KSDK hits Anheuser-Busch; Anheuser-Busch hits KSDK
If you’ve been watching TV over the past few days, perhaps you’ve seen them: promos for an upcoming segment on KSDK (Channel 5), in which the station promises to expose tasteless spending at Anheuser-Busch, contrasting it sharply with local layoffs.
“Forget AIG,” we are told one promo intones. “This one hits home.”
That’s strongly worded. Does reporter Leisa Zigman back it up? We can’t answer that, not having seen the segment. (It airs tonight at 10:00.) But the controversy has already begun.
Anheuser-Busch is none too happy about what it calls “insensitive” treatment at the hands of KSDK. Not happy. At. All. It has told KSDK management thus.
Two top executives - president Dave Peacock and Jim Brickey, vice president of people - also sent out a long, tart memo to A-B employees, in which they accused KSDK and Zigman of exploiting “the misfortune of others for their own gain.” Oh, but A-B wasn’t done: A-B, now a division of Anheuser-Busch InBev, said the station “took the low road in distorting facts while relying on sources with questionable motives” while airing a “sensationalized” and “hyped” story.
Good night, Sally. That is rough. Rarely have we seen Anheuser-Busch hit back so hard against a news piece. We wonder…is this part of the company’s stated commitment to “communicate in a thorough and timely manner”? If so, reporters might want to gird up their loins for battle. Or at least for criticism.
The crux of the issue, so far as we can tell, is a trip by 14 A-B managers to meetings and training events at Anheuser-Busch’s property at Lake of the Ozarks. The trips, it seems, are cast in the KSDK piece as an example of especially ill-timed corporate greed. A-B strongly objects to that characterization.
According to Anheuser-Busch, the group car‑pooled to the lake to reduce costs and used one of the company-owned boats to visit local restaurants. The boat was actually the least-expensive option for a night of visiting customers, according to A-B. The group bought Anheuser-Busch beers for other patrons at the restaurants, but that was for a good cause, A-B argued in the memo: building goodwill among customers.
On the other side, one source told Lager Heads the memo was an exercise in “spin.” The trips to the lake were indeed pretty lavish back in the day, we are told - replete with golf, massages and outings on the boats. High-level folks, as well as any special presenters, would get helicopter rides to and from the place.
But A-B, for its part, said the meeting in question was cost-effective and authorized - not a shameworthy exercise in self-indulgence. The total cost of the two-day meetings was about $100 per person, excluding the costs people incurred to drive to the lake, A-B said. Some of the staffers stayed in their personal homes, so the company incurred no lodging costs.
No matter who is right, the times are changing. Anheuser-Busch, which has owned the Lake of the Ozarks facility for 25 years, is assessing the need for the property. It is looking to sell all or most of the assets. The watercraft is already on the market.
(16 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5)
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Jeremiah McWilliams is a native Virginian who came to the Post-Dispatch in early 2007 to cover beer and other consumer products. He previously covered manufacturing for the Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Va. He is a graduate of Washington and Lee University. 
Wait until Carlos hears about this. I’m sorry but I have no sympathy for AB. Bunch of arrogant overpaid people, from the top down. the gravy train is over. Ran into a guy when picking up up my son at a Ford dealer. Guy drove up in an Acura NSX and was trying to track down a Ford GT (about $140,000). Said he worked at AB. Nice guy, but certainly didn’t look like an exec to me. They can hold their meetings at The Royal Orleans maybe.
Back in the day when the local media was making a killing off AB advertising you never heard any complaints from the local media. For example, the Busch baby story that Ray Hartmann covered in the RFT and forced the rest of the media to cover. No more money and look what happens. Shame on you KSDK!!!!
With all the negativity directed at KSDK, I have to believe Peacock’s flunkys are doing all this posting. The reality is that Brito preached a “culture of frugality” to justfy all the cuts. Sorry, but sponsoring an irresponsible event at company expense is not consistent with Brito’s own policy. Peacock and his HR Stooge sent us a preemptive e-mail today with a bunch of lies rationalizing their idiotic behavior. As if anyone is going to believe this bunch of proven liars. Just one more nail in InBred’s coffin.
Television news is never news and KSDK is “The Enquirer”.
Give me a break!!! This is a trip to friggin’ Lake of the Ozarks, hoosier capital of the midwest. Anyway, this is a company that has not received a dime of bailout money. What a non-story.
KSDK S U C K S!!!!! Mike Bush stinks as anchor. Rene Knott stinks as sports director. They dump Deanne Lane and John Fuller. What used to be the news leader in STL, is now a joke.
