Who is footing the bill?

This is a question that is always applicable. There is an old saying, "follow the money".

When it comes to broadcast television, specifically the cable news channels, who is footing the bill?

You would think this is something that people would concern themselves with. After all, wouldn't advertisers hold some sway with the media company if they are spending large sums of money.

Logic tells us this is the case. So we should dive into this a bit more.

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The Tesla Story

I have watched Tesla for a long time. If memory serves me correctly, I started investing in the company in 2017 or 2018. Before that, I was following the progress of the company closely.

Over that time, no matter what the company did, the coverage from the mainstream outlets, specifically the financial media, was horrific. The attacks on Elon Musk were significant whenever a forecast was not met.

Yet, whatever some of its competitors did was taken as gospel.

For example, there was one "analyst" on CNBC who went on a tirade about Musk being a liar. This was over the failed forecast that Musk made.

Then we had Mary Barra, the [CEO](https://leofinance.io/@leoglossary/leoglossary-ceo of General Motors, claiming that the electric Hummer would be in full production by Q4 2022. They delivered a total of 2 vehicles in the entire quarter.
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In fairness, they were better in Q2 2023 when they sold 49. That was down 83% over the previous year.

Do you think the pro-GM analysts attacked the company and Mary Barra? Not a peep.

So what is the difference?

We can point to the fact that Tesla, until most recently, spend zero on advertising. It achieved 1.3 million in vehicles deliveries without a dime in advertising.

Do you think that impacted the coverage it received as compared to the other companies?

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Big Pharma

The automotive sector is minor compared to Big Pharma. When it comes to doling out the bucks, this his the king fish.

Big Pharma simply took over cable news.

Pharmaceutical industry TV ad spend in the U.S 2016-2020. In 2020, the pharmaceutical industry spent 4.58 billion U.S. dollars on advertising on national TV in the United States, unsurprisingly representing a big shift in spending compared to the 2019 pre-covid market. In 2020 TV ad spending of the pharma industry accounted for 75 percent of the total ad spend.

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Do you think this affected the coverage the cable news outlets put forth?

Again, follow the money.

What do you think the executives at those media companies did if one of the representatives (high up) at Big Pharma called and complained?

Of course, the likelihood that anyone on the payroll would even be given a chance to counter the narrative is slim. The on-air talent takes their marching orders like any other employee.

How do media companies make money? For the most part, advertising is their cash cow. When a broadcast is aired, the ratings are crucial. Shows with better ratings are known to command high advertising rates.

This is well known. However, does it raise suspicion that one industry accounted for 3/4 of the ad dollars these outlets received?

Here is another fact that isn't heavily promoted:

There are two countries in the world that allow Big Pharma to advertise on mass media: New Zealand and the United States.

Of the hundreds of countries, why do only 2, less than half a percent, allow Pharma to advertise?

Obviously, this is the result of lobbying and the ability to influence (bribe) the lawmaking body.

So how neutral is the coverage when the executive offices at Big Pharma are pulling the strings (purse)?

In the corporate world, all is for sale.

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