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Rush Spots, the truth please

I've said this before, I'll say it again: Those "do not air in controversial programming" mandates are ancient. Traffic departments have been getting those letters a few times a year from every barter spot supplier forever. The Dial Global traffic instructions actually say it right on them, every time.

That's a non-story.

As for the highly biased and super sketchy media matters report, that's almost certainly the stream. Find me one other source that doesn't use the Media Matters story to back it up.
 
reelyreal said:
I've said this before, I'll say it again: Those "do not air in controversial programming" mandates are ancient. Traffic departments have been getting those letters a few times a year from every barter spot supplier forever. The Dial Global traffic instructions actually say it right on them, every time.

That's a non-story.

As for the highly biased and super sketchy media matters report, that's almost certainly the stream. Find me one other source that doesn't use the Media Matters story to back it up.

Really? And they've mentioned those same hosts as toxic to sponsors in the past? Funny, I've worked in broadcasting for over 35 years and have never heard of such a mandate. Live & Learn.
 
R.F. Burns said:
Oh, as Columbo used to say, just one more thing: http://thinkprogress.org/media/2012/03/12/442673/141-companies-advertisng-rush-limbaugh/

I realize that the site is most likely politically opposed to Limbaugh but the truth is the truth.
And Rush's pix, out of focus, with sinister eyes, and "Fluke" in a more formal position, with her picture in focus, is not showing any bias, either.

Since Rush was in Florida and not in New York, the computer was controlling the OTA over 770 and misfiring the next element. If not, if there was an employee in the studio, there was a blatant disregard for the OTA and that speaks volumes about how that person was trying to amplify the loss of advertisers by not playing even PSA's or promos to avoid dead air. We would all agree, the last thing you want is dead air. It would be quite juvenile, but I've seen the temper tantrums, before. It is common.

Of course, all of this assumes that the dead air were not coincidental with other genuine technical glitches. "Murphy" has been known to rear his ugly head at the most inopportune moments.

We have seen all this before. 24 years is a long time. Rush has lost advertisers before. Look at the Orange Juice controversy in 1994, boy, if that wasn't slanderous against Rush. How about the purposeful misinterpreting of the "Donovan McNabb" comments taking a swipe at the sports geeks.

Advertisers are skittish. As soon as this starts to die down, most will be back. And since Rush's contract doesn't expire until 2016, there is plenty of time for the truth to come out.

I believe Rush to be of much higher character than any of his "detractors", anyway.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
"I believe Rush to be of much higher character than any of his "detractors", anyway."

Jeff that speaks volumes about you!
 
max88 said:
"I believe Rush to be of much higher character than any of his "detractors", anyway."

Jeff that speaks volumes about you!
Thank you for noticing.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
hubcity said:
badjef said:
The business of radio should not be confused with the vehicle of radio.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

I fail to see what a friendly stranger in a black sedan has to do with any of this.

Wait, wait...the Ides Of March are coming up in three days. Are you a prophet?

/et tu?
 
hubcity said:
hubcity said:
badjef said:
The business of radio should not be confused with the vehicle of radio.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
I fail to see what a friendly stranger in a black sedan has to do with any of this.

Wait, wait...the Ides Of March are coming up in three days. Are you a prophet?

/et tu?
No, I drive a taxi.

I love that song. It does remind me of an oldies show on WHTG, though.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
hubcity said:
If I remember correctly, those barter spots run whether the program airs or not. But the fact that they are suspending the spots, except for Lear and Lifelock, may mean that Lear and Lifelock are standing solidly behind Premier. Advertisers are skittish!

Barter means they are traded. There is no money changing hands. It could be a lawn mover service or a car service.

This is getting exciting.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
R.F. Burns said:
reelyreal said:
I've said this before, I'll say it again: Those "do not air in controversial programming" mandates are ancient. Traffic departments have been getting those letters a few times a year from every barter spot supplier forever. The Dial Global traffic instructions actually say it right on them, every time.

That's a non-story.

As for the highly biased and super sketchy media matters report, that's almost certainly the stream. Find me one other source that doesn't use the Media Matters story to back it up.


Really? And they've mentioned those same hosts as toxic to sponsors in the past? Funny, I've worked in broadcasting for over 35 years and have never heard of such a mandate. Live & Learn.

The traffic orders that come from Dial Global only mention Michael Savage by name, but they do say "do not air in Michael Savage or in or adjacent to controversial programming." Here's an example of the Dial Global barter sheets that come from Toby Arnold for their imaging services, these are actually from back in 2008:

http://www.taamusic.com/english/archive/12.29.08/TAA1M0109.pdf

The Premiere barter sheets have almost the same exact wording.
 
These go back to at least the late 1990s, I remember them from working at Metro Networks, and ads would specify "no controversial programming" and name Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern and others. Sometimes we'd get instructions about no Lottery ads or alcohol ads on religious stations (though that was a given, instructions or not.). There were also the infamous "no urban" dictates which are technically illegal now.
 
So Monday comes and goes, and Mark Steyn fills in for Rush, joking that Rush gave himself a suspension and is playing golf.

Meanwhile, according to the link I posted last night from Radio-Info.com, Premiere chooses this moment to:

- tell its news/talk affiliates not to run its barter spots for two weeks.

- follows up by saying "This memo was sent to traffic managers of news/talk affiliates as part of Premiere’s overall strategy to update our processes and services to better meet our clients’ needs."...but it had to happen now, apparently.

This sort of thing *hasn't* been happening since the 90's, has it?
 
Listen to WABC and the Limbaugh show. Write down the ads that air (on the air, not the Net). See that there are very few paid ads. It has nothing to do with Media Matters other than they are pointing out the obvious.

