network

Hello everyone,

As many of you have already heard, this past week talk radio personality Michael Weiner, better known on the air as Michael Savage, made several outrageous remarks in regards to autism, including, "Now, you want me to tell you my opinion on autism, since I'm not talking about autism? A fraud, a racket…I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot." A full transcript of his statements can be found here. Remarks like these spread ignorance about autism and threaten to return us to a previous era where parents were blamed and labeled as "refrigerator mothers" for having autistic children. Not only have Michael Weiner and Talk Radio Networks refused to retract these outrageous comments - they have added to them by claiming, unsupported by science of any kind, that the autism spectrum is an overdiagnosed medical condition. This is part of a broader pattern of statements attacking people with disabilities and our families. It requires a strong response.

As a result of this continued attack against autistic people and the broader disability community, the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network has joined with over a dozen national and regional disability rights organizations to call on the sponsors of Talk Radio Networks and the Savage Nation to pull their support. Together, we have issued a strong joint statement calling for an ad boycott. In addition, we've collected contact information for several of the major sponsors of Talk Radio Networks in order to empower our community to take further action. We urge you to use the information below to write, call and e-mail these sponsors and tell them why it is imperative they join companies like Aflac and Telesouth Communication that have already pulled their ads in response to these hateful remarks. There are over 50 million people with disabilities in the United States with approximately $200 billion in disposable income. It is time for us to make our voices heard.

Below you will find contact information for Talk Radio Networks' largest sponsors and a sample letter for you to use as a reference point in your e-mails and phone calls. We will be keeping an updated list on our website here and will post updates and changes to contact information as new information becomes available. In addition, if you would like to express your support for the disability community's joint statement on this issue, you can do so by signing our petition here. Organizations wishing to become signatories to our joint statement should contact us at info@autisticadvocacy.org. Please distribute this message to your networks and feel free to repost.

Sample Letter:

"To Whom It May Concern:

As a member of the disability community, I am outraged by the recent comments made by Talk Radio Networks' host Michael Alan Weiner, also known as Michael Savage, stating that autism is "a fraud...a racket...In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is." Not only have these comments not been retracted but Talk Radio Networks continues to stand by Michael Weiner as he continues spreading public misinformation about autism. Autism is a very real developmental disability affecting millions of Americans. Public ignorance and prejudice against people with disabilities represent one of the most significant obstacles to full access and inclusion of people with disabilities throughout society. I urge you to take immediate action and pull your financial support from Talk Radio Networks and The Savage Nation Radio Show in response to these hateful comments."

Contact Information:
ABC, Inc.:
VP Advertising/Sales Mike ShawPhone:
212 456-7272
mike.shaw@abc.com
VP Public Relations
Kevin Brockman
Phone: 818 460-7756
Fax: 212-456-1424

Acura:
Acura Public Relations
Mike Spencer,
310-783-3165
info@acura.com

American Express:
Leslie Berland
212.640.5142
Leslie.A.Berland@aexp.com
American Express
P.O. Box
981540
El Paso, TX 79998-1540

Boca Java:
Stefanie Hochstadter
shochstadter@bocajava.com
1-888-262-2528
Boca Java
730 South Powerline Rd.
Suite D
Deerfield Beach, FL 33442

Campbells:
Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Place
Camden, NJ 08103-1701
Phone: 800-257-8443
Phone: 800-871-0988

Citrix:
851 West Cypress Creek Road
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309,
United States Americas PR

Jason Wyse
Americas Senior PR Manager
Phone: (786) 449-3740
Email: jason.wyse@citrix.com
Eric ArmstrongDirector,
Corporate Communications
Phone: (954) 267-2977
Email: eric.armstrong@citrix.com

Dish Network:
CEO Charlie Ergen:
(303) 723-1010
CEO assistant:
(303) 723-1005

EchoStar Satellite L.L.C.
Attn: Corporate Communications
9601 S. Meridian Blvd.
Englewood, CO 80112
press@echostar.com

Ebay:
Alan Marks
Senior Vice President Corporate Communications
Telephone: 1-408-376-7400
Fax: 1-408-369-4855
Email: info@ebay.com

General Motors:
Andrea Canabal
General Motors, Northeast Communications,
Work: +1-914-244-6059,
Cellular: +1-914-391-6898,
andrea.canabal@gm.com
Stockholder line: 313-667-1500

