Wednesday, July 10, 2013 8:26:17 PM
It's just so sad! 
Has Cumulus Media Already Thrown in the Towel on Rush Limbaugh
In early May, Rush Limbaugh spoke of the possibility that he would leave Cumulus Media when his contract with them expires at the end of this year. (Cumulus airs the controversial Rush Limbaugh Show on 36 stations across the country.) A much more likely scenario, however, is that Cumulus will be the one to drop Rush. Shortly after Limbaugh's public statements, Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey talked candidly about the cost of doing business with Limbaugh--millions of dollars in lost ad revenue due to advertisers' aversion to the right wing talk show host's frequent attacks on women and minorities.
Fast forward two months.
What volunteer monitors are hearing as they tune in to Cumulus stations may indicate that Cumulus has already decided to move on--and is now merely going through the motions.
Many Cumulus stations running the Rush Limbaugh Show are now airing massive numbers of public service announcements (PSAs). These PSAs are not paying ads--although Cumulus can claim them as tax deductions--they are informational ads created by non-profits or government organizations like HUD or the Department of Energy.
The going rate for ads on Rush Limbaugh is not public information, although one advertiser told a StopRush volunteer that, when he started advertising his business, ads on the Rush Limbaugh Show were incredibly expensive. Now he pays $30 per ad to be aired at an unspecified time during a 4 hour window and his ad is being played on Limbaugh's program.
One broader measure of the impact of the movement to remove financial support for Rush Limbaugh's bigoted program is how PSAs are springing up like mushrooms after a downpour.
For example, Monday's WLS/Chicago broadcast of the Rush Limbaugh Show ran 11 PSAs, while a show from November, 2011 (BF--Before Fluke) aired just over half that amount--6 PSAs which accounted for only 19% of the ads run on that episode of the show.
By contrast, some Cumulus stations are now running more than 60% PSAs during a program whose host just a few years ago boasted of "confiscatory ad rates."
Here are a few examples from the past few days:
WSBA, York, PA:
July 1: 62% of ads run were PSA
July 3: 64% PSA
WLWI, Montgomery, AL:
July 5: 61% PSA
July 8: 57% PSA
WALG in Albany, GA, ran a staggering 51 PSAs during the 3 hour show on July 8.
Even WABC/New York, often referred to as Cumulus's "flagship" station, ran just 2 ads for local businesses on Monday's show. The remaining ads were PSAs, parody ads, plugs for WABC's dog park event, and the usual ads that Premiere runs all across the nation for Lear Capital, Lifelock, erectile dysfunction treatments, etc.
Of course what goes on around the conference room table at Cumulus Media is anyone's guess. But the information being gathered on radio stations all across the country would indicate that Cumulus is having so much trouble getting advertisers to sign on to Limbaugh's toxic talk radio that they have decided not to even bother any more.
Coming soon...Who's Rush Limbaugh's most faithful advertiser? The answer may surprise you.
Interested in helping StopRush? Find out how after the break.
Decent folks who believe in tolerance and equality are no longer powerless against Limbaugh's efforts to spread intolerance on the radio. StopRush is making a major impact by convincing advertisers on this show to withdraw their ads--and with your help we can do even more. Just a few emails, tweets, or Facebook messages a week to Limbaugh's advertisers can go a long way toward making hatred less profitable. It is our collective voice that makes us strong.
Want to do something hold Limbaugh accountable?
Join StopRush! We can use your help in the following ways:
Join: The Flush Rush Facebook community
Visit: The StopRush sponsor database
Tweet: #stoprush Twitter campaign
Fact Check: Limbaugh Lie Debunking Site
Install: ThinkContext StopRush browser extension--notifies you as you browse which companies advertise on Rush
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/10/1222299/-Has-Cumulus-Media-Already-Thrown-in-the-Towel-on-Rush-Limbaugh
Has Cumulus Media Already Thrown in the Towel on Rush Limbaugh
In early May, Rush Limbaugh spoke of the possibility that he would leave Cumulus Media when his contract with them expires at the end of this year. (Cumulus airs the controversial Rush Limbaugh Show on 36 stations across the country.) A much more likely scenario, however, is that Cumulus will be the one to drop Rush. Shortly after Limbaugh's public statements, Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey talked candidly about the cost of doing business with Limbaugh--millions of dollars in lost ad revenue due to advertisers' aversion to the right wing talk show host's frequent attacks on women and minorities.
Fast forward two months.
What volunteer monitors are hearing as they tune in to Cumulus stations may indicate that Cumulus has already decided to move on--and is now merely going through the motions.
Many Cumulus stations running the Rush Limbaugh Show are now airing massive numbers of public service announcements (PSAs). These PSAs are not paying ads--although Cumulus can claim them as tax deductions--they are informational ads created by non-profits or government organizations like HUD or the Department of Energy.
The going rate for ads on Rush Limbaugh is not public information, although one advertiser told a StopRush volunteer that, when he started advertising his business, ads on the Rush Limbaugh Show were incredibly expensive. Now he pays $30 per ad to be aired at an unspecified time during a 4 hour window and his ad is being played on Limbaugh's program.
One broader measure of the impact of the movement to remove financial support for Rush Limbaugh's bigoted program is how PSAs are springing up like mushrooms after a downpour.
For example, Monday's WLS/Chicago broadcast of the Rush Limbaugh Show ran 11 PSAs, while a show from November, 2011 (BF--Before Fluke) aired just over half that amount--6 PSAs which accounted for only 19% of the ads run on that episode of the show.
By contrast, some Cumulus stations are now running more than 60% PSAs during a program whose host just a few years ago boasted of "confiscatory ad rates."
Here are a few examples from the past few days:
WSBA, York, PA:
July 1: 62% of ads run were PSA
July 3: 64% PSA
WLWI, Montgomery, AL:
July 5: 61% PSA
July 8: 57% PSA
WALG in Albany, GA, ran a staggering 51 PSAs during the 3 hour show on July 8.
Even WABC/New York, often referred to as Cumulus's "flagship" station, ran just 2 ads for local businesses on Monday's show. The remaining ads were PSAs, parody ads, plugs for WABC's dog park event, and the usual ads that Premiere runs all across the nation for Lear Capital, Lifelock, erectile dysfunction treatments, etc.
Of course what goes on around the conference room table at Cumulus Media is anyone's guess. But the information being gathered on radio stations all across the country would indicate that Cumulus is having so much trouble getting advertisers to sign on to Limbaugh's toxic talk radio that they have decided not to even bother any more.
Coming soon...Who's Rush Limbaugh's most faithful advertiser? The answer may surprise you.
Interested in helping StopRush? Find out how after the break.
Decent folks who believe in tolerance and equality are no longer powerless against Limbaugh's efforts to spread intolerance on the radio. StopRush is making a major impact by convincing advertisers on this show to withdraw their ads--and with your help we can do even more. Just a few emails, tweets, or Facebook messages a week to Limbaugh's advertisers can go a long way toward making hatred less profitable. It is our collective voice that makes us strong.
Want to do something hold Limbaugh accountable?
Join StopRush! We can use your help in the following ways:
Join: The Flush Rush Facebook community
Visit: The StopRush sponsor database
Tweet: #stoprush Twitter campaign
Fact Check: Limbaugh Lie Debunking Site
Install: ThinkContext StopRush browser extension--notifies you as you browse which companies advertise on Rush
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/10/1222299/-Has-Cumulus-Media-Already-Thrown-in-the-Towel-on-Rush-Limbaugh
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