Google paid millions to radio hosts to endorse the Pixel 4 — even though they hadn’t used it

Google shared scripts for the hosts to read. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Google and iHeartMedia are settling with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and seven state attorneys general for allegedly paying radio hosts to read endorsements of the Pixel 4 when the hosts hadn’t actually used the phone. Google allegedly paid more than $2.6 million to iHeartRadio and almost $2 million “in connection with eleven smaller radio networks” for the deceptive ads endorsing the Pixel 4.

For the ads, Google provided scripts for hosts to read on air, which typically bega...