Over the past several days, there has indeed been a dramatic change in the advertising buys on Rush Limbaugh's show as blowback from his comments on Sandra Fluke, Alexandra petri, and women's rights.
The trend has been that the larger, and in many cases long-time advertisers have quickly vanished from both the AM Radio and Webcast versions of his show.
Major advertisers have nearly dried up. In their place are testosterone boosters, lobbyists, hair coloring pills, and yes… station promos and public service announcements.
Monitoring other shows on the same New York station (terrestrial version) shows what is happening to him. It has absolutely affected the quality of advertisers on his show. It would also quite likely have affected the value of advertising on his show and advertising rates on entire stations that carry him.
Others on the station can't help from bringing up the 'war on women' issue. Yet they are keenly aware, they increase the problem by further insulting and making fun of it.
Today's goal was to monitor an hour of Geraldo Rivera, versus an hour of Rush, at a peak period for the station.
At the end of Don Imus, the SNL parody on Rush and the advertisers, and David Axelrod's canceling his Bill Maher appearance were too much to resist. On Geraldo Rivera, Ed Koch suggested leaving brothels alone because they're not hurting anybody.
Geraldo had a caller blaming the Afghanistan shootings on Obama's apology. Vince, the caller, insisted Obama demoralized the troops and contributed to the sergeants killing spree.
In the last hour of Geraldo Rivera's AM Radio show, before Rush, there were 39 spots. Of these, 27 were paid for. It included John Deere, Home Depot, Ford, Toyota, Verizon. These include companies which pulled spots from Rush. (If you feel companies that support Rush don't deserve your dollars, wouldn't the ones that don't support Rush deserve them?)
There was one AM Radio PSA just before the news. Versus four online in the same five minutes.
Very different from the first hour of Rush's time slot.
Mark Stein filled in for Rush, who was supposedly golfing.
Stein's early topics: Obama's approval ratings. A pill that cures the type of paranoia which causes racism - "Kathleen Sebelius will mandate it be covered." Man shot at a BP gas station because he thought he was being charged too much for condoms. Linked of course, to mandated contraceptive coverage. OccupyWallStreet's last $45,000 dollars "Perfect liberal experiment in collectivism." And on the midwest tornados… "Obama had the time to call how Mable (Sandra Fluke) is holding up, but not the tornado ravaged victims in the midwest." (As if they have phone service?) He allowed the caller to insult Jane Fonda, and that she is "spending so much time trying to look twenty years younger."
The most major ad was Exergen Temporal Thermometers, which appeared twice in Geraldo's last hour. However, this is more likely a rotating buy for the day. Along with The New York Times, which was in both shows as well.
One new advertiser in the group, Fujitsu.
Two that don't actually match Rush's views. But pay for airtime. A union group fighting for their pension: New York Corrections Officers, and lawyer that fights Mesothielioma. Who doesn't seem to remember Rush hates ambulance chasers.
In 40 spots both Air and Webcast, 11 Webcast and 4 Air PSAs. 5 WABC promos. 3 Lobbyist. 4 Testosterone / Estrogen / Hair Coloring miracle pills.
Of those remaining 13, a car parts dealer, and some quick cash tip sheets.
Which I don't think anyone paid a lot for.
And Rush's value continues to decline.