The 24-54 female demographic makes lots of buying decisions. Huckabee is already going to replace Rush in many markets anyway. Limbaugh has told listeners that the sponsors that dropped him should not be patronized. That is not liked by advertisers. So take out ads during the Limbaugh show, then stop the ads and you are subject to Limbaugh telling listeners not to patronize your company?

Suspending ads is just a way to hide the fact that Limbaugh is losing ads. Even the Heart Association did not want free ads placed during the Limbaugh show.
 
Listened to Rush on-air on my local affiliate. All the network stop sets were filled by paying ads. The normal spots were also airing during the station avails. The only ads not airing are the ones Rush did "Live" during the program itself, not in the network stop-sets. It all sounds like business as usual, just minus the add-ins.
 
MC said:
Limbaugh has told listeners that the sponsors that dropped him should not be patronized.
When did he say that? What day? what hour?

I am a listener and I heard no such statement.

That is not something Rush would say. In fact, I've heard the opposite over the years, and how those sponsors were appreciated for their business on the program.

Sponsors dropped the program over the years, there were never any negative statements by Rush with regard to sponsors or former sponsors. There has been the opposite with regard to Apple products since Rush is a Mac-head and they have never paid for any mentions.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
badjef said:
MC said:
Limbaugh has told listeners that the sponsors that dropped him should not be patronized.
When did he say that? What day? what hour?

I am a listener and I heard no such statement.

That is not something Rush would say. In fact, I've heard the opposite over the years, and how those sponsors were appreciated for their business on the program.

Sponsors dropped the program over the years, there were never any negative statements by Rush with regard to sponsors or former sponsors. There has been the opposite with regard to Apple products since Rush is a Mac-head and they have never paid for any mentions.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

While he didn't specifically say to not patronize those businesses, he did say on his Monday, March 5th program:

"To offer their products and services to you through this venue is the best opportunity that they have ever had to advertise their wares... They've decided they don't want you or your business anymore. So be it."
 
badjef said:
R.F. Burns said:
OK How about this? http://www.businessinsider.com/rush-limbaugh-broadcast-5-minutes-of-dead-air-yesterday-2012-3

I listened to a stop set today and he had one spot for a gold compny that's obviously on a per inquiry arrangment. The rest were promos and PSA's and that was OTA on WABC.
As I've told others, if this loss of advertisers goes on for a few weeks he'll start losing stations.
Any loss of station will soon realize, he was why there was any listening to the station at all!

Webstreams and computers are oblivious to dead air until it is x number of seconds. That assumes there is anybody in the room of the building in which the feed is piped.

Knee jerk reactions are what we are seeing.

What about Rush, himself? When will he retire? Or will he stick around for the next 20 years and become a Paul Harvey corpse? The inevitability is a world without Rush on the radio. But When?

It won't be now. This will blow over, since he said nothing wrong to begin with.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

Um, Jeff, darlin...I think the advertisers may disagree with you about that last point...... :D
 
reelyreal said:
badjef said:
MC said:
Limbaugh has told listeners that the sponsors that dropped him should not be patronized.
When did he say that? What day? what hour?

I am a listener and I heard no such statement.

That is not something Rush would say. In fact, I've heard the opposite over the years, and how those sponsors were appreciated for their business on the program.

Sponsors dropped the program over the years, there were never any negative statements by Rush
with regard to sponsors or former sponsors. There has been the opposite with regard to Apple products since Rush is a Mac-head and they have never paid for any mentions.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

While he didn't specifically say to not patronize those businesses, he did say on his Monday, March 5th program:

"To offer their products and services to you through this venue is the best opportunity that they have ever had to advertise their wares... They've decided they don't want you or your business anymore. So be it."
That is quite different a statement than someone coming on the air and saying not to patronize their business.

There is a reality here, and then there is fantasyland. Fantasyland belongs in Orlando and Anaheim. It does not belong in the journalistic media. If you do not understand Rush Limbaugh, that is your ignorance and not anybody else's.

The slander and mischaracterizations about Rush have perpetuated out of laziness by those "Page 1" people.

Don't be a "Page 1" person.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!
 
badjef said:
reelyreal said:
badjef said:
MC said:
Limbaugh has told listeners that the sponsors that dropped him should not be patronized.
When did he say that? What day? what hour?

I am a listener and I heard no such statement.

That is not something Rush would say. In fact, I've heard the opposite over the years, and how those sponsors were appreciated for their business on the program.

Sponsors dropped the program over the years, there were never any negative statements by Rush
with regard to sponsors or former sponsors. There has been the opposite with regard to Apple products since Rush is a Mac-head and they have never paid for any mentions.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

While he didn't specifically say to not patronize those businesses, he did say on his Monday, March 5th program:

"To offer their products and services to you through this venue is the best opportunity that they have ever had to advertise their wares... They've decided they don't want you or your business anymore. So be it."
That is quite different a statement than someone coming on the air and saying not to patronize their business.

There is a reality here, and then there is fantasyland. Fantasyland belongs in Orlando and Anaheim. It does not belong in the journalistic media. If you do not understand Rush Limbaugh, that is your ignorance and not anybody else's.

The slander and mischaracterizations about Rush have perpetuated out of laziness by those "Page 1" people.

Don't be a "Page 1" person.

Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta!

If you're talking to me, I resent that. I never claimed Rush said not to patronize businesses. I posted what he said, and that's up for interpretation.

There are "Page 1" people, and there are Kool-Aid drinkers. You're coming off as a Kool-Aid drinker. I don't think Rush is dead in the water. I think his show will continue. I think people really believe what he says. I believe in his right to say what he says. I also believe that he's a total prick and that divisive talk by anyone, not just Rush, does nothing to help anyone. But hey, he can do whatever he wants, and rights can continue to hate the left, and the left can continue to hate the right. It's doing nothing to help this country, and it's doing nothing to help the radio business.
 
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