Gallo Winery:
John Segale
Gallo Winery Spokesperson
Work: 916-960-5341
Cell: 916-600-1081
Prudential:Bob DeFillippo
Phone: 973-802-4149
bob.defillippo@prudential.com

Nestlé Purina PetCare:
Email: kschopp@purina.com
Phone: 314-982-2577
Fax: 314-982-2752

Simon & Shuster:
Michael Selleck
(800) 223-2336
info@simonsays.com

Staples, Inc:
Paul Capelli,
508-253-8530
paul.capelli@staples.com

Subway:
SUBWAY® Public Relations
(203) 877-4281
Les Winograd Ext. 1683
winograd_l@subway.com
Kevin Kane Ext.1329
kane_k@subway.com

Volkswagen:
Keyes, Steve
Director, Press and Public Relations
Phone: 703 364 7650
Fax: 703 364 7071
Email: steve.keyes@vw.com

Thank you for your support and please distribute. Our combined activism has and will continue to help us create a world that respects, includes and supports people with disabilities throughout society.

Remember, nothing about us, without us!

Regards,
Ari Ne'eman
President
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network
1101 15th Street,
NW Suite 1212
Washington, DC 20005
http://www.autisticadvocacy.org
732.763.5530

Statement From The Autistic Self Advocacy Network

DATE: July 23, 2008

-FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-

Contact:
Sheryl Bass or Wendy Greenwald
The SolutionPR
(720) 488-1116
Sheryl@thesolutionpr.com


Incensed Disability Groups Call for Ad Withdrawals on The Savage Nation Radio Show

The disability community is livid. In an unprecedented collective advocacy effort, the disability community has come together to call on show sponsors to withdraw their support in response to Michael Savage’s inflammatory, discriminatory, and dangerous comments about autism that he made on his July 16 radio show, “The Savage Nation,” syndicated by Talk Radio Networks. Savage said an autistic child is just a “brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out” and that “99 percent of the cases of autism are a result of lax parenting.” He said parents of autistic children need to say to the child, “Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.” Because Savage absolutely refuses to apologize, and because Talk Radio Networks refuses to act, a coalition of over a dozen disability groups led by the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network with the American Association of People with Disabilities, the National Coalition for Disability Rights and others are calling on the show’s sponsors to withdraw their support.

Ari Neeman, President of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, says Savage’s comments “do real damage to autistic people by increasing public ignorance and misinformation about autism, thereby putting at risk vital education, support and services.”

Neeman added, “There are more than 50 million people with disabilities in the United States, representing approximately $200 billion in disposable income. We represent a market that cannot be ignored. Various show sponsors such as Campbell’s, Staples, Subway, and Purina One are part of the fabric of American family life, and these companies need to stand by American families, including families with special children.”

“We feel this is beyond a free speech issue,” explains Zosia Zaks, a nationally known writer, speaker, and autism advocate. “Other radio hosts have been penalized for racist and sexist comments. These comments are no different in their tone or intent,” she stated in a recent e-mail interview.

The letter to “The Savage Nation” show sponsors will be delivered to them tomorrow morning, Thursday, July 24. To schedule an interview with Neeman about this important discrimination controversy, please contact me at the e-mail address or phone number above.

Coordinating Efforts To Contact Michael Savage's Advertisers

In an effort to consolidate the list of Michael Savage's sponsors in all markets, I have created a links section on this page and consolidated the lists I have so far. I would like to involve as many people from as many different markets as possible in this effort until we have responses from every company on the list or Michael Savage is off the air.

Unfortunately, to get a comprehensive and accurate list, some of us must listen to Michael Savage's show. I have found that some lists online include sponsors who have already dropped Savage due to disparaging comments he has made about various groups in the past. Some lists are even from the effort to cancel his old MSNBC show. We must make certain that we are not focusing our efforts on the wrong companies.

What I want to do is have a distribution list of people who want to gather an accurate list of sponsors. Please email me at gregtreich@comcast.net if you would like to particpate. What I would like to see is a list of companies who are advertising on Michael Savages show with a log of the times the ads aired. We need these lists from as many markets as possible, and if there are several of you in a single market, you can rotate your listening duty. The point is not to get ratings for Michael Savage, but to concentrate on contacting the advertisers.

