Advertisers flee Bill O’Reilly’s show, impact unclear

Associated Press

NEW YORK

More advertisers fled Bill O’Reilly’s show on Wednesday, with drugmaker Pfizer and real-estate company Coldwell Banker among the latest to distance themselves.

The snowball effect began Monday after a weekend report in The New York Times that O’Reilly and his employer paid five women $13 million to settle harassment or other allegations of inappropriate conduct by Fox’s top star.

As of Wednesday, a total of about 20 advertisers – from Mercedes Benz to Allstate – had confirmed pulling out. But while the advertisers’ moves may send a strong signal to consumers, so far, it is unclear whether there will be any long-term negative impact on either Fox News or “The O’Reilly Factor.”

“Advertisers are very risk averse,” said Larry Chiagouris, a Pace University marketing professor. “When advertisers see the possibility of scandal, they take the easy way out – which can be spun as the ‘high road.’ It’s easy for them to move their money somewhere else.”

Fox News has said that advertisers who pulled their ads would be directed to the network’s other programs – so that probably means they’ll just move to other shows such as “Hannity,” or “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

That makes their move “less impactful” to Fox than if an advertiser moved all of its ad dollars to rival station MSNBC, for example, Chiagouris said.