Procter & Gamble, Kraft ads air on MSNBC by mistake (7992)

Despite promises made last week by officials with Kraft Foods and Procter & Gamble that they would not advertise on MSNBC during the Saturday premiere of the controversial new talk show The Savage Nation, ads for products from both companies ended up running, The New York Times reports. Officials from both companies told the Times that the ads aired by mistake.

The show's host, San Francisco radio talk-show host Michael Savage, has referred to gay men and lesbians as perverts, according to the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which has launched a campaign against the MSNBC show. "Read what he's written and listen to some of the things he's said, and you can't sit idly by," said GLAAD executive director Joan Garry. "You have to raise concerns. You have to question why a news channel would give this guy a platform."

The Kraft ad was for the brand Gevalia, which is sold through its mail-order coffee division. The Procter & Gamble ad was for Swiffer household cleaner. A spokeswoman for Procter & Gamble said the mistake was made by the agency that buys advertising time for the company. A spokeswoman for Kraft said the company is still investigating how its ad ended up airing during The Savage Nation.

Despite the mix-up, GLAAD spokeswoman Cathy Renna commended the two companies for deciding against advertising during The Savage Nation. "We're pleased that from the onset, companies like Procter & Gamble and Kraft are willing to take a stand against [the show]," she said. "We think MSNBC was hoping to get ads from the kinds of companies that are making statements they're not interested in advertising. We anticipate that will continue with other advertisers."