Rush Limbaugh loses 43% of his Audience

[sellitman]

BWAAHAHAhahahahahahahahahah!


The Startribune reported today that Rush's popularity in the Twin Cities is plummeting. Sean Hannity's radio show is doing even worse.

http://startribune.com/stories/462/5569938.html




snip <Locally, conservative-talk icon Rush Limbaugh's show has lost 43 percent of its audience among 25- to 54-year-olds in the past year. Sean Hannity's show is down a whopping 63 percent. The shift is serious enough that "we're weighing where these shows fit for us in the future," according to Todd Fisher, general manager at KSTP (1500 AM), which carries both syndicated programs.>

The article also states that Al Frankin's show on Air America is gaining audience.

Is this a natural, post-election shift or is something else going on?

[kstewart33]

1. Maybe people are just getting tired

of the hate-filled anger these guys spew every day.

[murielm99]

2. Yeah. How can you keep it interesting if it is all hate all the time?

You can only paraphrase the same idea so many ways.

[sellitman]

3. New Rush On Air Promotion:

Free Oxycontin to the first 5 callers!!!!!

[Waya]

5. Well,

I was looking at the website of this little doped up runt (know thy enemy) and while I usually don't get excited about anything that comes out this maggot's mouth anymore....the 'Club Gitmo' thing he has on his site is a bit upsetting. Well, disgusting and depraved is more like it.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/eibessential/illustrating_absurdity/clubgitmo.guest.html

[classof56]

27. Haven't yet welcomed you to DU, Waya. Glad to see the gold star!

I can only imagine what Rushie's "Club Gitmo" thing is...can't get myself to read it because he disgusts me to the point I'm unable to tolerate his ugly, destructive rhetoric and bald-faced lies. I'm thankful for DU and Air America. They help keep me sane.

Tired Old Cynic

[TriMetFan]

35. does this asshole have a e-mail?

Hate these people.

[rasputin1952]

54. Oh brother, I kew I should not have clicked that link...it looks like

it wa phot-shopped by a 5 year old.

I'm no PC nut, but that stuff is just downright bigotted and there is no way they can say anything to get them out of the that...:puke:

Looks like Rush ahs a sit-eating grin in that pic too, must ahve something to do w/the vast amounts of cash he rakes in from the bile he spouts...:(

[skylarmae]

9. don't forget the lies they tell as well

and what about the half-truths they pruposfully spew?

[Dulcinea]

41. Hannity is such a douchebag.

Rush Limbaugh makes me want to throw things.

How can anyone stand to listen to such drivel?

[Greeby]

4. Altogether now

I'm a Nazi, he's a Nazi!
That's right, I really am!
I'm a Nazi, he's a Nazi!
That's right, you're being scammed!
I'm a Nazi, he's a Nazi!
I don't care about the middle class
I'm a fat conservative butthead, with the face of a horse's ass!

http://www.ericblumrich.com/nazi.html

:headbang:

[TankLV]

55. Boy I just love that spoof - it made my morning!

Always makes me laugh.

Wish I could download a copy for myself instead of keeping the link to the site.

[Tace]

6. It Seems The Swing Of The Pendulum Has Shifted

I sure hope so.

[TheCowsCameHome]

7. If true, that's great news! They're overplaying their hand

God, I hope this is for real!

[JerseygirlCT]

8. I'd guess part of it is the same thing

that will undoubtedly start happening to the fundraising efforts of the far-right, too. It's hard to rail against all those liberals running our country when your guys are the ones in charge of everything, and the ones who've totally mucked things up across the board.

Who're they going to blame?

[Smarmie Doofus]

10. Hopefully it's part of a broader trend. Perhaps people are....

growing up at last.

I suspect Limbaugh will be around for a while longer, though. He's fascinating in a perverse sort of way, and he has a sense of humor.... of sorts. Easy to listen to, unfortunately.

Hannity won't last much longer. A shrill, screeching demagogue; almost Hitlerian. These brush fires typically burn themselves out.

After doing a lot of damage, of course.

[xxqqqzme]

11. Rabid rethugs

have peaked.

[Ishoutandscream2]

47. Absolutely. I think people are starting to see the light

5 years of Republican rule can do that.

[tinfoilinfor2005]

12. Now we can call him "Rush Limps out the door"...

buh-bye, lying druggie bastard.