For those who believe that Michael Savage has a right to say the things he says and that we're demolishing the First Amendment by trying to take away his voice, please remember that we're not trying to regulate him out of the radio market or sue him blind. We are using true market forces to oust him from the airwaves. He absolutely loves the free market, right? Yes, unless it works against him. We are voting here with our power in the market as consumers.

If Savage's listeners want to donate money to keep him on the air, so be it. That's the market at work. We would still no longer have to support his opinion with a portion of the dollars we spend on the goods and services offered by the people who advertise on his program. If he can find enough sponsors to support him, they'll have a limited consumer base and won't be able to compete as successfully in the market.

It's ironic that Michael Savage calls the people protesting him "Stalinists", considering that we're using the power of the market to accomplish our goals.

We must also not lose sight of what he said to launch this effort in the first place, no matter how he tries to spin it.

Chattem, Inc (Gold Bond) Responds Re: Michael Savage

I received the following response from Chattem, Inc, this morning:
_________________

Let me start by telling you how much we appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts about the Michael Savage Radio Show. Chattem has been in business for over 125 years, and in that time, we have learned to listen to our customers above everyone else. It is through feedback such as yours that we attain a real time understanding of the sensitivities and concerns of consumers.

In response to your email, you should know that Chattem does not purchase any advertising from nor is a sponsor of the Michael Savage program.

While commercial air time may be indistinguishable to most listeners, there are several ways for advertisers to acquire commercial air time. Chattem chooses to buy commercial air time that is supplied by the local radio stations rather than commercial air time that is supplied by national programs such as Michael Savage, Rick Dees, Liza Gibbons, etc… Generally, the commercial air time purchased by Chattem sponsors the local news, weather and traffic reported to listeners by a local radio personality. Sometimes Chattem advertising copy is delivered by a local radio personality. Other times the local radio station plays a pre-produced advertising script just after or just before the local news, weather, and traffic report. In all cases, Chattem advertising is occupying commercial air time that was the property of the local radio station rather than the national program that is being broadcast. We have requested that the local stations not air our advertising during his show.

Again, thank you for your comments.


Dawn Simpson
Consumer Affairs
Chattem, Inc.

____________________

What Dawn Simpson is saying here is similar to what I guessed the situation to be with advertising on the radio; most of the companies aren't even aware that their commercials are being aired during Michael Savage's show, and want nothing to do with him. If they make the extra effort to ask the stations not to air their commercials during Savage's show, that's great.

Update on Michael Savage Advertisers

As I have noted in previous posts, Breakpoint (a subsidiary of Prison Fellowship Ministries) and DirectBuy.com have both denounced Michael Savage's comments, and the comments from Home Depot demonstrate that they were unaware that their advertising dollars were supporting Michael Savage.



I have yet to receive a response from the rest of the sponsors I've listed.



Here are some advertisers I heard tonight, some with one time at which I heard them. Since I received Home Depot's message that said any statement that charged them with advertising on the Michael Savage show was false (even though I heard it with my own ears), I began to take down a sample time. I invite any representative from the following companies to listen to Michael Savage's show to hear their own commercials (in my market, Savage airs from 10 PM to 1AM on WDTK AM), so the times will differ from that of his live broadcast).



Priceline (11:32 PM): http://www.priceline.com/



Bullfrog Sunblock (didn't record time): http://www.bullfrogsunblock.com/



Christianity.com (didn't record time): http://www.christianity.com/



Business Software Alliance (didn't record time): https://reporting.bsa.org/usa/home.aspx?pr=1&HBX_OU= or http://www.bsa.org/country.aspx?sc_lang=en



Swiss America Trading Corporation (11:34 PM): http://www.swissamerica.com/

*NOTE: Michael Savage read a letter on the air from Craig Smith, the CEO of Swiss America, who supported him in his efforts, gushing about how "God is pleased" with the work Savage is doing.



Barracuda Networks http://www.barracudanetworks.com/ns/?L=en





Of course, there were some of the usual suspects:

DMIUSA (11:48): http://www.dmiusa.com

Geico (11:33): http://www.geico.com

The Heritage Foundation (11:47) http://www.heritage.org (they advertise more than anyone)

FreshStart America (11:48) http://freshstartamerica.com

DirectBuy.com (They said that their contract is up with Savage at the end of the week, and they will not renew it.)