TAPP Program Advertising Dollars Skips Conservative Radio Stations

TAPP Program Advertising Dollars Skips Conservative Radio Stations

A review of the city’s online checkbook shows the City of Tallahassee spent approximately $300,000 on advertising fees to promote the TAPP program in 2015 & 2016. However, no advertising dollars were spent with the two conservative radio stations in Tallahassee that produce morning shows with in-depth coverage of city hall.

Documents show that approximately $200,000 was spent on TV, (Comcast, WCTV, WTXL, WTWC)  $65,000 on radio (Cumulus, WFSU, Red Hills) and $43,000 on billboards (Lamar) in 2015 and 2016.

Absent from the financial records are Freedom 93.3 and WFLA 100.7, two local radio stations that feature conservative line-ups and morning shows that provide in-depth coverage of city hall. (Disclosure: TR has a financial relationship with Freedom 93.3 through appearances on the station’s morning show.)

Freedom 93.3 FM has been operating in Tallahassee for just over four years and is owned by Panama City based Magic Broadcasting. Their line-up features the “Junior and Bobby Mac” morning show and national talk show hosts that include Larry Elder, Dana Loesch and Laura Ingraham.

WFLA 100.7, owned by mass media corporation iHeartMedia, has been home to the “Morning Show with Preston Scott” for 15 years. The station features conservative talk show hosts that include Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Mark Levin. The station is also home to the popular financial adviser Dave Ramsey.

TR has recently written about the TAPP program bidding process and the ties between the program and campaign supporters of city commissioners.

Interestingly, the city’s electric utility has chosen to advertise on WFLA during 2015-2016 promoting energy efficiency programs.

Why not the TAPP program?

TR has submitted questions to city staff about the omission of the two radio stations from the TAPP advertising schedule. TR will update this report if a response is provided.

23 Responses to "TAPP Program Advertising Dollars Skips Conservative Radio Stations"

  1. TR, you should investigate how much money the TAPP program has paid Oppenheim Research in Tallahassee to conduct phone surveys about the program. I bet it is a lot.

  2. Did it occur to anyone that those stations do not reach as many people? With a limited budget you have to place your resources selectively. Audience, coverage all play a part. Maybe they think conservatives are already tuned into TAPP principles so why target that market?

  3. Government should be shaped by society, not the other way around.
    TAPP is only one of the social engineering programs that should be scrapped because they provide NO measurable benefit to the people who pay for them and are proven to open the door for graft and corruption.

  4. I saw the little yellow ducks on the TV commercials and I’m not sure, but I think I saw diesel stains on some of them.

  5. This TAPP program was BS from the git-go.It is absolutely amazing how these liberals get their noses into every crack and cranie with their liberal interpetation of what all of our lives should be, and we wind up paying the bill. Enough already—pull the money plug and this nonsense will go away all by itself !

  6. I change the channel every time I hear these ads. I am glad that they do not advertise on 100.7 & 93.3, I am not forced to change the channel.

  7. I am against all government advertising budgets. It creates an environment that invites collusion and corruption. We need to continue to free the press from the influence of governments at every level.

  8. Total waste of money that does not change any human behavior. Who is picking up the squirrel, raccoon, possum, deer and rabbit crap?

  9. Gary Yordon through the assistance of elected officials (Miller & Company) has tainted yet another well meaning public service and turned it into a slush fund for their self serving purposes.

    Of course he gets away with it when the former editor of the Tallahassee Democrat (Gabordi) sits on a board at LCS and does – the same thing – recommending Yordon for a media job at 85k per year. Citizens quickly were repulsed and Yordon resigned withing weeks.

    As an aside the Chamber needs to drug test any operatives they are using at their event next month. Results may be shocking!

    1. “As an aside the Chamber needs to drug test any operatives they are using at their event next month. Results may be shocking!”

      I don’t care what people do or spend their money on as long as I am not paying for it, and they are not my employee. Be careful Hope, you might be threatening somebody’s hash supply.

  10. Of course the “City of Tallahassee” in the form of our present set of commissioners and staff, would not want to give advertising dollars to those who actually scrutinize the TAPP program and the way that taxpayer money is “used” (or dispersed to cronies and friends). Why reward those radio stations who would dare to question your game?

  11. Considering all the oil the City of Tallahassee electric Department leaked in St Marks they are the very last people that should be lecturing us on polluted groundwater!

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