Radio Station Hires Prostitutes For Promotion

cfrb_1010_prostitution_zig.jpg

Following a stunt in which the homeless were paid to carry signs which read, "Should panhandling be legal?", Toronto-based talk radio station CFRB, with help from zig, paid prostitutes to carry signs which read, "Should prostitution be legal?"

While the campiagn was developed to hype discussion controversial topics on the station, Bad Date Coalition of Toronto's Wendy Babcock didn't like the approach, saying, "It's to give that radio station attention. It has nothing to do with helping out the sex worker ... It's using them. If we wanted to have an actual discussion ... have the sex workers come in and have it in a place where it's safe and where people can call in and respectfully ask questions."

True that. But what fun would that be as a radio promotion? After all, Opie and Anthony resorted to encourage a couple to have sex in a church. This is radio's playground. It's what they do.

by Steve Hall    Jan-20-09   Click to Comment   
Topic: Radio   

Enjoy what you've read? Subscribe to Adrants Daily and receive the daily contents of this site each day along with free whitepapers.



Comments



Comments

Radio stations typically resort to juvenile humor as a promotional tool. You'd think they'd know better, right? A talk station I worked for did this all the time:
1.) We sent Monica Lewinsky a letter offering her an internship just as the Clinton-Lewinsky affair was revealed.
2.) The night the infamous Starr report came out, we printed it (after an extensive internet search for the entire transcript), highlighted the dirty parts, and then sold the transcripts with proceeds going to charity.
3.) One of our hosts marched semi-nude (and shouting quasi-humorous remarks through a bullhorn)in the gay pride parade, as a way to promote his show.
4.) We drove to a really scary area of town in a rented van and rounded up homeless people, then dropped them off at a competing station's event with cartons of cigarettes and drink tickets.

Nice, eh? These tactics are nothing new in talk radio!

Posted by: Sara on January 21, 2009 12:25 AM

I cannot agree more, actually I wrote a similar post weeks ago

Edward

Frontier Blog
http://www.hwswworld.com/wp

Posted by: frontierblog on January 21, 2009 1:52 AM