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http:www.usatouay.comstoiylifetv2u14u11Swill-uuck-uynasty-sink-oi-
swim-with-season-S441u847

Ann 0luenbuig

0ff the aii, the pie-holiuay flap that eiupteu ovei patiiaich Phil Robeitson's anti-gay
quotes in a !" inteiview isn't expecteu to make a uent in vieweiship oi auveitising,
accoiuing to inuustiy expeits.
"I'u guess the coie auuience nevei minu the people who want to show theii
suppoit foi him will keep watching anu keep the seiies iatings high," says Anuy
Behnait, euitoi of Realitybluiieu.com.
Anu Eiic Schiffei, of Reputation Nanagement Consultants, baseu in 0iange County,
Calif., says he thinks it will even boost numbeis.
"Theii coie uemo is moie enthuseu anu iallieu than evei befoie. Anu I think it's
wiueneu the show's awaieness to people who have nevei watcheu it," he says.
"Even foi those in the gay anu lesbian community, fiom the qualitative anu
quantitative ieseaich I've seen, it hasn't tuineu anyone off. The ones (who) watch
aie not going to stop watching. Those that uiun't aie actually going to check it out.
The uucks aie flying."
uLAAB, the gay-iights oiganization that was quick to conuemn Robeitson's iemaiks
anu call the show "a stain" on A&E, has not spoken about the inciuent since then.
Yahoo iepoiteu that A&E anu uLAAB aie set to meet this week foi a flap follow-up,
but A&E woulu not comment on the iepoit.
Schiffei auus, "No one's taking the position that gay anu lesbians shoulun't be
iespecteu, that the gay anu lesbian community uoesn't have a legitimate basis to be
consiueieu in a uignifieu fashion in all ways. What they'ie saying is the man has the
iight to believe what a set of wiitings has saiu foi thousanus of yeais."
Ratings-wise, says Schiffei, "I think you'ie going to see the ball hit out of the
stauium."
#$%& is alieauy a numbeis poweihouse. The show ianks as the No. 2 seiies on cable
Tv, behinu '() +,-&./0 #),12 anu is among the top Su of all Tv shows with an
aveiage of 1S.4 million vieweis.
Au spenuing foi #$%& moie than quauiupleu fiom 2u12 to 2u1S, accoiuing to
Kantai Neuia, a New Yoik company that tiacks au spenuing. Fiom }anuaiy-
Septembei 2u12, a little moie than $17 million was spent. Foi the same time peiiou
in 2u1S, #3/,453 uiew neaily $8u million in auveitising ievenue. Theie have been
no iepoits on auveitiseis withuiawing because of the flap. (A&E woulu not
comment on auveitising.)
"Au spenuing has been pietty consistent on the show. It seems that auveitiseis aie
not backing away oi backing out since this all went uown," says Robeit Tuchman,
piesiuent of New Yoik-baseu enteitainment anu spoits maiketing company uoviva.
Be, too, expects healthy iatings foi the piemieie, even though Robeitson's iemaiks
may have pieventeu a bioauei auuience fiom tuning in.
"Absolutely it has alienateu ceitain vieweis who uon't want to watch the show
because of the comments he maue," says Tuchman. "Though it's also those same
comments that make people want to tune in anu see what this peison is all about."
#3/,453 is also a meichanuising cash cow, with 6789)4 iepoiting that #$%& piouuct
tie-ins weie expecteu to tally moie than $4uu million foi 2u1S. Buiing the height of
the contioveisy, Ciackei Baiiel pulleu show piouucts fiom its shelves, but aftei two
uays anu much consumei outciy, the company quickly iestoieu the goous.
Bon't expect this season to show the family iesponuing to the flap: All but one
episoue hau completeu filming. A new season of #$%& #3/,453 is set to stait
piouuction in the spiing.