Two local radio stations, in Hilo, Hawaii, and Pittsfield, Mass., have dropped Rush Limbaugh's show in the wake of an advertiser boycott of the conservative talk show host after he called a Georgetown University student a "slut" because she supported healthcare coverage for contraception.
It's too early to say whether Limbaugh will suffer the fate of Glenn Beck—who was ultimately banished from Fox News Channel after advertisers dropped his show when he called the president a racist.
But if the end ever comes for Limbaugh, this is what it would look like: A small drip of defections from his more marginal markets and sponsors, followed by a dam burst when major clients and supporters decide his audience is no longer worth the headaches it produces.
Peter Barry, Pittsfield's WBEC 1420 station chief, said:
"The nature of Rush's programming has always presented challenges for us and he's always pushed the envelope. But this time he's taken it too far."
Chris Leonard, boss of KPUA AM 670 said:
"The most recent incident has crossed a line of decency and a standard that we expect of programming on KPUA whether it is locally produced or a syndicated program like the Rush Limbaugh show."
If Limbaugh did lose his distributors, it would not be a disaster. He could simply do exactly what Beck did, which was to move his operations to the web where he would be less likely to draw fire from a more carefully targeted audience.
Stay tuned (as they say)!
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See Also:
- Rush Limbaugh Says He's 'Fine' With His Advertisers Dropping Like Flies
- UPDATE: AOL And 11 Other Advertisers Boycotted Rush Limbaugh Today
- These Companies Are Still Advertising On Rush Limbaugh's Show