San Antonio’s iHeartMedia will pay $65,000 to settle claim it aired misleading Google phone ads

San Antonio-based radio conglomerate iHeartMedia Inc. agreed to a $65,000 settlement with Texas Attorney General’s Office over ads it aired promoting the Google Pixel 4 smartphone, according to the state’s top law-enforcement official.

The settlement comes less than a month after iHeartMedia struck a deal to pay $400,000 to resolve Federal Trade Commission allegations that it deceptively advertised the same Google device.

Both the feds and Texas officials accused iHeartMedia disc jockeys of recording testimonials about their personal experiences with the Pixel 4 despite never having used it. The spots were broadcast in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston markets, according to the AG’s office.

In addition to its payout to the Texas AG, iHeartMedia agreed to cooperate with the  office on all other investigations related to the marketing of the Google Pixel 4, according to the statement.   

The Texas AG’s office filed its suit against iHeartMedia on Monday, Nov. 28 in state District Court in San Antonio.

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This article appears in Dec 14-27, 2022.