If by that you mean I cannot grasp the concept of why anyone should care about how your industry is hurt by fiscal frugality, I plead guilty.
Now in Kentucky, the tobacco farmers have long received subsidies when the anti-smoking campaigns took a toll on their cash crop. (They also exported it to third-world countries, but that’s another issue). Since we bail out the reckless spenders, perhaps we will bail out those, like you, who suffer as a result of the reigning in of excess. We’re all entitled, after all. It’s part of being an American.
Here’ the memo Buttboy Dave sent out to us:
To: All St. Louis Employees
Subject: Leisa Zigman Story on KSDK-TV, Channel 5
Over the last several days, KSDK-TV, Channel 5, has been running promotions about a story to run tonight where they claim they will be “exposing A-B.” In these promos, they compare us with AIG and talk of employees “celebrating” after “cutting thousands of jobs and millions in benefits.” While we would hope KSDK would exhibit balance and journalistic integrity in covering any aspect of our business, the station, and its reporter Leisa Zigman have unfortunately chosen to exploit the misfortune of others for their own gain.
As part of our commitment to communicate in a thorough and timely manner, we wanted to provide you with the truth behind the sensationalized story hyped on KSDK – promos designed only to improve their own ratings performance during sweeps month.
Anheuser-Busch has owned property and facilities at Lake of the Ozarks for 25 years. These facilities were largely used for company meetings and included watercraft and other amenities. As part of our Blue Ocean plan, we began assessing the need for these facilities and continue to look to sell all or most of the assets. In fact, some assets from the Lake have already been sold, and the watercraft is actively being marketed for sale.
A management group of 14 from our company recently held meetings and training at our Lake facilities during the off-season, some even stayed in their personal homes, so the company incurred no lodging costs. The group car‑pooled to the lake to reduce costs and used one of the company-owned boats to visit local restaurants. The boat was chosen as the least-expensive form of transportation and helped enable a safe, efficient evening of trade calls with customers.
At the casual restaurants visited, the group purchased Anheuser-Busch beers for other patrons, a practice that helps us stay in touch with consumers on beer preferences and opinions. This also helps build goodwill among retailers who have suffered through reduced traffic as a result of the weak economy. In keeping with our cost discipline priorities, the total cost of the two-day meetings was about $100 per person, excluding the costs people incurred to drive to the Lake.
Because we are undergoing change, and many people have left our organization, we continue to be scrutinized by some outsiders. In the case of this TV station, they themselves have experienced layoffs in this economy, but still took the low road in distorting facts while relying on sources with questionable motives. In fact, we believe KSDK may have incurred more costs in producing their story than the actual costs of our company meetings that are the target of their attacks and that are positioned as extravagant in their promos.
It is particularly disappointing for this reporter to put employees who have been displaced into the spotlight this way. It has been difficult enough for all of us to endure so much change and watch many good people leave the company either voluntarily or involuntarily, over the last several months. We remain firmly committed to treating all current and former employees with respect and dignity. We strongly object to Ms. Zigman and KSDK’s insensitive treatment and we have made our views clear to their management.
While nobody likes negative stories, many other media outlets have displayed balance and professionalism in their coverage, which will always merit our cooperation and respect. The group featured in Ms. Zigman’s story conducted a cost-effective, authorized meeting and was involved in no “corporate greed,” as claimed.
We appreciate the hard work and dedication of our employees – including this group – during a most uncertain period. We measure ourselves by our performance as a team, which has been outstanding, and we count ourselves fortunate to work in a great industry and at a great company with so many exceptional people.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to this company.
Dave Peacock Jim Brickey
President Vice President – People
sorry, cantor, meant to sign the above with my pseudomoniker.
I try to save the other for important and weighty issues.
skoolin’
(aka obamatard)
WEAK KSDK. So what they went out on a boat and paid for bud light for the people who think lake ozark is a fun trip. Feel free. Sounds like a trip I would “have to miss” as my daughter has a volleyball game that day…which day you say oh ummm both. boring trip and completely meaningless report by bleach blonde I am very cosmopolitan because I spell Lisa Leisa. At least J McWilliams still got something to show his boss and now we all get to rag on sloppy ksdk. I can’t wait for the little kids at the end of the newscast to make the 5/1 with the one finger in the middle.
Pure and simple pandering! What’s next .. Lisa in a mini-skirt or something with a plunging neckline? And no, I don’t work for AB or InBev.