Rush Limbaugh Dropped By Cumulus: Anything to See Here?

     With the news breaking last night that Cumulus Media-the second biggest broadcaster in the country-is dropping Rush-and Sean Hannity-Limbaugh was quick today to assure his ditto-heads today that there's nothing to see here.Yes, he's lost some stations with Cumulus dropping out-actually he's losing 40 stations-this is no problem as he'll get them all back and then some and there will be even more stations to listen to hi on. 

    "You are gonna be able to get this radio program on as many, if not more, radio stations down the road than it's on now, and what you're being treated to is just a public business negotiation," Limbaugh said on today's program."

     http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/07/limbaugh-dont-worry-about-cumulus-169407.html?hp=l3

     "Limbaugh's remarks on Monday were in part an effort to counter concerns that Cumulus's decision would take his show out of major media markets. Indeed, should the contract not go through, it is likely that Clear Channel would license the rights to other radio broadcasters or put him on their own channels, industry sources said."

    "I am totally confident that they will put Rush and Sean on equal if not better stations on the markets where they have stations -- and in places where they don't have a station they will have other radio companies that are chomping at the bit to get them," Michael Harrison of industry trade Talkers Magazine told POLITICO.

      Harrison pointedly warned liberals not to celebrate early as this has nothing to do with politics, he says:

      "Harrison also cautioned against interpreting Cumulus's decision as a political one and criticized liberal groups who thought this sounded the death knell for Limbaugh and Hannity, the two most powerful talk radio hosts in the country."

      "This is a financial decision. It's not political," he said. "Everybody might be better off for it. Limbaugh and Hannity are better off with companies that are happy to have them and sell them the way they should be sold; Cumulus will be happy to take its own position and find a course more compatible to its business model."

      Ok. However, even if it's strictly a business decision with no political dimension at all, this can't bode well: does this mean Rush's audience has been dwindling? If it's not political-if it's got nothing to do with all the pressure from feminist and liberal groups since Limbaugh's Sandra Fluke slur in 2012-then why does he not work for the second largest broadcaster's business model?

       "Another industry source put it this way: "Clear Channel is stuck because of rich legacy contracts with these big names they own. On the other side of the equation, Cumulus can be more nimble as the renter -- and make decisions purely based on the economics."

       If this other industry source is right then maybe Rush does have something to worry about. In general right wing talk radio has seen a plummet in ratings since Obama's 2008 win-this may be another reason folks like Limbaugh see the President in such a sinister light-other than him being black. 

        A number of conservative shock jocks that in the past seemed pretty much unimpeachable no matter how beyond the pale the latest rant got have been shown mortal in the last 4 years. Glen Beck, Jay Severin-who lost his Boston based radio show-Rush of course who's lost many sponsors in the wake of his attack on Fluke. 

       We can quibble whether or not Cumulus' decision was ''political' or 'financial'-which sort of ignores that a political hubbub may mean big financial losses. Yet, this is exactly what Cumulus has been facing-big financial losses: On this, you might say the facts are indisputable: 

      "Every quarter for the past year, like clockwork, Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey has hopped on a call with business investors and announces millions in financial losses associated with Rush Limbaugh's show.

     "A few days before the May 2013 investors call, a "source close to" Limbaugh's show attempted to soften the blow by denying that Limbaugh was having any negative effect on advertiser sales and warned that Limbaugh would walk if Cumulus continued to blame him. After announcing $2.4M in quarterly losses, Lew Dickey rebutted the assertion that Limbaugh wasn't hurting ad sales, stating: "The facts are indisputable regarding the impact certain things have had on ad dollars."

     "Cumulus isn't the only radio company reporting financial losses associated with Limbaugh's show either; other radio companies have also reported significant losses directly attributable to either Limbaugh's show or the intensifying advertiser fallout."

     http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/07/29/report-cumulus-plans-to-drop-rush-limbaugh-from/195101

      Advertisers continue to walk, with many big names heading for the exits recently.

      "Advertisers big and small continue to flee Limbaugh's show. In just the last few weeks alone, several recognizable companies have taken action regarding their ads and Rush Limbaugh..."

      "After a CVS ad appeared during Limbaugh's show, CVS advised that it won't happen again, explaining: "The Rush Limbaugh show is not a program on which we typically advertise & a recent commercial was aired on this program in error."

      "Upon learning its ads were running during Limbaugh's show, Disney On Ice promptly removed them, stating:"The advertisements you are referring to have been pulled and should no longer be airing during Rush Limbaugh's show."

     "Citing Limbaugh's indecent content, fast food chain Bojangles also removed ads. The apologetic chain noted that it didn't purchase the ads directly but as part of a package, adding: "A number of our loyal guests have told us they were offended by some of the content on the program in question. We have looked into that content, and as a result we have taken the steps necessary to ensure our ads do not run on this program indefinitely."

     "AAMCO went so far as to make an exception to its policy of leaving advertising decisions in the hands of locally owned franchisees in order to remove ads from Limbaugh's show.

      Limbaugh spent most of the year after this started playing one of his favorite games-the Ostrich Game: you know if I can't see them leaving, then clearly they're not. Then he lashed out and admitted that 'yeah, maybe there is a little problem but it's all those bad, old feminists fault.'

      "In April, after spending a year dismissing the massive advertiser losses as a couple of french fries that weren't hurting anyone at all, Limbaugh acknowledged that he was having a problem. But instead of accepting any responsibility, he lashed out and blamed his woes on a conspiracy perpetuated "liberal feminists" in the media buying industry. (I imagine this didn't go over well at the next ad sales meeting)."

      When Rush lashes out at feminists or other liberal groups they should take a page from the book of someone Rush is a friend of Dan Quayle, and declare: I wear their scorn like a badge of honor! 

        Media Matters suggests that groups like Flush Rush and #StopRush have had something to do with it. To anyone who has had a hand in Rush' troubles I can only say: More power to you.