If Limbaugh lost ALL his sponsors, he would remain on the air

[SoCalDem]

He is as valuable a commodity for the right wingers, as is FoxNews. the Washington Times, and NewsMax.

Just think about how much he is paid to blather and froth at the mouth every day.. There is NO way that the stuff advertised on his "show" covers that.

He is a necessity to foment ill-will against all-things-liberal.

He is especially valuable in election-season, and of course there are all those military minds to be washed on Armed Forces radio.

All the petition signings and protesting will not result in his being "fired", suspended, fined.

He sees this as a minor annoyance, and will survive it.

The ONLY stuff that brings down blowhards like him, is a big ole juicy sex-money scandal..with video.

He's more or less his own boss. Once upon a time, I read an article that said he has his own studio inside his house..specially built for him, so he doesn't answer to anyone. The head of clear channel technically may be his boss, but Limbaugh could buy & sell him many times over. The "boss" might just see himself pushed out if he did not cater to Limbaugh.

[librechik]

1. agree--even if he went the Beck route, he would still be on radio somewhere

like the shitstain he is, can't get rid of him completely

[randome]

2. A corporation exists to make money.

That's all they do. If Rush becomes a liability to that quest, he will be let go. It's as simple as that.

[SoCalDem]

5. There's probably a rich rightwing zillionaire out there right now

who's willing to write checks to make sure the losses are covered.

The vitriol is very important . Gotta keep the rabble roused.

[randome]

6. The stock would be worthless, then.

If some outsider needed to prop up the corporation, shareholders would desert enmasse.

Re: what hlthe2b says below, I'd think it would be easier for Murdoch to prop up Fox News since it was folded into the whole Murdoch Empire.

[Happyhippychick]

3. I really don't know if anything you said is true, you are making a ton of assumptions

It's not a minor annoyance, this is an unprecedented movement that has captured headlines and actually accomplished something. And it's not just about Rush Limbaugh, it's about exposing the GOP's cowardice and refusal to stop this ridiculous war on women.

He is an egomaniac so this is probably a very, very big deal to him.

[hlthe2b]

9. I don't think the OP was diminishing the importance of continuing our efforts...

I say cause him all the pain we possibly can. And, i agree, having taken part in these efforts over the years, that this time it is different. Heartened by the response thus far, I've determined to double my own efforts.

But, that doesn't mean he'll disappear from radio. If we severely wound him (and those RETHUGS tied to him), get him off Armed Forces radio, and send a major message to his advertisers, that will be a dramatic accomplishment.

[SoCalDem]

12. and having him so boldly exposed, works for us

but I don;t expect him to tuck tail & "Beck" it out the door.

Beck's problem (and Imus') was that they both worked for a "major" broadcast network (I know that Clear Channel is too, but in a very different way)..

MSNBC and CNN both were probably embarrassed to have viewers stumble upon their crazy guy, Clear Channel radio has no issue with it.

[Happyhippychick]

18. I think I might have taken it that way, sort of "this isn't going to do anything so why bother". I

was probably wrong to assume that, sorry OP.

[MrMickeysMom]

19. Couple that with the mega media giants like Murdock, and you get....

... a movement (not unlike a bowel movement) to Flush this shit out of the airwaves, which, by the way, we own.

FCC should take note of what "fairness" doctrines have done over the awful years of Limbaugh's heavy infiltration of the big signals on AM.

[hlthe2b]

4. Look how long Faux News was propped up by Murdoch--losing $$$$ in its early years...

and how long they carried the idiot Glenn Beck after his advertisers fled. Yeah, if the Koch Brothers or someone else wants to maintain this circus, they surely will.

They would likely lose some stations over time as audiences drop, but he could still stay viable.

If the REPUGS somehow came to the conclusion that he is a liability to them, his demise might be hastened. But, they have a very slow learning curve, so he'd probably be dead by that point.

[SoCalDem]

7. Yep.. I don't think the Moonie Times has EVER made a profit

but they keep chugging along, paying all those "editorialists" to churn out hate every day, and they are a pet-paper of C-Span.

