Under most guidelines, hosts can not appear in newscasts and in productions run by the sales department at the same time, due to ethical concerns about sponsorships influencing newscasts.
The sales department requested extensions to the storyline, buoyed up by very strong sales on the book at a time when most other comics were experiencing a noticeable decline.
Political infighting within the sales department and its multiple regional vice presidents allegedly led to resignations and terminations of a number of highly qualified sales and marketing people.