Left-wing lawyers Slater & Gordon heads a large list of firms yet to withdraw advertising from The Alan Jones’ Breakfast Show as pressure mounts on the conservative shock jock over his disgraceful Julia Gillard comments.
UPDATE 3:45pm: Slaters has pulled its ads from Jones and 2GB and issued a statement saying it “stands with thousands of Australians who would want us to advertise elsewhere”.
There are now 40 companies that have withdrawn their support including McDonald’s, Harvey Norman and Toyota. Read the full list here.
Slater & Gordon’s conveyancing division was plugged twice this morning on Jones’ 2GB show, alongside ads from leading corporates including Hyundai, Honda, Volkswagen, Seven West Media, McDonald’s, The Australian and Bee Gee Barry Gibb.
The Slaters connection is a curious one given Jones has spent countless hours this year bagging Gillard, a former Slaters partner, over the Bruce Wilson/AWU affair including this infamous interview with sacked 2UE presenter Michael Smith.
As Crikey hit the button early this afternoon, the listed lawyers’ Facebook and Twitter page had recorded complaints, however its official spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Advertisers that dragged back their dignity and pulled ads from the Jones circus include Bing Lee, Coles, Woolworths, Mercedes-Benz, Dilmah Tea, ING Direct, Freedom Furniture, Challenger Limited and The Australian International Motor Show.
After today’s program, Hyundai — which was read out five times during Jones’ 210 minutes on the air — announced its ads would cease. Honda has also pulled out but Seven is likely to remain after network boss Kerry Stokes publicly pledged his on-air support.
Jones and 2GB owner Macquarie Radio Network’s (70% controlled by John Singleton) bottom line could be permanently cruelled by the withdrawal of advertisers if the experience of fellow shock-jock Kyle Sandilands is any indication.
Crikey contacted several leading firms that withdrew ads from Sandilands’ Kyle & Jackie O show following his vicious “fat slag” attack last November on News.com.au journalist Alison Stephenson. However, Mitsubishi, Telstra, Harvey Norman, Blackmores, Holden, Medibank, Vodafone and GIO Insurance who all said their ban remains in place until at least the end of the year. Earlier this year, estimates put the total amount of sponsorship lost by Sandilands at $10 million.
In March, Sandilands told AdNews that sponsors were “coming back” to his show and blamed the boycott on “about four or five real haters out there that are bombarding everyone on Facebook”.
Sandilands and Jones have been duelling at the top of the Sydney radio breakfast ratings tree all year, although the duo attract vastly different audiences.
Macquarie Radio shares plunged 6.25% or four cents this morning to 60 cents against a small jump in the broader market and gains from other media stocks.
Here’s a list of the advertisers on Jones’ show in order of broadcast this morning, brought to you by the savvy media monitors at Destroy the Joint.
5.30am Fat Away, Add Build Additions, NSW Trustee and Guardian (NSW govt), Pacific Point Hornsby, Sydney City Opel, Coles Liquorland — Shell Coles Express
6.08: Rinnai Infinity Continuous Flow gas hot water, NSW Miners, Ford Range, State Custodian Mortgage Co., Sydney Symphony, Pain Away Cream and Spray, Gerard Malouf and co — lawyers, Channel 7 — Winners and Losers, Ticketmaster — Barry Gibb solo tour, Inner West Dental Implant Centre, Pacific Point Luxury Apartments, 7-Eleven, Seconds World, Hyundai, Wyatt Attorneys Compensation lawyers, Inner West Dental Implant Centre, Brydens Compensation Lawyers, Bissell Lift-Off deep cleaner, Rawson Homes,
6.52: Winning Appliances — Smegg, Park n Fly, Hyundai — long ad, Sydney City Opel, 7-Eleven, West End Mazda (weather), Peters of Kensington
6.30-7.00: Channel Seven — Winners and Losers promo, Barry Gibb at Sydney Entertainment Centre, Inner West Dental Implant Centre, 7-Eleven slurpees, Hyundai, Wyatt Attorneys, Brydens Compensation Lawyers, Bissell Lift-Off Deep Cleaner, Rawson Homes, Winning Appliances, Park and Fly, Hyundai, Kelly Country, Westend Mazda, Peters of Kensington, Cruise Scene
7.05: Fat Away, Sydney Implant Institute, Palmers Glass, Ford Ranger, Sydney City Opel
7.07: Slater and Gordon Conveyancing, Seconds World
7.10: Guardian Funerals, Oz Lotto, Warriewood Brook
7.20: Sydney City Opel, Hyundai, Sydney Symphony Clubs NSW Catholic Cemeteries and crematorium, Insolvency Hotline
7.30: Mazda
7.35: Fat Away, Channel 7 — Winners and Losers promo, Pestrol, Wyatt Attorney’s Compensation Lawyers, The Australian, Sydney City Opel, Slater and Gordon conveyancing, Seconds World
7.50: Sydney City Opel, Kennedy Health Care (Aged Care), South Pacific Private, Momentum Energy, Geeks to You, Schools Spectacular
8.04: Fat Away, Candalore’s, One Cover travel insurance, YouSave Chemist, Merrylands RSL, Sydney City Opel, Volkswagen, Seconds World
8.09: Pestrol, NRMA insurance, Hyundai, Turner Freeman Lawyers
8.12: Clubs NSW, Foxtel, Gerard Malouf and Partners
8.26: Sydney City Opel, Volkswagen Challenge, Peters of Kensington
8.30: Cruise Scene
8.34: Fat Away, Channel 7 Winners and Losers, Oz 4X App, Pacific Point Luxury Apartments, Foxtel, Sydney City Opel, McDonald’s, Seconds World
8.43: Bissell Lift-Off Deep Cleaner (available at Harvey Norman), Park n Fly, Wyatt Attorneys
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