Sub-titled: "Situations not of their doing: The events that make news-talk programmers and sales managers prematurely gray." Rush Limbaugh, arguably America's best known conservative radio talk show host, last week created a firestorm with his crude comments about a Georgetown law student. Conservatives and liberals have called Limbaugh's comments despicable and insulting. A friend, conservative and father of two daughters, was appalled and furious. Limbaugh has offered an apology, however flaccid. At this writing, at least seven national sponsors have pulled their commercials from Limbaugh's show. What impact will Limbaugh's comments and reaction to those comments have on local advertisers who buy time in his show on WBEN and WHAM, especially those clients represented by agencies?
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Will Local Clients Flee Limbaugh
- Thread starter JustPastBuffalo
- Start date
What I find paricularly interesting is how many people are defending Rush while having never actually heard the testimony of the young woman.
People are assuming that his recounting of the content of her testimony is factual, but debate whether his choice of words was appropriate. The problem is, he LIED about what she actually said! Then he went on to slander her.
Definitely a new low for El Rushbo.
I'm not sure how many, if any, local sponsors he may lose. The station pushes Twitter pretty hard now and ironically, that is the prime vehicle being used to target sponsors for a boycott of his show.
Anybody care to guess whether Beach & Bauerle will defend what he said and/or reinforce the misinformation about her testimony to gather some support for him?
People are assuming that his recounting of the content of her testimony is factual, but debate whether his choice of words was appropriate. The problem is, he LIED about what she actually said! Then he went on to slander her.
Definitely a new low for El Rushbo.
I'm not sure how many, if any, local sponsors he may lose. The station pushes Twitter pretty hard now and ironically, that is the prime vehicle being used to target sponsors for a boycott of his show.
Anybody care to guess whether Beach & Bauerle will defend what he said and/or reinforce the misinformation about her testimony to gather some support for him?
Over the years, I've heard Beach and Bauerle mention their daughters in passing. It's doubtful B & B would defend Limbaugh or his crass comments. Then again, there's that "freedom of speech" thing that so many conservatives raise in times such as these. Would any local talk show host want to hear his daughter vilified as a "slut" and "prostitute" by America's Anchorman, let alone hear his need to "watch the videos posted on line." Perverse. It might be worth a listen, just to hear if it's on their radar and how they frame the issue.
It's amazing how far Limbaugh has fallen in his 25 years on the air -- maybe not in audience size, but certainly in quality. I was a big fan when he started. It was the era of Bush I. Since he was aligned with the president, he had to find other ways than politics to appeal to his audience. His updates were especially creative. His downfall started when Clinton was elected. He focused exclusively on the man in the White House, dropping many of the things that made his show fun to listen to. I listened much less. Today, Limbaugh is nothing more than a tired old, right-wing extremist gas bag. His arguments are weak. And within the past six months, I have refused to listen to even five minutes. I can't stand even hearing that voice. I'll listen for the WBEN news updates and immediately change the station when they're over. The events of the past week sicken me. Every father of a young adult daughter should be outraged. I wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Limbaugh. I suppose he'll survive this. And his numbers will probably spike today because listeners will want to hear him talk about his weekend apology. But I won't be listening.
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Bob1370
Guest
Limbaugh now is not what or who he was 20 years ago. When he started as a national act he was irreverent, iconoclastic and funny, not as mean-spirited as he appears today--and certainly not so full of himself that he thought he could get away with crossing the border clearly from satire to slander. He'd take on the big shots, not pick on private citizens he had an issue with.
The Limbaugh of 1990 is someone radio misses. But he's been gone a long, long time. The Limbaugh of 2012 is a totally different creature.
Give Howard Stern credit...as big as he's gotten, he always picks on people his own size rather than beating up on the little guy and that's why he still draws millions of people who pay for the privilege of hearing him--and why conventional terrestrial radio misses him.
The Limbaugh of 1990 is someone radio misses. But he's been gone a long, long time. The Limbaugh of 2012 is a totally different creature.
Give Howard Stern credit...as big as he's gotten, he always picks on people his own size rather than beating up on the little guy and that's why he still draws millions of people who pay for the privilege of hearing him--and why conventional terrestrial radio misses him.
Bob1370 said:
Stern and Limbaugh, I put them both in the same catagory, Trash Talk I can do without. I don't miss either one of them.
Limbaugh isn't stupid, maybe just full of himself and looking for more press to make the ratings go up. Nothing like a scandal to get everyone tuning in.
Hmmm, I'm thinking if sponsors do pull out and the show does become less profitable, Cumulus will be the first to drop him. I know they are trying to promote Huckabee. A show they own and would net in all the profits. If this would happen Rush would lose his affiliates in NYC, L. A. & Chicago. His show would, obviously, be picked up elsewhere but on less significant signals. Therefore, causing less revenue. It could be the beginning of the end.
Interesting that Bob and Mike bring Howard Stern into this discussion.