[wishlist]

13. When Repubs control everything its hard to continue to blame Democrats

Rush achieved his popularity back when he could rant and rave blaming Bill and Hillary and the Dems for ruining the country. Now when Bush is in his 5th failed year in charge and the Repubs have clawed their way to the top with miserable results, his rantings must seem increasingly dishonest and desperate even to conservatives.

[zippy890]

14. #1 Hatemonger loses appeal

I'll take that as a good sign, and hope things are turning around in this country

[skibunny4dean]

15. Consider this...

This article also says that...

Many Americans also are switching the dial. While ratings for political talk radio typically drop the year after an election, experts around the country sense something else in the air. Many metro listeners are turning to local, often sports-oriented shows.

"We're not sure yet what's really going on," said talk radio veteran Ken Kohl, Clear Channel's director of news and talk programming for northern California. "In general, the talk shows that are succeeding are ones that haven't been reliving the election, or constantly harping on the polarization between liberals and conservatives."

Kohl thinks many listeners have tuned out because of "war fatigue. I don't think a lot of people want to talk or hear about the war at this point."

...The ratings shift hasn't affected partisan radio stations such as WWTC (1280 AM), known as the Patriot, or KTNF (950 AM), home to Air America programming, including Al Franken's weekday show. Both have maintained relatively stable, if small, audience shares of about 1 to 1.5 percent.

Franken is an exception, however. Locally, the Minnesota native has increased his audience share to 2.4 percent of listeners ages 25 to 54, compared with 1.3 last year.

A shift, maybe, but probably not a permanent one. If we ever want to shift the balance of power in talk radio, it has to start at the local level. We have to support local liberal talkers, and then when they have built a reputation then send them to the national level in a few cities. I can't happen overnight, but eventually we will turn the tide.

[TheCowsCameHome]

16. I hope other radio market areas consider dropping his show as well

Wouldn't it be nice to have program managers drop these boobs in favor of other shows?

I want to see him rot on the vine.

[spotbird]

17. They're boring,

even to wing nuts.

Their whole shows are nothing but conspiracy theories centered around the evil Democrats who prevent the majority Republicans from creating a perfect world. They may replay the same show every day, no one could tell the difference. I used to listen so I'd know the talking points, now I could write the talking points they're so predictable, why listen?

So a hate radiolistener on commercial break switches from repetitive screaming rants to Air America. On AA he doesn't hear any recipes for appetizers made from baby flesh, not even once did anyone say they think abortion is better than birth. No one said that OBL was a great guy, the listener schratches his head. Confused but still programed by years of brainwashing, listener doesn't change sides immediately. Still hate radio starts to make him uneasy, so he listens to music for a while.

This might mean something good about what happens when both sides are available.

[MichiganVote]

18. These bastards have made a lot of money but they are going down

Bye, bye and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out

[TheCowsCameHome]

19. They're like the old cheap sex novels. Pick any 9 pages out of 10

and the message would be the same old thing. Nothing new, just the same plate of crap warmed over.

It's reached a saturation point where it's just plain BORING even to the rabid right.

To which I say: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[MichiganVote]

24. Yupper. They are history. Happy fucking day.

Now we'll see a big attempt to replace them with religious talkers and then they too will bore the hell out of people.

[Nothing Without Hope]

20. Compare the audience share numbers - Franken's beating Hannity!

A look at individual shows reflects much sharper contrasts. Limbaugh's show, which airs Monday through Friday from noon to 3 p.m. on KSTP, dropped from a 7.6 percent share of listeners ages 25 to 54 in spring 2004 to 4.3 this spring. Sean Hannity's 6-8 p.m. show dropped from 6.3 to 2.3 percent....

The ratings shift hasn't affected partisan radio stations such as WWTC (1280 AM), known as the Patriot, or KTNF (950 AM), home to Air America programming, including Al Franken's weekday show. Both have maintained relatively stable, if small, audience shares of about 1 to 1.5 percent.

Franken is an exception, however. Locally, the Minnesota native has increased his audience share to 2.4 percent of listeners ages 25 to 54, compared with 1.3 last year.

So currently it's

Limbaugh at 4.3% (down from 7.6%)
Hannity at 2.3% (down from 6.3%)
and FRANKEN AT 2.4% (UP from 1.3%)

Franken is now beating Hannity and closing in on Limbaugh!

[Doctor_J]

21. Look for him to start telling even more outrageous lies

He won't go quietly.

