Snapple, Sonic & Chipotle Pull Advertising From KRXQ

[ccharles000]

From Andy Marra, the Senior Media Strategist at glaadBLOG:

In the wake of KRXQ radio hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States not apologizing for their offensive comments against transgender children, individuals continue to take action and share their concerns with the station.
You can listen to last week's segment here (Note from Autumn: Oh no you can't! They took all but the first 17 seconds of the audio down!) and their follow-up to the controversy here.

On June 2, GLAAD issued a Call to Action and today renewed its call for supporters to let KRXQ know that Rob and Arnie should apologize for their remarks. We have also been blogging about this story (here and here).

Business leaders have also become alarmed by last week's defamatory radio segment and are distancing themselves from the shock jocks and their dehumanizing remarks. Individuals are utilizing social networking tools like Facebook to voice their concerns and alert companies of the harmful diatribe.

At 1:33pm, I received an email from the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc. The company is responsible for well, Dr. Pepper and Snapple along with 40+ brands including 7UP, Country Time, Crush, Hawaiian Punch, Mott's, Orangina, Welch's and Yoo-hoo.

Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Inc gave us the following statement to share with our supporters:


We found the segment to be offensive and as a result, we are pulling our Snapple advertising from the station.
Thanks again for bringing this to our attention.

As far as we know, the beverage company now becomes the second business to pull its advertising from KRXQ as a result of last week's defamatory and dehumanizing comments against transgender children made by radio hosts Rob and Arnie.

The popular restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill was the first to announce pulling their advertising contract from the station.

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/11310/snapple-sonic-chipotle-pull-advertising-from-krxq

[Starry Messenger]

1. Good. n/t

[NYC_SKP]

2. K & R! nt

[Sebastian Doyle]

3. Wait.... Snapple's owned by Dr. Pepper?

Damn... just when I was ready to drink Snapple again because they dropped the high fructose corn poison..... and now they got bought by the damn Bush Crime Family/Carlyle Group? :(

OH yeah... fuck Rob, Arnie, and Dino Rossi's cousin. Their show sucked in 2000, and it obviously only got regressively worse since then.

[ccharles000]

4. I like Dr. Pepper

[BrklynLiberal]

6. The Dr. Pepper conglomerate bought out Snapple a while back :(

[lonestarnot]

23. Coke own them?

[Sebastian Doyle]

29. No, just a Coke dealer named Poppy Bush (and his pals)

in the Carlyle Group.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

36. I don't know how people keep up with their boycott lists

I specifically remember a "DC Follies" skit with a puppet Rodney Dangerfield and Whoopi Goldberg where he tries to buy her a drink and she rattles off all the reasons she's boycotting the liquor before saying she won't drink beer because it's too fattening.

[XOKCowboy]

5. I thought Sonic was an Oklahoma based company....

which leads me as someone who grew up there to think that they'd be somewhat right wing. I guess I'll have to look up who owns them and their politics...

[ccharles000]

7. We have one here in Greensboro they have good food.

[XOKCowboy]

9. Check the link at the site. They seem to be a very reputable company

I'm very pleasantly surprised. We've got them up here in CO now also. For fast food they're not bad.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

48. I didn't know that's where you were -- Lostinva lived there for about 10 years

Including going to college. She LOVES Greensboro.

[Sebastian Doyle]

8. I seem to remember Sonic being in the solid "blue" column in a previous article

Which pissed me off because there is no such entity in my so called "liberal" state. But we finally got a right wing assed Carl's Jr. And I still haven't been there.

[FLAprogressive]

46. yeah, they are....plus their food tastes good

[tularetom]

11. Sonic is a big contributor to Democratic campaigns and causes

As someone with a lot of family ties in Oklahoma that surprised me too.

My favorite burger joint actually. It was a bonus to discover their political affiliation.

[fishwax]

12. they are, but they're still a solid company

I was in Oklahoma for a dozen years or so myself; Sonic was a company that Oklahoma Dems could be proud of :)

[XOKCowboy]

20. Whatever you do please don't tell me that Braum's is a red company...

Man they make the best limeaids and malts. They make a real cooked to order burgers also. One of the things I miss about Oklahoma.

[RoyGBiv]

21. I agree ...

If they are, this is something I do not want to know.

[fishwax]

24. mmm, I was just thinking about Braum's yesterday

it was a hot day here--would've been the perfect day to hit Braum's for some kind of ice cream treat. It's one of the things I miss about Oklahoma too :hi:

[Mr. Blonde]

34. Some things go beyond politics

Braum's is one of them.

Judging by the people I know from Tuttle, I would say they probably lean right.

Still by keeping every store within 300 miles of the dairy they have much higher quality than most others can match.

[XOKCowboy]

35. Hey at least they don't flaunt their political views like some...

I'm perfectly happy with that. Looks like I hit a nerve with some fresh dairy lovers!

