Report: BP America Asks iHM to Restrict Ads Over Super PAC

RADIO ONLINE | Tuesday, April 9, 2024

iHeartMedia

BP America has requested that iHeartMedia refrain from placing their advertisements on podcasts that allocate ad revenues towards political donations, reports The Hill. This decision came to light following the disclosure that the radio giant had redirected a significant sum of ad revenues from Senator Ted Cruz of Texas' "Verdict" podcast to the pro-Cruz super PAC, Truth and Courage PAC.

Since January, iHeartMedia has funneled $630,850 into Truth and Courage PAC, which constitutes about a third of the $2 million the super PAC has amassed in this election cycle, as per the records of the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Ross Parman, who leads U.S. Media Affairs & External Communications at BP America, clarified to The Hill that their ad purchases with iHeartMedia were based on audience reach without podcast specification. He emphasized their unawareness of ad expenditures being directly channeled to a super PAC and has since directed iHeart to exclude BP's ads from any podcasts that contribute advertising profits to political campaigns, PACs, or parties.

iHeartMedia and a representative for Cruz did not respond to The Hill's inquiries for a comment. However, iHeartMedia Vice President of Public Relations Rachel Nelson informed the Houston Chronicle that ad sales for Cruz's podcast were handled similarly to other podcasts, with contributions stemming from those ad sales.