[TheCowsCameHome]

26. I want to hear him squeal like a pig as he oozes down the drain

along with Halfnutty, O'Lielly, and the other talk show hatemongers.

[sendero]

40. He already is..

.... and frankly, I love it. The more nutty he gets the more listeners realize that they've been played all along.

[Toots]

22. "Sure she lost her son, people lose things all the time, big deal"

I think statements like that one are turning off even the stupidest Freeper. Compassionate Conservatism at it's very finest.

[Deja Q]

23. Awww. Poor old KSTP "common sense" talk radio

I think the people are starting to get common sense.

[sshan2525]

25. Because they've finally passed the point of "suspension of disbelief"

You can fool some of the people some of the time....... When they continue to blather about how wonderful the Bush economy is when it cost's Joe Six-Pack 75 bucks to fill up his SUV and they start beating up on bereaved mothers' of dead soldiers claiming the war's going well, only the die-hard nut cases will put up with it. Look what happened to Dr. Laura. She went so far over the top, she practically drove her entire audience away. Anyone heard from her lately? The right-wing blowhards will meet the same fate (I hope).

[blondeatlast]

28. Once air america and other progressive radio moves in (Ed Schulz

and the like), there's an alternative that was never there.

For too long, there has been NO dissenting opinion. some may just be tuning in for that.

My yellow-dog, dyed in the wool liberal dad listened to Rush all the time--here in Phoenix at the time, there was no alternative.

My dad was cut from the same cloth as Ed Schulz and would have LOVED his show. He never got that opportunity, I'm afraid.

[La Coliniere]

29. AAR, Miller, Schultz etc.

are finally offering an alternative to 24/7 lies and hate speech. The numbers reflect that there has always been an audience for progressive talk radio.

[FormerRepublican]

30. The American people aren't stupid.

You can only lie to them for so long before they start to figure out what's happening and change their opinion.

IMO, this is about the growing shift away from the Republican Party. They're losing a lot of people - including me - because they don't support their traditional moderate base, but have shifted way, way, WAY far right.

The 'puke party also supports Bush in his treason, fraud, inaction when Americans are hurting, lying his way into war, etc... Reasonable people are not going to tolerate that for long. Even when they're rabid supporters, when they realize something is corrupt they want it fixed or they jump ship.

I still don't understand WHY Bush was so rabid to invade Iraq. If Saddam offered to turn the country over and leave, AND let inspectors have a field day - WTF did Bush STILL want to invade? Perhaps Bush is a BTK type President who gets his rocks off by bombing stuff? Maybe Daddy was egging him on?

The timing for Americans when the Iraq thing hit was all wrong - we were all still reeling and hurting from 911 - we WANTED to trust and support the President. Bush took advantage of us when we were most vulnerable as a people. I think as Americans wake up to that reality, Bush support will fall even more steeply. He kicked us while we were down - just as surely as 19 Saudi terrorists did.

All I can say is that when the 'puke corporate machine - including Hannity et al - starts losing major $$$ from Bush's disastrous leadership, the paybacks will be h*ll. I'm looking forward to the fireworks.

And every little injury I experience from 'puke corruption and gestapo tactics goes into my political paybacks file inside my head for later use in opposing these goons. I don't say this often, but they are TRULY evil.

[Skittles]

31. I beg to differ

the neocons have done a tremendous amount of damage and only now are so many Americans starting to pull their g.d heads out? It is sad and pathetic that anyone could ever have voted for someone as obviously incompetent as bush

[FormerRepublican]

33. You're assuming that they DID vote for Bush...

With the evidence that's coming out about election fraud, I'm not so sure that was the case. And many were so disgusted that they just stayed home and didn't vote at all.

For prior supporters, it takes a while before they wake up and realize the bill of goods they were sold was for a fraud and a cheat.

We, as Americans, tend to believe the best of people. That's not a bad thing. What's bad is when people whom we should be able to trust take advantage of us. No difference between that and any other fraud.

[Skittles]

49. oh I have no doubts the election was stolen

but believe me, LOTS of people voted for that incompetent bastard - I live in Texas and I am surrounded by people who think bush is a real "moral leader", a "real cowoby", a "real Texan" - there's one word for these people a this point in the game - S T U P I D

[Al-CIAda]

38. I agree, the American people ARE stupid. I mean how blatent does

the Christofascist cabal have to be before they wake the fuck up?