[8 track mind]

39. Whataburger sure does

"One nation under GOD" the letter T in he word nation looks like a cross.

[XOKCowboy]

41. In-N-Out has outright bible verses on their packaging but I'll still eat there..

Whataburger I can do without. Thanks for the info.

[8 track mind]

44. since i'm stuck in Texas,

i keep hearing of In and Out burger. Is it really that good?

[XOKCowboy]

53. There's a reason...

Fresh products, fries fresh cut, small consistent menu and tight supply chain to ensure quality. Yeah they're pretty goood. If ya go to CA, NV, AZ and I think there's one in Utah, get a double double with fries and a shake. Good stuff.

[FLAprogressive]

45. (delete) talking about a different eatery.

[8 track mind]

38. My mom used to eat at the

original sonic in Shawnee, Oklahoma back in the day. however she says "Hamburger King" (no relation to burger king)was the best back in the 50's.

[Edith Ann]

51. Sonic

Sonic is an Oklahoma based company. There are franchises every where. We aren't all wingnuts and even those who are, apparently have lines they won't cross. Good for them.

[XOKCowboy]

54. EA I meant no offense. I'll always be from OK and have family and friends there...

I know very well how things are there, especially among the more rural people. I was amazed at how many Okies voted for Obama in the last election. I know that it took a lot of the people in my home town by surprise. They were sure that "most of America" agreed with their assertion that Obama (I'm being nice here) would ever win the presidency.

[ccharles000]

10. kick

[DearAbby]

13. Good to hear...

[xxqqqzme]

14. Isn't Chipotle Mexican Grill

owned by McDonalds? Or maybe it's different. There's a Chipotle chain in CA whose corporate parent is McDs.

[Touchdown]

15. Yes. McDonalds bought them

Can't remember how long ago, but it was about the time when their competitor, Z*Teca changed their name to QDoba.

It's beem McD's for awhile now.

[DAMANgoldberg]

28. McDonald's sold them in 2006

They are independent and headquartered in Denver CO. One of their main competitors is Qdoba Mexican Grill, headquartered in a Denver suburb, now owned by Jack in the Box. Moe's Southwest Grill out of Atlanta, now owned by a group that also owns Cinnabon and other concepts.

[Vinnie From Indy]

16. Hooray!!!

The only way to effect change in America!

[cascadiance]

17. Note on Red Bull as an advertiser...

... which was one of the companies on the list in that linked post...

It would be interesting to see how they respond to the suggestion to pull ads, since Michael Savage is cofounder of the company that makes a knockoff competitor of their energy drinks (Rock Star)...

They might want to use that in their advertisers to distinguish themselves as the choice for liberals over Savage's drinks and reinforce that message with pulling ads from this show!

[Touchdown]

27. I got my co-worker to stop buying Rockstar. I just mentioned Savage

... and he knew. :yourock: His drink is Monster, but the 7-Eleven nearest him only has Rockstar, so it was only if he was out of Monster and needed his e-drink fix. I got him to use that Costco card more often.

[Thegonagle]

43. I didn't know that about Rock Star. I'll never buy another can.

Good on Sonic. They've recently opened a few locations in my metro area, including one soon-to-open location less than a mile from my house. Can't wait to try a Sonic burger.

[47of74]

18. I'm glad to see this

[donheld]

19. K!!!! & R!!!!

[bridgit]

22. Williams and States are something alright, they were supposed to leave this market

and go as I recall to Iowa to do a sports show presumably without Dawn but they're still here, that was some time back over some other shit they were talking. I understand your concern and the nature of this round of their personalized douchebaggery but it's not just transgender kids with these kinds of hucksters. They make great sport of all manner of otherly challenged and disenfranchised people. But hey, they got Limbaugh's Disease, they're paid and live quite well by their own accounts; for sitting in a chair talking shit about everyone and 'turning the meters'. Williams & States play like a closet ditto-heads and if they told people what they really thought of them the station's meter would blow off the wall. I don't know anyone in town that listens to them, it's time to fold it all up http://www.robarnieanddawn.com But yeah...

In this econo that's a sure-fire way to get attention/alter events: coalesce, activate, and start pulling Ad dollars. It's the only thing some people understand

[XOKCowboy]

33. I heard a particularly sickening such morning show in New Orleans...

The Obama recession, Change is the spare change people are begging for on the street, Obama "gutting the First Amendment" (that one got a spit-take out of me), yada yada yada. Oh for "balance" they had a "gay" personality on who'd put up the liberal POV and immediately get shot down. It took me about 2 minutes of listening to plug in my MP3 player.

"Turning the meters" should have consequences. There is that "Free Speech" thing in the Constitution though.

