Why The Corporate Media Plays Along With The Congressional Bribery

On Tuesday morning I asked on Twitter, How is it possible for the media to cover prescription drug non-action without mentioning that the chair of Energy & Commerce, Frank Pallone, has taken more in legalistic bribes from the Medical-Industrial Complex than anyone in history ($6,288,967). I like the response I got from Semi Gruntled, basically a link to a year old piece in AdWeek, Here Are the Biggest Advertisers on Fox News, CNN and MSNBC. Short version: the Industrial-Medical Complex.

According to Alphonso, a research firm that tracks TV audience to help brands better target their customers, there is very little crossover among cable news advertisers–much like there is little crossover among cable news audiences. There is a commonality, however, on the sectors that advertise.

“While most would think brands regard CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News audiences differently, it is clear that all three attract consumers that are looking for improvements, and pharma and wellness marketers are buying ad space across all three,” Alphonso’s svp of research T.S. Kelly told TVNewser.

Among the brands that are Top 10 advertisers on more than one network: Nutrisystem and GEICO spend on both Fox News and CNN; Smile Direct Club spend on both CNN and MSNBC; Sleep Number spends on both Fox News and MSNBC; Otezla is a big spender on all three.

“On the other side of the coin, month after month we see patterns surface where some marketers make very selective choices, emphasizing one cable news outlet or show over others,” said Kelly, adding, “auto brands particularly seem to set their sights on a specific fan base.”

Top 10 Brands on Fox News (Feb. 2018)

Nutrisystem $1.90M
Otezla $1.04M
Jenny Craig $806K
Sleep Number $655K
Indeed $587K
South Beach Diet $574K
Smile Direct Club $563K
Liberty Mutual $488K
GEICO $469K
Inogen $450K

Top 10 Brands on CNN (Feb. 2018)

Otezla $1.07M
T-Mobile $938K
GEICO $917K
Progressive $712K
Humira $690K
Nutrisystem $567K
BMW $511K
NordVPN $497K
AT+T $455K
GoodRx $444K

Top 10 Brands on MSNBC (Q1 through Feb. 24)

Smile Direct Club $640K
Jeep $540K
Proactiv $379K
Otezla $318K
Office Depot $288K
Cadillac $287K
Trivago $269K
Sleep Number $263K
Humira $261K
Omaha Steaks $244K

Here are the Top 10 Brands on the top shows for each network, based on the number of EQ units in the month of February:

Top 10 Brands on Hannity / Fox News

Nutrisystem 36
Otezla 22
Clear Choice 19
Coventry Direct 16
Sandals Resorts 14
LifeLock 13
Society of HRM 13
Inogen 11
Atlantis Paradise Island 10
Toujeo 10

Top 10 Brands on Rachel Maddow / MSNBC

Smile Direct Club 30
BRILINTA 22
Wayfair 14
Vistaprint 13
Otezla 12
Sleep Number 10
Zenni Optimcal 8
Olay 8
AT&T 8
GrubHub 8

Top 10 Brands on Anderson Cooper 360 / CNN

T-Mobile 28
Otezla 24
Wayfair 22
GEICO 18
BMW 18
Ancestry 13
Atlantis Paradise Island 12
Verizon 12
ClearChoice 11
AT+T 11