Politics

Limbaugh defies liberal critics: Announces ratings leap on 600 stations

Jeff Poor Media Reporter
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On his Thursday radio program, conservative host Rush Limbaugh countered claims that his show had been suffering after reports from Media Matters and other left-wing storefronts that advertisers were rushing toward the exits.

An article published Thursday in the Washington Post noted that the uproar against Limbaugh had cooled since his controversial remarks about Georgetown Law student and self-proclaimed contraception activist Sandra Fluke, with the return of some advertisers and a decrease in complaints.

Limbaugh said on his radio program, “normally I don’t talk about [my ratings] in specifics because in the ethics of the broadcast business you don’t do it.”  Before proceeding to share a glimpse of his ratings, he added, “It’s enough to say: Most listened to radio talk show in the country ever, and it’s unlikely to ever be topped.”

Overall, Limbaugh said, his show’s ratings are higher on all 600 stations that carry it, and up as high as 60 percent at one station.

“The simple answer is that on the range of all 600 radio stations, our ratings are up anywhere from 10 to 60 percent, depending on the station,” he said.

“And that’s as detailed as I’m going to get,” Limbaugh added. “What I mean by that is we could be up 33 percent on one station, 12 percent on another — 60 percent is the top that we’re up on another. We’re up 50 percent in a number of places.”

Triumphing in his apparent victory over activists agitating for an ad boycott, Limbaugh said, “The advertisers who hung in here are going gangbusters, yes.  I mean, that’s the simple truth. The only ones who got hurt are the ones who left.  And that’s its own tragedy because they left under false, trumped up, unreal pretenses.”

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