Cumulus Withdraws Support for Podcast Movement Over Shapiro

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Ben Shapiro

Conservative host Ben Shapiro attended Podcast Movement, an annual conference for podcasters and other content creators last week week in Dallas. He visited the conference's expo center, where "The Daily Wire," a conservative news site he co-founded had a booth taking a few photos before leaving. The next day, Podcast Movement issued an apology on its Twitter account:

"Hi folks, we owe you an apology before sessions kick off for the day. Yesterday afternoon, Ben Shapiro briefly visited the PM22 expo area near The Daily Wire booth. Though he was not registered or expected, we take full responsibility for the harm done by his presence."

It's not clear what the "harm" was. In subsequent Twitter posts, Podcast Movement referred to the "painfully clear" weight of its decision to let him participate and it in some way had betrayed the trust of attendees.

The Cumulus Podcast Network has been The Daily Wire's advertising sales representative since 2016. Additionally, his radio show, "The Ben Shapiro Show," has been syndicated through Westwood One since 2019.

In a statement, Cumulus said, "At Cumulus Media, our tenet is that Every Voice Matters and we support conferences and trade events where differing political viewpoints can be expressed and received with respect. As such, we were dismayed and disappointed by Podcast Movement's handling of the reaction to our partner, top podcaster, and conservative talk leader Ben Shapiro's mere presence at Podcast Movement. After giving the leaders of Podcast Movement sufficient time to appropriately address their misstep, we are disassociating from Podcast Movement, including canceling our 2023 sponsorship plans."