Posted on 10/10/2007 4:20:41 AM PDT by Man50D
After receiving a barrage of e-mails and phone calls from listeners upset with radio host Rush Limbaugh over allegations by Democrats that he smeared anti-war troops, a tiny Oregon radio station decided to give the listeners what they asked for and replaced the No. 1-rated show with music.
Paul Mitchell, general manager of KAST Radio in Astoria, told WND he's a long-time supporter of Limbaugh and explained he simply was trying to prove a point to people who said they would rather listen to CDs.
"It was a great opportunity to cause a little excitement," said Mitchell, who estimates his market is about 30,000 people in the community at the mouth of the Columbia River on the Pacific.
While Mitchell said he received about 200 e-mails and calls from people upset with Limbaugh, after suspending the program yesterday the station was hit with some 800 messages from listeners who wanted the talk-radio giant back.
The show returned to KAST's schedule today.
"I guarantee you, our audience doesn't like listening to Perry Como," Mitchell said.
Mitchell said he wouldn't offer an opinion about whether Limbaugh or congressional Democrats were right in the controversy over whether the radio host called all anti-war troops "phony soldiers."
"Our thing is about giving our audience what they want," he said. "We're not tree huggers who want to ban Rush. Politics is not a question here."
A transcript from Limbaugh's Sept. 26 show suggests the "phony soldiers" remark specifically addressed the case of Jesse MacBeth, an anti-war activist who claimed to have witnessed atrocities as a Purple Heart recipient in the Army Rangers.
MacBeth, however, never served in Iraq. He was expelled from the military after 44 days in uniform.
(Excerpt) Read more at worldnetdaily.com ...
Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.
Our local radio station “suspended” Rush for a day after the “farding” bit. That must gave been 10 years ago.
[/cue "Mandy"]
The media matters site is encouraging its members to flood radio stations with negative comments. Don’t know if that’s what happened here, but even if they get one station to do this, it’s one too many.
Great Station Manager!!!
Did you not get the end of the story? This station did this to prove a point, not to cave in to Media Matters.
He got four times the comments for keeping Rush. That's what he wanted.
I suspect that those complaining never listened to Rush, and wished he were off the air anyway. They did get what they wished for, and are delighted.
Read the story. After a day of music the station was hit by 4X the calls to put Rush back on!!! Classic
With this development....Rush’s audience has dropped from 19 million to 18,999,999 nationally
Few stations will drop Rush. He makes them huge money with good ratings and easy local ad sales. For local stations, they make their $$ off the one or two minutes per hour they get to sell local ads during Rush’s show.
Also, another station near Astoria will pick up the show...or listen to a Portland affiliate with weaker reception.
Also, Part II...stations drop talk shows often...so it is not unusual for someone to dump Rush for something else. Granted, its a bad business move...but many make bad business moves.
Rush is still the king....and the “Man Who Saved AM Radio”
Really, this is a non-story
What life would be like under Hillary Chavez.
Did you read beyond the first paragraph?
Last week KCNN in Fargo dumped talk radio (RUSH, HANNITY, SAVAGE...) for , wait for it, country freakin' music. And bad country music at that: like Hee Haw without the chicks.
Don’t you guys read the articles posted on FR, or do you just read the headlines? The manager shut Rush down for one day. He had received 200 emails against Rush. The day he shut him down he received 800 emails supporting Rush. This was his plan and it worked. The guy supports Rush and he proved a point. Many more people want to listen to Rush than don’t.
Hey, now, that's torture!
Did you catch the story a week or so ago about the Judge that sentenced a guy to listen to several hours of Barry Manilow music because this guy had played loud rap music and violated the city noise ordinance? The Judge's reasoning was that not everybody appreciates the music you happen to like. I thought it was classic!
Regrettably a majority of people who complained to the station probably never listened to Rus’s show on the station and would not be listening to what he reaplced Rush with either.
They were just move.oners, media whatever or run of the mill liberals simply on a mission to run conservatives off the airways.
Why is that inconsistent with what I said?
ping
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