WORCESTER, Mass., Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Rep. Peter Blute, R-Mass., says he is doing nothing wrong by selling advertising time to political guests of his radio talk show.
The Boston Globe said Sunday that while Blute has come under fire for his show's advertisement sales, he maintains political guests who purchase advertising time on "The Peter Blute Show" do not receive preferential treatment.
"It is survival. You have to sell ads to survive," said Blute, whose show is broadcast WCRN of Worcester, Mass.
Talkers publisher Michael Harrison, whose magazine reports on the talk show industry, said if favoritism did play a role in the Blute advertising sales, it would raise a wealth of ethical and legal issues.
"There is a degree of truth that talk show host are entertainers, but they must exercise a degree of responsibility," Harrison said. "Survival does not give a talk show host the right to do something unethical."
The Globe said the controversy surrounding Blute began when he was listed as a paid media consultant by Republican politician Jeff Beatty in finance reports. Beatty had appeared and advertised on Blute's radio show.
