A coalition of more than 40 progressive groups, including Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and Our Maryland, have joined together in an attempt to persuade advertising agencies not to buy ads for their clients on Fox News during the annual upfront sales presentations being held this week.
The upfront event, a spring ritual in which TV networks and cable channels showcase programming for ad agencies and other media buyers for the upcoming year in hopes of winning advance sales contracts, isn’t what it used to be for the television industry with all the digital change in media. Still, tens of billions of dollars in ad sales are expected this week.
“We understand that the annual television upfront is an important part of the advertising sales period for major advertisers,” an open letter from the group says. “The top networks present themselves in the best light possible to advertisers and media buyers in order to sell out their advertising inventory for the year ahead.”
But this is not a moment for “business as usual,” the letter continues. “The upfront presentation is an important inflection point. Fox News has already made clear what you can expect from the network next year: more Tucker, more lies, more extremism, and more racism. Use this inflection point to quietly part ways with Fox News.”
The Tucker reference is to Tucker Carlson, the star of Fox News prime time with his top-rated weeknight show. Carlson’s show has been the target of an advertiser boycott in the wake of racist comments on immigrants. I supported that boycott.
The letter, which was organized by Media Matters for America, a progressive media watchdog group and longtime critic of Fox News, ends with the exhortation: “Our ask to you as media buyers and advertisers is simple: Stop funding lies and hate; don’t buy ads on Fox News.”
Fox responded to the letter Tuesday with an emailed statement: “Fox News is about to close out its fourth consecutive year delivering records in advertising revenue, so clearly Media Matters’ predictable ongoing partisan attacks have zero impact outside of their irrelevant echo chamber on social media.”
Besides Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation and Our Maryland, the group sending the letter includes GLAAD, National Hispanic Media Coalition, Center for Media & Democracy and National Black Justice Coalition.
On its website, Our Maryland describes itself as “lifting progressive voices across the state by telling our collective story, countering the ongoing conservative narrative from all sectors through digital media, holding elected officials accountable, and promoting progressive policy solutions.”
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