JPMorgan Pulls Ads From NBC News After Megyn Kelly's "Repulsive" Alex Jones Interview

While Megyn Kelly"s interview with Russian President (and all around global bad guy if one were to believe the daily barrage of leftist headlines)  Vladimir Putin did not raise the ire of advertisers, it appears her interview with right-wing provocateur Alex Jones has lurched from social media firestorm to real-world dollars and cents for NBC News.

The sit-down has been promoted as a discussion about “controversies and conspiracies.”

In a video promoting the interview, Jones talks about the 9/11 attacks as an “inside job.” In the clip, Kelly also brings up Sandy Hook, saying: “When you say parents faked their children’s deaths, people get very angry.” Jones replies: “But they don’t get angry about half-a-million dead Iraqis from the sanctions.”

Next Sunday, I sit down with conservative radio host @RealAlexJones to discuss controversies and conspiracies #SundayNight June 18 on NBC pic.twitter.com/7bVz6Fobf5

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) June 11, 2017

And now, as The Wall Street Journal reports, J.P. Morgan has asked for its local TV ads and digital ads to be removed from Kelly’s show and from all NBC news programming until after the show airs, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The company doesn’t want any of its ads to appear adjacent to any promotions for the interview, the person added.

This comes hours after Kristin Lemkau, J.P. Morgan’s chief marketing officer, questioned why Ms. Kelly would conduct the interview.

“As an advertiser, I’m repulsed that @megynkelly would give a second of airtime to someone who says Sandy Hook and Aurora are hoaxes."

As an advertiser, I"m repulsed that @megynkelly would give a second of airtime to someone who says Sandy Hook and Aurora are hoaxes. Why? https://t.co/luwyCwP7Ti

— Kristin Lemkau (@KLemkau) June 12, 2017

On his radio program Monday,  Jones said that he thinks Sandy Hook happened, or at least that children died, though there are anomalies about the event. However, he said that was edited from the NBC promotion. “I’m tired of being misrepresented,” Jones said and added that he demanded Kelly’s “hit piece” not air on Father’s Day.

WSJ reports that other NBC advertisers have stayed mum on the planned episode, at least publicly.

NBC Seeking To Hike Advertising Rates For New Megyn Kelly Show

NBC is seeking to massively raise the rates advertisers pay for the network’s 9 a.m. slot that will soon be occupied by former “Kelly File” host Megyn Kelly, Variety reports.

Kelly, who positioned herself as a leader of the anti-Trump during the campaign, is expected to garner even more viewers at her NBC post as the network doubles down on its Trump-bashing coverage.

Variety reports that the push appears to be a part of a years-long effort by NBCUniversal executive Linda Yaccarino to convince advertisers to pay prime-time rates for programs airing in other, less desirable, time slots.

"NBCU appears to be continuing a years-long effort to get advertisers to assign higher value to TV time that has typically been seen as deserving lower cost. Last year, NBCU sought to get primetime ad prices for its late-night mainstay “Saturday Night Live” after announcing it would trim the show’s ad load by approximately 30%. In 2013, NBCU made a bid for significant CPM increases for its airing of “Modern Family” repeats on USA."

As Variety notes, the maneuver isn’t without risk for the network.

"What if advertisers don’t see the value that NBC does in the non-prime inventory? NBCU met with resistance, for example, when it tried to convince ad buyers that “Modern Family” reruns merited broader-than-normal rates. And there is a danger that NBC could get higher deals, only to find viewership for a show is not what it guaranteed its clients. Rivals could also woo potential sponsors by offering narrower rate changes. Last year’s effort behind “SNL” would seem to have paid off: The show had its best ratings in more than two decades."

The network, which is owned by Comcast Corp., is betting big on Kelly, pitting her against Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest, who host ABC’s “Live…”.