Democrats need offense. GOTV and donations are not enough. We don’t know what else Trump will or can do and Republican radio is an easy target and very vulnerable.
No business or sports team should feel comfortable advertising on or broadcasting games on any Republican talk radio station if they don’t actually support what Trump stands for. They just need to be asked.
Rush Limbaugh sets the tone for all Republican talk radio. Yesterday, Monday Aug 31, Limbaugh said “Biden is fomenting a race war” and Tues Sept 1 he claimed that a “Trump supporter was executed” and protestors “danced and cheered” it.
Tuesday Limbaugh also suggested again that Democrats plan to steal the election with mail-in ballots. On November 3rd when Trump claims victory all those radio stations will be calling delayed returns proof that Democrats are trying to steal the elections. Democrats will be foolish to continue ignoring those megaphones, which, unlike Fox, will be coordinated to every different local/state situation.
A couple of weeks ago Limbaugh called Biden/Harris “Joe and the Ho”.
That bitter dying lying racist is yelling that on 600 radio stations to 15-20 million people and likely at least half of those stations depend on university and pro sports teams to keep broadcasting sports on them.
There are at least 87 universities broadcasting sports on 260 radio stations headlining Limbaugh.
In this diary I pointed out that 13 out of the 18 NBA teams participating in the playoffs broadcast on 32 Republican talk stations and 16 featured Limbaugh.
There are 1000’s of businesses supporting those stations with advertising. They don’t need to be asked individually if they support Trump, racism, and COVID and global warming denial. They just need to see someone famous, or one of those pro teams, or a university point it out.
The advertising industry will have to start breaking up the monopoly. Republican politicians will realize that free pro-Republican advertising is going to disappear.
Limbaugh and Trump are inciting racist violence. Those radio stations play an important part of the Trump Republican ability to interpret any events leading up to and after the election.
Those stations may have been used by the Russians since at least 2008 and are well coordinated with Russian social media and trolling content. Russia expert Dr. Fiona Hill explained Republicans are helping Putin by repeating the disinformation. What does that make Republican talk radio hosts, who all repeat the same disinformation?
A perfect storm heads for Republican talk radio
1 — if any pro or college team demands their ‘owner’ stops using them to support KKK radio stations others will be forced to follow.
2 — artificial intelligence-enhanced transcription makes it inevitable that talk radio will be digitized and be made available for reading, studying, monitoring. Talk radio will no longer be invisible to analysts and it makes StopRush x 100 possible. Advertisers can be identified and listed with very little listening required, as described at fakenewsradio.org.
3 — Limbaugh is the moral and intellectual leader of the Republican Party. The tal radio monopoly was built around him and he may have to ‘retire’ soon due to stage 4 lung cancer. The advertising industry and owners and management of those 600 radio stations must be getting nervous — they will not be able to replace him and get the same advertising revenue. Some of those stations will have to consider other options when he goes. Some may find Limbaugh departure a good excuse to change programming. Limbaugh's demise will destroy the GOP if they don't abandon Trump - Dems need to use it
4 — sooner of later the ad industry is going to be forced to apply market demand and break up the talk radio monopoly. The first two factors above mean that radio advertisers are a short step away from fleeing the talk radio medium and the radio advertising industry won’t want to lose them long term to other media due to boycotts or bad publicity. It cannot continue to bundle and rotate advertisers onto those shows and stations in exchange for discounts without asking if they actually support Limbaugh and Trump and what they stand for.
