Version 3c: I asked Friday if there were a line that, if crossed, would cause Rush Limbaugh’s sponsors to leave.
As a result of the Sandra Fluke fallout, the answer seems to be a qualified yes. The headcount is now 15 14 12. And according to AP, “KPUA, an AM station in Hilo, Hawaii, said it is dropping Limbaugh’s show immediately.” ( Update 6:37 pm) CBS reports that WBEC in Pittsfield, MA has also dropped the show.
As a reminder: the Rush Limbaugh show is syndicated by Premiere Networks, Inc, part of Texas-based Clear Channel Communications. In 2008, Limbaugh signed a multi-year contract worth $400 million, according to the Wall Street Journal. Clear Channel is the largest owner (850 stations) of full-power AM and FM stations in the country; @ClearChannel has been silent. The three-times-divorced/four-times-married Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich, who, on Sunday, declared that Limbaugh is not the GOP, are two of a kind.
The embedded Storify provides a current accounting of Rush Limbaugh Show sponsors who have ceased or suspended advertising and those that were improperly indicted. It also provides a list of companies that may be sponsors and their lack of response to the weekend bloodbath.
- AOL Inc.
- Allstate Insurance
- Bare Escentuals
- Bonobos
- Carbonite
- Citrix GoToMeeting
- Heart & Body Extract
- LegalZoom
- ProFlowers
- Quicken Loans
- Sears
- Sensa Weight Loss
- Sleep Number Beds
- Sleep Train Mattress
- Tax Resolution Services Co.
This is a start in a campaign that needs to be much larger than Rush Limbaugh. Early on, several companies were falsely pegged as advertisers on anonymous websites … and staff have had to spend a great deal of time answering POed customers on Twitter. We have to be careful not to indict falsely.
If you think that Limbaugh’s comments are every bit as offensive as those of Howard Stern, then sign my petition to have the FCC investigate (and, hopefully, fine) Limbaugh. The FCC fined the stations that carried Howard Stern’s program more than $2.5 million.
First published March 3, 2012 @ 3:21 pm Pacific; 34 comments on original post :: Second published: March 4, 2012 @ 3:01 pm Pacific; 6 comments on second post
Crowdsourced sponsor list
Help us accurately identify the sponsors, national and local:
- Other stories: Irony: Wednesday Is International Women’s Day, Politics, Comedy and Women’s Bodies, Breaking: Rush’s Non-Apology Apology (UPDATE III), Advertisers Begin Dropping Limbaugh, Is There No Line To Be Crossed That Would Turn Limbaugh’s Sponsors Against Him?
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Known for gnawing at complex questions like a terrier with a bone. Digital evangelist, writer, teacher. Transplanted Southerner; teach newbies to ride motorcycles. @kegill (Twitter and Mastodon.social); wiredpen.com