Kayak.com Pulls Ads from TLC Show

Another advertiser has decided to pull its ads from the TLC reality series ‘All-American Muslim.’ The first do pull their ads was home improvement chain Lowe’s. Now, the second company to pull its ads is Kayak.com. The show follows the lives of Muslim families living in the suburbs of Detroit, specifically Dearborn, according to The Boston Globe.

Kayak is headquartered in Concord and Norwalk, Connecticut, and the company’s move follows the much maligned one done by Lowe’s. Lowe’s decided to pull its ads from the show after pressure from the Florida Family Association, based in Tampa, because the organization claims that the show is “propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.’’

When the show returns to TLC in January, Kayak ads will not be aired, with the company saying its decision was based on messages received about protesting the company unless its ads were pulled. Robert Birge, the chief marketing officer for Kayak, released the following written statement on the matter:

“When we received angry e-mails regarding our decision to advertise, I looked into the show more thoroughly,’’ he wrote. “It’s a worthy topic, but any reasonable person would know that this topic is a particular lightning rod. We believe TLC went out of their way to pick a fight on this, and they didn’t let us know their intentions.’’

Birge claims that TLC had not been forthcoming with its advertisers regarding the premise of the show. Birge also went on to write that he watched a handful of episodes of the show and says that it is not good.

Lowe’s posted an apology on its Facebook page in response to protestors, who claim the company folded into pressure from bigots. The statement read as follows:

“It appears that we managed to step into a hotly contested debate with strong views from virtually every angle and perspective – social, political, and otherwise – and we’ve managed to make some people very unhappy,’’ the statement said. “We are sincerely sorry.’’

TLC spokeswoman, Laurie Goldberg, said that Lowe’s and Kayak are the only two advertisers to pull their ads from the show. The statement released by Goldberg read as follows:

“We stand behind the show ‘All-American Muslim,’ and we’re happy the show has strong advertising support.’’

The debut show for the series grabbed 1.7 million viewers and it has averaged close to 1.1 million viewers per show, according to the Nielsen rating service.

Robert Thompson is a television professor at Syracuse University. Thompson has seen the show and is shocked that advertisers are pulling their ads.

“It’s about regular families going through everyday struggles, and one of the themes is the sense that Muslims are treated differently in this country since Sept. 11,’’ Thompson said. “Unless you object to the portrayal of Muslims as normal Americans, I don’t see how you can find this a troubling program.’’