Where's RUSH?

[Holland Cooke]

Defensive op-ed penned by crisis management consultant Bain brought in:
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74307.html

Can't Rush speak for himself?

 

[del_griffith]

I guess momma Bain decided that little Rush couldn't speak for himself. And when he did, it would be with his damage and reputation control brother's talking points.

 

[del_griffith]

Isn't he essentially claiming without stating it that Media Matters and Brock are doing the same thing to Rush that the AFA and conservative talking head do every year with their War on Christmas campaign?

 

[borderblaster]

I would say, for what it may or may not be worth, let Rush do his show and let the spokesperson do what he was hired to do...take on the activists. The piece is correct...local advertisers and stations are being harrassed by people who don't even live in the state, let alone be listeners or customers. The attack plan was sitting in a drawer at Media Matters waiting for the right moment.

I see the tweets go by directed at Dayton, Ohio advertisers every day, and people "advising" WHIO to pick up Huckabee (wow, liberals get to pick the replacement. That'll be great for Huckabee). They don't realize that in the extremely unlikely event that WHIO caves, Clear Channel would instantly flip it's low-rated sports station, WONE to News/Talk and put Limbaugh there. I'm familiar with another local market where a new advertiser bought Rush's show with a message about supporting the First Amendment, with a tag line something like "You're going to attack me for being on this show? Bring it on!"

Maybe we'll eventually have Republican convenience stores and Democratic convenience stores, but I digress.

 

[Holland Cooke]

From Brock's Politico column:

“There is a myth that advertiser actions, like those now targeted at Rush Limbaugh, impinge on his constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech. The truth is just the opposite: They are a demonstration of the power of the First Amendment...We are not a government entity attempting to stifle Limbaugh’s speech. Instead we are using our right of free assembly to join together and raise our voices against Limbaugh."

 

[del_griffith]

The same free speech Donald Wildmon used and now son Tim against Target, Macy's, JC Penny, Sears and many other retailers every holiday season. Or the current boycott against Home Depot adn JC Penny among others.

 

[MC]

All of it is great, MRC, Media Matters, this group that group. And advertisers are fair game one way or another.

 

[HotTalker]

I love the part that this boycott has been in the words for three years. But it's about what Rush said....suuuuuuuure.

Keep pandering to these media mafioso types. Just don't expect me to defend you when they come for you.

We are not a government entity attempting to stifle Limbaugh’s speech.

No, you're just inciting your followers to challenge the FCC licenses of his stations. Stop lying, David Brock.

 

[Holland Cooke]

How's YOUR Public File?

Keep pandering to these media mafioso types. Just don't expect me to defend you when they come for you.

An FCC attorney in our presence?
Then you KNOW the lyrics...

Bad boys, bad boys. What'cha gonna do when they come for you...and your inadequately-maintained Public File?

 

[borderblaster]

Tell me what activist groups would even know what to look for let alone how to file a complaint that would get the FCC to the station's door any quicker than they would otherwise.

 

[Holland Cooke]

Tell me what activist groups would even know what to look for let alone how to file a complaint that would get the FCC to the station's door any quicker than they would otherwise.

It's largely anonymous here, but your question suggests that you're not a licensee.

Admittedly-dated-reference, circa 80s, when I was at WTOP: National Black Media Coalition president Pluria Marshall was quoted in trade press, responding to suggestions that his-group's-doing-so was "Abuse of Process." Reminding that the public owns the airwaves, he characterized it as "USE of process."

Don't blame Mitt Romney if he hardly pays any taxes.
He's simply playing-by THOSE rules.
The Rules are The Rules.

 

[MC]

I thought I heard Rush say he did not even have an agent to negotiate his contracts? Now a spokesperson?

If Media Matters was lurking in the background, getting ready to "pounce" on the hapless "prey" of poor old Rush, then why didn't the "all seeing, all-knowing ma-ha Rush" have effective counter measures ready to go to repel that attack? It seems like he was caught "doe-eyed."

Unless that was what the "Rush" tea drink was all about?

 

[Holland Cooke]

RE "Now a spokesperson? "

IMAGINE how that must gnaw at him?
"Now it begins..."

If Media Matters was lurking in the background, getting ready to "pounce" on the hapless "prey" of poor old Rush, then why didn't the "all seeing, all-knowing ma-ha Rush" have effective counter measures ready to go to repel that attack?

DIABOLICAL, wasn't it?
For THREE YEARS, Media Matters plotted how-they'd-get Rush to call that young woman names for three days.
DIABOLICAL.

