Right-wing hate radio has seen a listener bump since Donald Trump became the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party. Even Rush Limbaugh has more listeners these days, but he's not getting any more revenue for it.
Why? Because advertisers won't touch him with a ten-foot pole. They won't touch him because they don't want to be associated with his hate speech, and haven't wanted to since he ranted against Sandra Fluke back in 2012.
I think it's interesting that in this segment with Brian Stelter and Ethan Epstein, both of them are surprised that Rushbo's misogynist outburst toward Fluke still has a reach today. To both of these guys, Fluke was a one-note wonder who was really no one until Rush made her into a sex-crazed monster of 2012. However, it is the depth and breadth of Limbaugh's misogyny that still resonates today.
They shouldn't be. Rush Limbaugh has every right in this country to be as hateful as he wants, but advertisers don't have to line up to associate with that hate. As is clear from this segment, they definitely aren't interested in having ties like that.
Via Raw Story:
On Sunday, CNN host Brian Stetler marveled at the fact and asked pressed writer Ethan Epstein, “This is a rare sort of ad boycott that has had a long-term effect. ”
“That’s exactly right, Brian,” replied Epstein. “Four years ago is like an eternity in the media universe. I’m sure those people haven’t even thought of Sandra Fluke.”
“What’s amazing is that, after all of those companies came out and announced they were going to boycott the Limbaugh show, they stuck by it,” he continued. “They never came back for the most part, and that has had a serious deleterious effect on his business.
So the question at this point really is whether Rush will remain on the air, and at what price? His big fat contract is up, and iHeart Radio is running on stems and seeds right now. So will he pull a Glenn Beck, and strike out on the Internet or satellite radio? And if so, who will fill the hole for all those little radio stations out in the heartland who put Rush on blast every day for the ever-diminishing group of haters?
Stay tuned for the next episode, folks.
