More advertisers ban Beck

Four more advertisers pull their ads from Glenn Beck, ConAgra, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis and RadioShack. However, I think it's important to revisit how the ads on the cable news nets work.

Advertisers can buy ads in single shows (you'll occasionally see that with issue ads only run during one show,) but, it's far cheaper and more effective for them to buy a block of advertising that's then scheduled by the network over a bunch of different shows relative to cost, ratings, etc. For example, you get three "A" ads in good slots in the top rated show, three "B" ads in bad slots in the top rated show, five "C" slots in a lesser rated shows, and five "D" slots scheduled by the network in slots they haven't otherwise sold.

So, for the most part, these major advertisers aren't really pulling off FoxNews or significantly costing FoxNews money. What they're doing is telling FoxNews not to schedule their "B" or "C" slots suring Beck's show. So, the FoxNews schedulers honor that request and just move other "package" advertisers into the Glenn Beck spots. It creates a headache, and a PR problem, but doesn't really cost FoxNews money, you know?

If FoxNews can continue to keep the ad slots filled, and Beck's ratings stay solid enough to charge enough money for those slots, the ten or so advertisers who "pulled" their ads from Beck are meaningless.

Unlike advertising way back when, you can't just go after one or two sponsors to kneecap a show.