[bridgit]

37. I hear you, XO, and appreciate your thoughts here...

"free speech"...it would seem what a quaint, antique concept sometimes. Being oppressed by a tyrannical monarch that shot people on the grassy commons. All that blood & treasure split/strewn on foreign shores like sad, forgotten rag dolls so people like Hannity & Mancow/Savage can have their way with the world. If only they really understood what free speech was all about instead of utilizing the suffering of the world for their own media demographics

[XOKCowboy]

40. Making tons of money telling people that they should do things that they'd never do themselves...

Fight for our country
Evade taxes
Kill abortion doctors

The list goes on......

[last_texas_dem]

25. Glad that people taking action is having an effect here

I've never heard of the jerks who made these comments, but I'm not very surprised... I swear it's an unwritten rule that one must be a right-wing asshole to host a morning radio show these days.

[armyowalgreens]

26. Thank god. I love Chipotle.

I ate one of their burritos this afternoon. I wouldn't want to feel guilty while doing it.

[Wednesdays]

30. K&R

:kick:

[myrna minx]

31. K&R n.t

[madokie]

32. That's excellent news

[Garbo 2004]

42. According to AP, add B of A, Verizon, Carl's Jr. Nissan said its ad contract expired & won't renew.

http://www.kcra.com/money/19673233/detail.html

[sendero]

47. These sorts of small triumphs...

.... are the only way we're ever going to get these dickheads off the air.

It's all about the money, and losing a couple of advertisers hits them where it hurts.

Excellent job.

[sufrommich]

49. Here are some emails I got back after voicing my concern

to them:

Snapple:
Thank you for your writing. We recently heard about The Huffington Post story regarding KRXQ. We found the segment to be offensive as well, and as a result, we are pulling our Snapple advertising from the station. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention.

Sincerely,

Consumer Relations

Atlantis Casino:

Thank you for the information. We will certainly take into consideration. We unfortunately do not have individual control over media personality comments. And as has happened in past on a national level, sometimes the personality gets reprimanded, sometimes not. There have been several local instances that we have dealt with on these types of situations. Sometimes listeners approve of the outcome. Or not, as in this case at this time. We do appreciate your business and hope that we will be seeing you in the future again in Every Player's Paradise.

State Farm:

Thank you for your comments regarding State Farm running advertisements on station KRXQ in Sacramento. We have read your concerns and those of others with similar concerns. We take very seriously each comment we receive.

When State Farm buys advertising, we choose the radio and TV stations, newspapers and magazines very carefully. We consider a lot of research when making our decisions, and as a mutual company with no stockholders, we work hard to be good stewards of our policyholders’ money.

We are sorry there were remarks made on this radio station that offended anyone and we are currently looking into the concern you raised.

Thank you again for your e-mail.

Sincerely,

Jairon L. Wills
State Farm Corporate Customer Service Supervisor

Jared Jewelers:

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the Jared the Galleria of Jewelry commercials aired on KRXQ - 98 Rock. We take our responsibilities to our audience very seriously. Please note that Jared the Galleria of Jewelry advertises on many different programs and uses a wide variety of marketing vehicles, and we cannot control the content of any individual show.

We want to assure you that your comments are very important to us, as is all of our customer feedback. Thank you for taking the time to give us your point of view.

Sincerely,
Farha Nowak
Customer Relations

McDonalds:

Thank you for sharing your concerns with us about McDonald's radio advertisements. We always enjoy hearing from our customers.


First, I want to assure you that, as a local restaurant business in thousands of communities around the U.S., the relationship we have with our customers is extremely important to us. As such, the environment in which McDonald's commercials appear is a highly significant factor in the selection of media.


Your feedback is very important to us and has been shared with our marketing media buyers. Please be assured, your comments will be reviewed and considered when planning future McDonald's commercial placements.


Again, thank you for contacting McDonald's. We look forward to serving you for many years to come.


Caroline
McDonald's Customer Response Center

No answer from the others yet. But it does make a difference when people refuse to do business with those who support hate radio.

[KharmaTrain]

50. Local Local Local...Get Those Advertisers...

The national ones are important...but their money to the station is small compared to what they need to generate from the local business community. They're the ones who have the real swing...lose a local car dealer or bank or food store and you might as well turn off the transmitter.

[cascadiance]

52. What might also help is to make a point to patronize those who pulled their ads...

Go to Chipotle, or go to Sonic, and make a point to tell the person who serves you why you came in today. That you appreciate them being responsive to people's feedback in who they give their advertising dollars to in a socially responsible way (and perhaps even be specific about the ad in question if asked).

That way, it will hopefully reinforce even more that it is good business for businesses to reject hate and can actually generate MORE business to be vocal about rejecting hate like this. Hopefully if enough people do this, more businesses will make a point in taking the lead to reject those other businesses that harbor these bastions of hate.