Trial was slated to begin Monday until move
Disclaimer: Bubba The Love Sponge currently airs on AM 820 Tampa Bay as well as 98.3 FM Pinellas County. Both are owned by News Talk Florida’s parent company, Genesis Communications. The alleged events at issue in this trial occurred before this relationship began.
In another delay, the latest in a case entirely full of them, the much-publicized trial between Nielsen Audio and Bubba The Love Sponge has been delayed until July 23. Anticipating more requests for potential delays, the judge in the case has also informed both sides that they should expect a July 20 pre-trial hearing.
The case began in October of 2015, when Nielsen filed suit against Clem for ratings tampering. The specific claim is that Clem, when informed that one of his listeners had been selected as a Nielsen panelist, offered that listener money to manipulate the monitoring.
The legal team for Bubba—whose real name is Todd Alan Clem—had been suggesting they were unable to sort through upwards of 75,000 documents related to the case. The team has accused Nielsen of malicious action in the buildup to the trial.
The case presents some very interesting legal wrinkles. In 2015, Bubba issued what could potentially be construed to be an apology for the behavior Nielsen alleges, and it will be a legal test to see if it is allowed in court. Likewise, the trial is likely to shed light on the practices of a company that could be said to have a legal monopoly in the field of ratings. Nielsen, which maintains a large presence in Oldsmar, has no competition in their business and is not often brought into the public eye.
Bubba The Love Sponge’s morning show airs on WWBA 820 Tampa Bay from 6-10 AM Monday through Friday.