I've felt for some time that Rush has regularly taken a page from the Howard Stern's "broadcasting manual".
Do or say something outrageous from time to time to create some controversy, get your show some outside media coverage and a possible short-term ratings boost. If you look back over Limbaugh's history, you realize that he's done this many times in the past.
Will this be the last time? Some people think that he went too far and this could be his downfall. Wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit if Rush took his millions and faded into the Palm Beach, Florida sunset, but I doubt that he'll be leaving the nation's airwaves over this latest flap.
As you might expect, Limbaugh fans I've talked to, some parents of young women, defend his point in this, but feel he went too far and overstepped his boundary by referring to the young lady in Washington as a "slut" and "prostitute".
No surprise there, eh?
I've felt for some time that Rush has regularly taken a page from the Howard Stern's "broadcasting manual".
Do or say something outrageous from time to time to create some controversy, get your show some outside media coverage and a possible short-term ratings boost. If you look back over Limbaugh's history, you realize that he's done this many times in the past.
Will this be the last time? Some people think that he went too far and this could be his downfall. Wouldn't hurt my feelings a bit if Rush took his millions and faded into the Palm Beach, Florida sunset, but I doubt that he'll be leaving the nation's airwaves over this latest flap.
As you might expect, Limbaugh fans I've talked to, some parents of young women, defend his point in this, but feel he went too far and overstepped his boundary by referring to the young lady in Washington as a "slut" and "prostitute".
No surprise there, eh?
G
GeorgeKramer
Guest
El Rushbo dropped by a station in Hawaii.
Now up to eight major advertisers have dropped national spots that aired during his show.
I think Limbaugh has had better Monday's than today.
Now up to eight major advertisers have dropped national spots that aired during his show.
I think Limbaugh has had better Monday's than today.
He probably had better Thursdays and Fridays, too. I read he apologized three times today. I heard only one, from what I gather, it was probably the second attempt. You could almost feel the desperation. He sounded distraught, but not because he was genuinely sorry for trashing an average citizen. He was shaken because eight large sponsors were heading for the doors. More than likely, he was bowing to the heaviest of heavy hitters in the republican party who might have contacted him over the weekend with the blunt words, "What the f**k do you think you're doing, ass#ole? If we lose this election, it's on YOU. Make it right. Fast."
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GeorgeKramer
Guest
My wife listened to almost the entire show and heard three apologies. Wow... I thought it would be one in the opening segment, and then move along with the show and get into Super Tuesday talks.
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Bob1370
Guest
"More than likely, he was bowing to the heaviest of heavy hitters in the republican party who might have contacted him over the weekend with the blunt words, "What the f**k do you think you're doing, ass#ole? If we lose this election, it's on YOU. Make it right. Fast."
Any guess as to which heavy hitter (now anywhere from six to thirteen points behind Obama in the latest national polls, and a partner in Clear Channel major stockholder Bain Capital) may have been on the other end of that phone call?
Any guess as to which heavy hitter (now anywhere from six to thirteen points behind Obama in the latest national polls, and a partner in Clear Channel major stockholder Bain Capital) may have been on the other end of that phone call?
GeorgeKramer said:
There are apologies and then there are "apologies". Limbaugh's were the latter, apologizing only for two specific words, which let the rest of his diatribe stand. The man makes his living as a wordsmith and obviously intended to use every word that he uttered. I don't know how many minutes out of three programs he spent delivering his offensive slime, but I don't think that redacting two offensive words from the total comes within a country mile of a real apology. By contrast, Ed Schultz almost a year ago showed genuine contrition for a single remark about Laura Ingraham, and recently Cal Thomas behaved like a true gentleman when he beat himself up in his own column after a tasteless joke he had made at the CPAC meeting at Rachel Maddow's expense. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the one Ms. Maddow showed on her program after they had lunched together spoke volumes about the spirit in which the apology was offered and accepted.
I think that local clients will differ from the national advertisers in that they will wait to follow, rather than lead, the audience. This probably means they will stick around for the moment, because I believe that Limbaugh's audience is an irreducible hard core. However, the rest of us count, too, like the dog that didn't bark. I have avoided Limbaugh and his clones from way back, and I now also avoid his station totally to register my objection to programming that shows utter disrespect to people like me. Just maybe, it may occur to the suits at the station and at corporate HQ that actively alienating half or more of your potential audience is not the best way to do business and attract sponsors.
listener-in said:
The suits in radio rarely if ever think past the current quarter. That is why they are completely comfortable catering to the niche they serve. Many talk stations, especially the ones without much competition, win many listeners by default, particularly if they have some heritage. Eventually though, the "normal" people will go elsewhere and the niche will leave by attrition. Then where does THAT leave the station?
The suits don't care, because that's tomorrow's problem. Of course, as anyone over 50 can tell you, tomorrow has a way of showing up when you least expect it.
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Bob1370
Guest
"tomorrow has a way of showing up when you least expect it."
