Shock jock, former TNA personality and Hulk Hogan friend Bubba “The Love Sponge” Clem is off the air in Florida after being accused of possible ratings tampering. Billboard reports that Nielsen is investigating claims of ratings tampering in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater market, where Bubba’s show airs, and is delaying the release of ratings data for the market while it investigates.
Nielsen and Beasley Media released a statement which read, “We became aware of evidence of attempted ratings distortion activity in the Tampa market. We are working to resolve this issue and will provide additional details when they become available. Nielsen is committed to maintaining the highest standards of data integrity and acts swiftly to ensure that those standards are upheld.”
Clem told FOX 13 in Tampa that he was unaware of the allegations or investigation, and said that he was off the air after injuring himself in a fall. Nielsen determines ratings via a listening device that looks like a pager, known as a “portable people meter,” on people in a household. The identities of those people are intended to remain secret and panelists are switched out every eighteen months to safeguard against tampering, which often involves someone in the sample being identified and being induced to listen to a specific program. Because ad rates are set off of ratings in a similar way to how TV works, even a slight rise in rating could equate to hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad revenue over the course of a year.
Clem has been in the news due to his involvement in the Hulk Hogan sex tape lawsuit and controversy; the tape was filmed at his house between Hogan and Clem’s wife. Hogan initially sued the Clems for invasion of privacy along with Gawker media, but settled with the two.