NO NAMES: I asked a the longtime radio network exec I got good-N-drunk @ dinner last night: "Is Limbaugh over-the-worst-of-it...or IS this story closer-to-the-beginning-than-the-end?"

Short version: "You have NO idea how this has [expletive deleted]-up radio."

 

[del_griffith]

Tell me what activist groups would even know what to look for let alone how to file a complaint that would get the FCC to the station's door any quicker than they would otherwise.

It's largely anonymous here, but your question suggests that you're not a licensee.

Admittedly-dated-reference, circa 80s, when I was at WTOP: National Black Media Coalition president Pluria Marshall was quoted in trade press, responding to suggestions that his-group's-doing-so was "Abuse of Process." Reminding that the public owns the airwaves, he characterized it as "USE of process."

Don't blame Mitt Romney if he hardly pays any taxes.
He's simply playing-by THOSE rules.
The Rules are The Rules.

Wouldn't Rush's comments likely fall under the personal attack rules?

Personal Attacks. Personal attacks occur when, during the presentation of views on a
controversial issue of public importance, someone attacks the honesty, character, integrity,
or like personal qualities of an identified person or group. No more than a week after a
personal attack, the station must transmit the following three things to the person or group
attacked: (1) notification of the date, time, and identification of the broadcast; (2) a tape,
script or accurate summary of the attack; and (3) an offer of a reasonable opportunity to
respond on the air.

http://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Factsheets/pubbroad.pdf on page 9.

I don't know how this applies to individual stations when it originated from a network source.

 

[Holland Cooke]

About "seminar callers" Limbaugh -- and now, the fixer his owner's owner brought in -- whine about:

Has time/place of even ONE such event ever been documented?

 

[MC]

I don't listen to that much talk radio, but I do remember Rush said or implied that people should not patronize sponsors that dropped him (or don't want to advertise in the same time slot as his show.) Also, he did say he would not "let the Sacramento bed store, that was with him from the the start of his career back as an advertiser."

Therefore, does Rush or his supporters have good grounds to complain about pressure tactics by Media Matters, when Rush seems to be running a "counter boycott."

Didn't another radio/TV personality have a "boycott against France" a while back??

 

[microbob]

Rush Limbaugh offers to buy Dick Cheney's old Heart to use as a good luck charm....

 

[Silkie]

I love the part that this boycott has been in the words for three years. But it's about what Rush said....suuuuuuuure.

Keep pandering to these media mafioso types. Just don't expect me to defend you when they come for you.

We are not a government entity attempting to stifle Limbaugh’s speech.

No, you're just inciting your followers to challenge the FCC licenses of his stations. Stop lying, David Brock.

And won't it be interesting when one of those stations engages the services of a good, solid antitrust attorney!

 

[vchimpanzee]

I thought this was going to be about his absence.

Two weeks ago I was in the car at the start of his show, something that is not usually true, and I decided to listen. I was so disappointed when it turned out he had a substitute host and I went back to my classic country music, which I actually like better.

This past Monday I was in the car at the time, and his show began as usual, with the man himself telling us all about the exciting stuff coming up. That's more like it! It sounded like that was his first day back. There's just no substitute. I ddn't listen for very long because I didn't have anything to listen on when I arrived at my destination. The truth Is I don't listen for that long except when returning from the beach, when there just isn't anything else worth hearing.

I wonder if his "vacation" was planned before his incident.

 

[HotTalker]

Re: RE "Now a spokesperson? "

DIABOLICAL, wasn't it?
For THREE YEARS, Media Matters plotted how-they'd-get Rush to call that young woman names for three days.
DIABOLICAL.

You know better than this. Media Matters, and their counterpart on the Right, the Media Research Council (or PTC for TV shows) have contingency plans in place for anytime one of their targets slips up. Plug the host's name and offending words into a form email and immediately send it out to thousands of drones who will call talk radio shows and post on Facebook about how bad X or Y host is.

Then the empty suits in media who aren't as successful as the guy being attacked are the next to jump on the train. All of a sudden, they can validate their own lack of success by bringing down someone else a notch.

Finally, the professional advocates and talking heads join in. They're paid to have an opinion to fill a few minutes of aforementioned media failure's radio or TV show.

The speed at which all of this can be done has been reduced to mere hours. It's scary to think that 2 or 3 people with a big email list and a grudge against certain media figures can shape the entire landscape of American radio or TV. Let's not pretend that Rush will be the end of it. Even if MM had won, and it looks like they haven't, they'd just keep the email form open and have volunteers listening for the next host to slip up and say something they can twist into their agenda. It's disgusting to me how so few people can have so much power, and no one ever calls them out on it.