A recent Saturday-night town hall, moderated by Bari Weiss, the newly appointed editor-in-chief of CBS News, spurred considerable discussion on Madison Avenue regarding its unconventional format and advertising strategy. The program featured an in-depth interview with Erika Kirk, CEO of Turning Point USA and widow of the organization’s former leader, Charlie Kirk, whose assassination highlighted significant political and cultural divisions in the U.S. This event marked a distinct departure for CBS News, which typically avoids hosting town halls or debates with newsmakers or on trending issues, and the choice of Weiss, a senior editorial executive, to moderate on-camera also raised industry eyebrows.

Weiss indicated that this new direction is just the beginning for CBS News, telling viewers, “CBS is going to have many more conversations like this in the weeks and months ahead, so stay tuned. More town halls. More debates. More talking about the things that matter.” This suggests a strategic move by CBS to dedicate more airtime to such programs, potentially reshaping its news offering.

However, the initial airing of the news special, at 8 p.m. on Saturday—one of broadcast TV’s least-watched hours—presented immediate advertising challenges. Commercial breaks during the hour were predominantly filled with spots from direct-response advertisers, including SuperBeets, HomeServe.com, and CarFax. Viewers on WCBS, CBS’ flagship station in New York, even saw a commercial for Chia Pet. The prevalence of direct-response ads, which typically pay lower rates, often signals a network's difficulty in securing more mainstream support for the content.

In contrast, the first commercial break of the 9 p.m. hour on CBS, which featured a rebroadcast of a 2024 episode of “48 Hours,” showcased a more affluent class of sponsors such as Amazon, Ferrero Group, and Procter & Gamble, alongside one direct-response marketer, Operation Smile. CBS News’ ability to attract robust sponsorship for its new town hall format will be crucial, especially if it plans to expand these programs, raising questions about advertisers’ willingness to associate with subsequent efforts if the initial program struggled to garner mainstream backing.

Despite the broader advertising challenges, specific marketers did align with the Erika Kirk town hall, often reflecting a target audience interested in the content. Sponsors included the conservative Heritage Foundation; Hallow, a Christian prayer app; “David,” a faith-based animated film from Angel Studios; and the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. A small contingent of more mainstream advertisers, including Spotify and TikTok, also made an appearance.

CBS’s move into this type of programming goes against a recent trend in TV news advertising. Madison Avenue has increasingly viewed TV news as a “hot potato,” with marketers wary of placing commercials adjacent to reports on war, cultural divides, or partisan monologues. Fox Corp.’s Fox News has been an exception, successfully attracting new advertisers and building a substantial live audience around its news and opinion shows.

The underlying issue, as identified by media buyers and TV-sales executives, is the continuing polarization of U.S. society. Advertisers face potential backlash when consumers perceive their product pitches alongside news content as an endorsement of a specific conservative or liberal viewpoint. Additionally, marketers are apprehensive about their commercials appearing next to segments covering sensitive topics such as the war in Ukraine, mass shootings, climate change, and debates on cultural values.