This is the problem facing a lot of long-time format-dominant talk stations today. They built their positions in their respective markets back in the early 90s when they were grabbing 35-54 men by the truckload--The male audience born between about 1937 and 1957 were a money demo, and not only Limbaugh but a lot of local and national hosts sharing a schedule with him, owned that demo.
Trouble is, while they held onto that group all the way to today, they haven't managed to expand the audience either to younger men or to women. The audience that was 35-54 and a tasty target for advertisers then, is 55 to 75 now and a tough sell. Limbaugh's audience is typical. Pew Research has just done one of the few in-depth analyses of all the talkers, and found out his listeners are almost 3/4 men, and overwhelmingly 50-plus. It's been drifting that way for years and it's only going to get worse. It's a symptom of the overall aging of talk radio's appeal...and it's something they need to do something about FAST. New blood, new ideas, new voices that take you beyond the culture wars of the 90s will be needed if talk is to fulfill its potential. CBS made an abortive try twice, first in the 90s with WNEW-FM in New York and then a half-dozen years ago with the "Free Radio" experiment across the country after Howard Stern took the money and ran to the satellite. But now it's time for someone to try it for the long haul and stick with it until the formula is found. A market like Buffalo or Rochester might be a good laboratory.
This is the problem facing a lot of long-time format-dominant talk stations today. They built their positions in their respective markets back in the early 90s when they were grabbing 35-54 men by the truckload--The male audience born between about 1937 and 1957 were a money demo, and not only Limbaugh but a lot of local and national hosts sharing a schedule with him, owned that demo.
Trouble is, while they held onto that group all the way to today, they haven't managed to expand the audience either to younger men or to women. The audience that was 35-54 and a tasty target for advertisers then, is 55 to 75 now and a tough sell. Limbaugh's audience is typical. Pew Research has just done one of the few in-depth analyses of all the talkers, and found out his listeners are almost 3/4 men, and overwhelmingly 50-plus. It's been drifting that way for years and it's only going to get worse. It's a symptom of the overall aging of talk radio's appeal...and it's something they need to do something about FAST. New blood, new ideas, new voices that take you beyond the culture wars of the 90s will be needed if talk is to fulfill its potential. CBS made an abortive try twice, first in the 90s with WNEW-FM in New York and then a half-dozen years ago with the "Free Radio" experiment across the country after Howard Stern took the money and ran to the satellite. But now it's time for someone to try it for the long haul and stick with it until the formula is found. A market like Buffalo or Rochester might be a good laboratory.
The fact that people are still commenting about this story proves, at least in my mind, that Limbaugh comes out on top. Why? Just because the curious non-listener to his show will tune in just to hear what other outrageous thing comes out of his mouth.
Another thing: In a few weeks people will forget the name of the young lady while Mr. Limbaugh, despite some of his sponsors and affiliates bailing on him, will continue to collect his multi-million dollar salary.
So in the long run who do you think is the winner here?
Another thing: In a few weeks people will forget the name of the young lady while Mr. Limbaugh, despite some of his sponsors and affiliates bailing on him, will continue to collect his multi-million dollar salary.
So in the long run who do you think is the winner here?
On the flip side of the coin, there may be those who curiously listen and don't like what they hear, so that reasoning has as much a downside as upside. The "this is going to be great for ratings" theory is the way commercial news-talk PDs handled crises (have the t-shirt, BTW) in the 90s, but this kind of thinking no longer applies. The hyper-connected world in which we live prohibits such rationale. Limbaugh will continue to attract his hard core listeners, but as Bob1370 noted, they're not getting younger and there's nobody coming up the ladder to replace the listeners who are "aging out" of the 35-49 demo. Limbaugh himself is "aging out." If you have adult children, ask them what they think of Limbaugh or talk radio (aside from sports talk) in general. Their perceptions are radically different than ours, especially as we're media-radio people. As it applies to Buffalo, this may be a good opportunity for NPR and WBFO. "May" being the critical word. Depending upon how WBFO/AM 970 promotes and positions the newly simulcast radio stations, they may derive some benefit. To be sure, I don't see WBEN tanking over the Limbaugh fiasco, but IMHO, it doesn't benefit the station overall.Mark_Giardina said:
Talk radio is predominantly an AM format. Not only are current talk kings like Rush aging out of the money demos, AM as a technology is aging out of the money demos. The band has been so hamstrung by neglect, technical decisions that have narrowed the bandwidth, and added noise (IBOC, anyone?) that it's simply not on the radar of people under 50. Yeah, even the kids who listen to bad MP3s through one crappy earbud.
Rush will likely survive this latest flap, but his gaffe is one more excuse for non-fans to ignore him, and the stations that carry him. He's leading the parade toward the sunset for a lot of AMs.
Rush will likely survive this latest flap, but his gaffe is one more excuse for non-fans to ignore him, and the stations that carry him. He's leading the parade toward the sunset for a lot of AMs.
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