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Advertising left in flux by Bubba's quick exit

Long before Clear Channel Radio canned him, many advertisers saw Bubba the Love Sponge Clem as a necessary evil.

His largely young, white male audience followed him like a Svengali. Beepers 'N Phones owner Ron Pownall said Clem's on-air endorsements for the 48-store Largo chain generated about 10 cell phone sales per day.

But Clem's rowdy, tasteless burlesque also was a lightning rod for crusaders like Doug Vanderlaan of Jacksonville, who, in addition to complaining to the Federal Communications Commission, said he persuaded about 150 of the show's advertisers to pull or reconsider their spots over the past three years. Boston Market, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and the Florida Lottery were among those who said their spots should not be running in the type of program Vanderlaan described.

Those who stuck with Clem locally paid about $500 for a 60-second endorsement on WXTB-FM 97.9 (98 Rock), plus a monthly "talent" fee of up to $750. No local radio show charged more.

Now that he's gone, some business owners and ad agencies see few substitutes.

"Personally, I couldn't stand Bubba," said Cherie Wenstrom, vice president of ad agency Wenstrom Communications in Clearwater. "But there's nobody else offering what he did."

"People will either be forced to buy more stations, more shows, or more commercials" to reach the same size audience, said Kevin Marshall, co-owner of Marshall Advertising in Tampa.

Competing stations, including those owned by Infinity Broadcasting and Cox Radio, are scrambling to scoop up Clem's advertisers. Eveann Terrett, a senior account manager at WLLD-FM 98.7 (Wild 98.7), e-mailed ad agencies last week to say that losing Clem would "no doubt" cause ratings to drop at 98 Rock. Marshall said he has received "a ton" of calls from stations seeking to offer his clients a new home.

For 98 Rock and owner Clear Channel, which declined to comment for this article, the situation is more delicate.

If Clear Channel's seven other bay area stations keep a respectful distance from Clem's advertisers, the San Antonio, Texas, chain risks losing them to Cox or Infinity. If these stations bid aggressively, they risk undermining 98 Rock and Clem's yet-to-be-named replacement. Clear Channel's other stations include WFLZ-FM 93.3; WFLA-AM 970 (Newsradio 970); WDAE-AM 620 (Sports Animal); WTBT-FM 103.5 (Thunder); WHNZ-AM 1250; WMTX-FM 100.7 (Mix 100.7); and WBTP-FM 95.7 (the Beat).

"Obviously, they're not going to be poaching advertisers from one of their sisters or brothers," Marshall said.

Clem's appeal was hardly universal. From August 2002 to July 2003, his show drew 38 percent fewer listeners per week than WFLZ's MJ Morning Show: 163,415 to 262,580, according to Scarborough Research.

His audience was white, male, young and loyal. According to data from the Arbitron Co., 29 percent of bay area men ages 18 to 34 who listened to a morning-drive show last winter were tuned to Clem and his crew. And those same male fans 18 to 49 listened to Clem's four-hour show for an an average of 86 minutes, Arbitron reported. The next best among local programs was MJ's, at 37 minutes.

"Bubba fans tune in and they stay in," said Wenstrom, whose clients include the St. Petersburg Times.

Because his audience was so targeted and so loyal, 98 Rock could charge advertisers a higher rate.

At times, though, Clem's narrow appeal and controversial material worked against him.

When Lindell Volkswagen of Tampa hired the Schifino/Lee agency to take over its advertising budget in early 2003, the dealership was spending $10,600 per month for 20 on-air endorsements from Clem, including a $500 talent fee paid directly to the star. It also supplied him with a free Volkswagen Passat.

Then, according to agency co-founder Paola Schifino, Lindell's new general manager worried that some potential customers, particularly women, might find Clem's show offensive. Schifino added to the concern by showing that women bought 62 percent of all Volkswagens, yet accounted for only 23 percent of Clem's listening audience. Lindell soon switched its ads from WXTB to several female-skewing stations.

"He's hit-listed from most of our clients," Wenstrom said. "A lot of them don't want the controversy, don't want the shock."

For some national and local advertisers, one complaint letter from Vanderlaan, the Jacksonville activist, was enough. Among the vignettes he described in letters to companies were bits in which Clem or his cohorts drank urine, "urged Christians to kill Moslems, Jews and Buddhists," and encouraged teen boys to establish pornographic Web sites.

"We buy (ads on) over 500 stations across the country that fit our demographics," a Boston Market executive wrote back. "We were unaware that our radio buy included a vile program such as "Bubba the Love Sponge.' We have been assured that our advertising will be removed from this program immediately."

"We had no idea that our commercial was running during that disgusting show," wrote Sarah Green, spokeswoman for the Conch House Marina Resort in St. Augustine.

Vanderlaan said his attempt to shame advertisers worked only about 25 percent of the time. One that didn't budge was Gibson Truck World of Sanford. "We appreciate your concern in this matter," the company wrote. "Unfortunately, a large group of our customers do listen to this show, and that's why we advertise on it. ... It was a business decision; sorry you don't agree with it."

Wenstrom said 98 Rock already has accommodated a client of hers by dramatically lowering its ad rates for the 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. slot. The station currently is broadcasting music those hours while it searches for Clem's successor.

"I think a lot of (Clem's fans) are probably going to be surfing the dial for a month or two to find out where to listen," Marshall said. "It could be six months before we really have any idea how the audience is going to shake out."

- Times staff writer Eric Deggans contributed to this report. Scott Barancik can be reached at barancik@sptimes.com or 727893-8751.

Before Clear Channel Radio fired Tampa disk jockey Bubba the Love Sponge Clem last month, his morning-drive show on WXTB-FM 97.9 competed with the MJ Morning Show on Clear Channel's WFLZ-FM 93.3, hosted by Todd Schnitt. Here's how the two matched up in the 10-county Tampa/St. Petersburg/Sarasota area:

Total weekly listeners/163,415/262,580*

Median household income/$55,100/$50,700*

Under age 35/59 percent/56 percent*

White/92 percent/82 percent*

Male/77 percent/40 percent*

Share of all male listeners ages 18 to 34/29.1 percent/11.8 percent**

Average time listened, males 18 to 34/86 minutes/37 minutes**

- Sources: * Scarborough Research, August 2002 through July 2003; ** Arbitron Co., Winter 2003

Excerpts from company responses to Jacksonville activist Doug Vanderlaan after he complained to them about advertising on the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show.

- Sealy Inc.: We cannot express to you how concerned we were when we received your letter. Shock would be an understatement. At Mattress Firm, we believe in family values and would never knowingly advertise with a less than reputable station. (Aug. 28, 2003 letter)

- Florida Lottery: Florida Lottery advertising rules do not allow Lottery commercials to run in or adjacent to the programs you describe. Our advertising agency has contacted the radio station and reported that the radio station had aired our commercial during that time frame in error. ... The Florida Lottery will continue to be mindful of safeguarding the dignity and integrity of the state of Florida. (July 10, 2001 letter)

- AutoZone: We certainly did not purchase ads to run in this show, however upon researching, we discovered that some of the bulk radio we purchased on the national level could have run in this program. (Aug. 31, 2001 letter)