Many of Don Imus’ former guests appear ready to return when his new show debuts on WABC AM on December 3. But what about his former advertisers?
Steve Mcclellan of Mediaweek recently dug into the question. Along the way he found some former advertisers who said they wouldn’t return to Mr. Imus (Sprint) some who are waiting on the sidelines (General Motors) and some who are committed to getting back in on the action (the Hackensack University Medical Center).
But, according to some industry experts, even with those advertisers who do return, Mr. Imus may not command the same high ad rates that he did before the controversy.
"According to ad agency executives, there will likely be a roster of Imus advertisers if, as expected, his previous audience tunes in to his new program," reported Mediaweek. "But some buyers also say WABC won’t be able to command prices anywhere near as high as CBS outlet WFAN did before the host was fired."
"That’s the fallout in all this," Dennis McGuire, vice president, regional spot director for Aegis Group’s Carat told Mediaweek. "He’s being given another chance, but he’s not going to command the [price] premiums he once did."
