Major advertisers appear wary of CBS News’ Bari Weiss Town Hall format

During a town hall Saturday evening led by Bari Weiss, the recently appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News, most of Madison Avenue was looking for an exit.

The program included an in-depth interview with Erika Kirk, the CEO of the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA and the widow of Charlie Kirk, the group’s former leader. He was murdered during one of the organization’s events at Utah Valley University, bringing into sharp focus the political and cultural divisions in the US.

The event marked a new offering from CBS News. The organization does not typically host town halls or debates on current issues or with newsmakers. And the choice of Weiss as moderator also raised eyebrows, because in most modern TV news organizations, senior editors stay off camera, rather than appearing in front of it.

There may be more on the way. During the program, Weiss told viewers that “CBS will be having many more conversations like this in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned. More town halls. More debates. More talk about the things that matter.” This could indicate that CBS plans to spend more hours on the programs.

The news special aired Saturday at 8 p.m., one of the least watched hours on television. And that may have contributed to a relative shortage of top advertisers who seemed to support the show. During the hour, the commercial breaks were largely filled with spots from direct-response advertisers, including the nutritional supplement SuperBeets; the home repair service HomeServe.com; and CarFax, a provider of car ownership data. Viewers of the broadcast on WCBS, CBS’s flagship station in New York, even saw a commercial for Chia Pet, the terracotta figure that gives birth to plant life after a few weeks.

Direct response advertisers typically pay lower prices in exchange for allowing TV networks to air their commercials when convenience permits. A wave of ads appearing on a program is usually a signal that the network can no longer provide mainstream support for the content it wants to air.

A more paid class of sponsors was evident during the first commercial break that appeared on CBS at 9 p.m., a rebroadcast of a 2024 episode of “48 Hours.” Marketers who appeared included Amazon, Ferrero Group and Procter & Gamble. A direct-response marketer, Operation Smile, a nonprofit medical services organization, also emerged.

CBS News’ ability to secure sponsorship for the town hall could be crucial, especially if the network plans to air more hours tied to the new format. And yet, if advertisers aren’t interested in the first program of this kind, will they want to join subsequent efforts?

Other marketers in line for CBS News’ Erika Kirk town hall included companies whose products and services may have resonated with viewers who tuned in to see the show. City Hall sponsors included the conservative Heritage Foundation; Hallow, a mobile app for Christian prayer; “David,” a new animated film from Angel Studios specializing in faith-based content; and the International Community of Christians and Jews. A small handful of more mainstream advertisers, including Spotify and TikTok, were also in attendance.

CBS’s interest in such rates goes against the grain. TV news has become something of a hot potato on Madison Avenue in recent years, with marketers wary of inserting their commercials into programs tied to reports of war, cultural divisions and powerful monologues from partisan opinion makers. One outlet, Fox Corp.’s Fox News, has bucked the trend in recent months, attracting new advertisers to its shows while building a sizable live audience around its news and opinion shows.

At issue, according to media buyers and TV sales executives, is the continued polarization of American society, and the backlash advertisers may receive if consumers view their desire to pitch products to news audiences as support for a conservative or liberal position. Marketers are also nervous about placing their glitzy commercials next to segments about the war in Ukraine, a growing wave of mass shootings, climate change and debates over cultural values.