Catastrophic damage has been done.

[Dr Fate]

44. They are not stupid- they are keeping the faith as they see it.

It's hard to admit you are wrong- its hard to say that all the beliefs you latched on to are based on lies. It's hard to admit your kid or relative died in vain.

I just tink its misguided to view these opponent who keeps kicking our butts at the ballot box as "stupid"- there is more to it than that.

[Skittles]

50. keeping the faith IS stupid

their ignorance is killing our soldiers, killing the Iraqi people, killing America as we knew it

[FormerRepublican]

45. With the linkage being constructed between religion and the 'puke party...

...pretty freaking long.

There are a lot of VERY disturbing things that have gone on in the Republican Party. I couldn't stomach it and had to leave - right around the time when Bush first started running for office and the rise of the religious right. My political views have never changed, but my liberal tendencies had previously been tolerated by the 'pukes. :puke: Now I guess I have to hang out with the rest of the moderates and liberals, which makes me much happier anyway. :loveya:

People are by nature mallable. Not a whole lot of difference between what the 'pukes have done and what those Germans folks whose party we can't mention did. Brainwashing for the masses. Some are more resistant than others.

I think this goes way beyond smart or stupid, and into the realms of Poppy Bush using his CIA learned mind control tactics against the American population. MKULTRA goes national. Welcome to BushCo USA! :sarcasm:

All the more reason for me to despise them.

[Skittles]

51. the problem I have with current bush supporters

is I see them as willfully being stupid because the truth is, that asshole puts his ignorance on world display EVERY TIME HE SPEAKS. It's not like you have to do a lot of reasearch to put two and two together - the fact is, these people are putting the interests of the GOP above the intersts of America and that is beyond stupid, that is TREASONOUS

[kansasblue]

32. "we're weighing where these shows fit for us in the future," Luv it!

[OneTwentyoNine]

36. No problem around Kansas though.......

I doubt if there has been any slow down of rabid listeners on 1330 here in Wichita. It would be interesting to know if hate radio's numbers are down. The day starts with Boortz at 9:00 am and doesn't end till midnight.

[OneTwentyoNine]

34. All Rush wants to do is make you "think"

Looks like his deadbeat uniformed listeners took his advice and are beginning to think on their own.

[Darth_Kitten]

37. Guess he'll be getting "the bum's rush" soon!

:evilgrin:

[OneTwentyoNine]

39. And on that great news sign up for Democray Radio......

http://www.democracyradio.org/google/index.php

Link is also at the bottom of the Limbaugh article. Sign up if you haven't.

[Mark E. Smith]

42. Here's a great piece on Oxybaugh's #s collapse in Florida

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/10/214541.php

[Dr Fate]

43. Everyone knows the WMDs was a hoax and that this war sux.

The game is nearly up.

[Booster]

46. My God, this is good news. When people stop listening to these

liars who spew nothing but hate and probably don't even believe half of what they say themselves, maybe this country will have a chance to heal itself. These guys are the "Tokyo Rose's" of our time, only this time they're supposed to be on our side. Yeah, right.

[carrowsboy]

48. Tokyo Rose...

...was framed.

She was trapped in Japan attending a funeral and the US would not allow her back home.

In order to make cash she took a job reading war updates on the radio that were supplied by an Australian POW who was ordered to write propaganda.

Rose aka Orphan Ann as she appeared on the radio (Iva d'Aquino, her real name), was actually given a citation by generals after the war because she would use the programs to instill a stronger fighting spirit with the GIs all the while refusing to denounce her US citizenship.

However the US government and media felt differently and named her Tokyo Rose. She was convicted of treason with no real evidence and with none of the other radio participants ever charged and served six years in jail.

Pres. Ford eventually pardoned her after it was later discovered that our government coached and threatened major witnesses against her in the trial.

[Booster]

53. Thanks for this info. I apologize for comparing Rose to the likes

of Rush, Hannity, et al. My memory (hole) is getting worse everyday. There is just so much information a memory can hold and I'm going to have to start forgetting a lot of stuff so I can add new stuff in my memory. I hate getting old.

[Kingofalldems]

52. Hey freeper lurkers

This is hugh! You are loosing big time!
It must be providense!

[TheCowsCameHome]

56. wut a bunch of morans the frreepers are

The Pied Piper is on his way out.