[They_Live]

8. Reminds me of

"You're right, I did lose a million dollars last year. I expect to lose a million dollars this year. I expect to lose a million dollars next year. You know, Mr. Thatcher, at the rate of a million dollars a year, I'll have to close this place in... 60 years."
-Citizen Kane

[MrMickeysMom]

20. Orsen Wells....

"I'd rather be remembered as a good guy, than a difficult genius."... spoken by OW, 8 days before his death, apparently.

I think the good guy concept has staying power, given the nature of his film's messages, in particular Citizen Kane!

[wiggs]

10. Good point. Still, the loss of advertisers is a good signal and a warning

to other winger talk show hosts.

Seemed to have done Beck in last year too.

[nolabear]

11. Not if women refuse to take his shit any more.

We really do have power if we'll use it at all levels.

[HopeHoops]

13. Yes. Clear Channel is a GOP operative. He's their propaganda outlet.

[exboyfil]

16. Time for the number 2 punch

Romney was asked about Limbaugh in his context as a candidate for President. Frankly the reporter screwed up and missed the bigger story.

Now he should be asked as a part owner of Rush's employer. Would he be willing to divest from that investment as a sign of protest when it came to Rush Limbaugh? Does his continued investment represent tacit approval for this behavior?

[Shankapotomus]

14. That's why you have to attack

the people giving him the soapbox.

[AlinPA]

15. He will be underwritten/sponsored by rich right-wingers; no way he will leave the air.

[izquierdista]

17. We have a winner!

When you look at all the money that is propping up Rush, FOX News, the Cato Institute, and all the right-wing media circus, it is a drop in the bucket compared to the payback on owning the politicians. Don't expect that the REAL OWNERS of this country are worried at all about their investment. They add it into their cost of doing business.

[TheKentuckian]

25. With Citizens United they could just transition to "ads" that promote

Reich Wing causes, politicians, or even just subtle promotion of their worldview.

They would get to stay on messege every second of the day while licking their wounds, they would insulate their messenger from public pressure, they could slyly claim that despite the hubbub and "bad faith" of advertisers under the thumb of "evil liberals" that revenue is up and proceed to get more bucks out of a new wave of advertisers (if they so chose), and probably several other possible moves, including retiring Oxyrush if they think they have a talent that can replace him without the target (and influence).

In any event, it is important to keep in mind that all wicked, greedheads aren't cut from the same cloth. Fuckers like the Kochs will have very different modes of operation than the fly by night, big quarter at any cost, golden parachute into the next scam types. They will invest (aka take a loss) today in order to create a more profitable environment for tomorrow or to maintain a current advantage.

It isn't all quick turn around, there is no shortage of those playing the long game against us too, the sharp and severe jolts just draw more attention but we must not lose track of the noose tightners and plank sawers either.

[global1]

21. Just Wait - You Ain't Heard Nuthin' From Rush Yet....

When Rush survives this onslaught he will come back with a vengence - gloating and bloviating like you've never heard before. I really hope that he doesn't survive this - but I can't help but think that some other story will come along to make people forget this and he'll skate again - just like he has with his Viagra incident or his bout with Oxy. He's said so many outlandish things on his show. He's turned off a majority of American's - but he still has a core of support from a really deranged segment of the public and it is this core of support that will allow him to continue to survive and thrive.

[AlinPA]

22. I don't know his relationship with Fox "news", but they could pay to keep him on the air.

[AngryAmish]

23. Remember when the Masters went without sponsors for a year or two?

Some people don't care.

[Sienna86]

24. Disagree. He's done.

Listened to first thirty minutes of his show on WLS (Chicago). No major sponsors. None. They'll try to keep going for a few weeks to see if it gets better. It won't. Can you imagine the general manager of a radio station getting calls from companies demanding they don't run their ads during Rush's radio show?

[Jamaal510]

26. If Rush somehow gets booted to the curve

there'll be someone willing to fill his void. One thing about the Right from what we've seen is that the higher-ups always have a Plan B to keep their propaganda going and to keep the masses ignorant.