XM Satellite Radio said yesterday that they are canceling a paid "advertorial" program featuring Fredric Dryer, after learning about Dryer's legal problems.
Dryer was the co-host of a paid "advertorial" that appeared on XM's America Right (ch 166) last Saturday which had more installments planned. The program was sponsored by Convergent Acquisitions and Development Inc. - a company that acquires rental properties for investors.
"The advertorial aired once and it won't air again," said XM spokesman Nathaniel Brown.
Titled "Real Estate Wealth Myths Facts and Strategies," the paid program featured Dryer and Gary Eldred (a faculty member at Trump University and writer of over 21 books about real estate) both giving advice on real estate investments.
Brown said the satellite radio company pulled the show because it was "not aware of the legal issues surrounding one of the personalities that Convergent chose to use for the advertorials."
Fredric "Rick" Dryer (pictured), the founder of Mile High Capital Group LLC, last year was indicted on 67 felony charges ranging from theft to securities fraud for his involvement in an alleged real estate Ponzi scheme. Dryer has pleaded not guilty on all the charges, and is scheduled to go on trial next February.
The show was XM's first foray into paid "advertorial" programming (an advertisement produced in the form of an editorial program - essentially an infomercial for radio). Brown said the incident has inspired XM to reassess how it enters deals with companies that want to air advertorials.
"We haven't typically done background checks on the personalities our clients choose for our advertorials," Brown said. "We are reviewing our vetting process."
So, the guy's a crook. What's more disturbing is that XM would even put this kind of horseshit on their service. You can hear this kind of crap all over the AM dial on weekends, and it's unlistenable garbage. Boring, boring radio, shilling for what are obvious ripoff money schemes. "Advertorials"? I'm paying for this crap?
Hey genius, I never liked the idea either, but it wasn't like XM wanted to put the advertorial anywhere else (America Right being one of the more listened to channels on XM). And with the advertorial, XM is getting paid to do it, so why wouldn't they? By the way, as a regular listener of America Right, that show probably is on an un-noticeable weekend timeslot.
Oh and if you so complain about paying for XM, just remember that the subscription fee only offsets having to place commercials on the music channels, And both XM and Sirius has a significant amount of commercials on their non-music channels, that's how they pad their bottom line, and I can't blame them.
That's terrible, I'm sorry
TV's Hunter?
*gasp* HE WAS HUNTER?!
No. That's John Frederick "Fred" Dryer.
espnjason, you condescending prick. Guzzle some gin and drive through a playground. How do you like them apples, genius?
Yeah, I have to admit that I'm much more upset about XM doing advertorials than I am about this crook. XM-- please oh please no more advertorials!
Only right idiots would fall for this crap.
Only right idiots would fall for this crap.
Only people that support George Bush and a war based on lies would support this pozi crap
Only people that support George Bush and a war based on lies would support this pozi crap
Only people that support George Bush and a war based on lies would support this pozi crap
"Hey genius, I never liked the idea either, but it wasn't like XM wanted to put the advertorial anywhere else (America Right being one of the more listened to channels on XM)."
Uh, how do you know that America Right is "one of the more [sic] listened to channels on XM"? What evidence do you have for that statement? Is it one of the top 10 channels, one of the top 50, top 100?
I have about 15 years in the radio business (as an on-air performer) and I can tell you that in my experience, radio sales departments don't resort to "programming" like this unless they're having trouble selling individual commercials. Crap like this tends to be very off-putting to the audience, so it's usually a last resort when the REAL programming isn't attracting enough advertising.
The LAST thing a radio programmer wants to do is put crap like an "advertorial" on one of its more popular stations.
Is the the Rick Dryer who grew up on East 79 Street In Manhattan?
Diana