Here’s why Rush survived pressure on advertisers while O’Reilly didn’t

[SVPete]

Here’s why Rush survived pressure on advertisers while O’Reilly didn’t
Posted by William A. Jacobson
Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at 9:50pm

1.  Conduct (O’Reilly) versus Words (Limbaugh)

Conduct was at issue with O’Reilly. Multiple alleged instances over a long period of time involving demands for sexual favors in return for career advancement (or threats to damage careers) simply is more abhorrent than saying mean things to someone who testified on Capitol Hill about a political issue. Though O’Reilly never was proven to have engaged in the conduct, the notion of multiple high figure settlements worked against any presumption of innocence, even though lawsuits are settled all the time even if the accusations are not true. That O’Reilly never publicly and forcefully defended himself created the impression that there was a there there.
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3. Centralized (O’Reilly) versus Dispersed Advertising (Limbaugh)

There was a relatively small stable of advertisers on O’Reilly, since it was just a one hour show on a single network. The advertiser base presented a relatively well defined target. With Limbaugh, by contrast, he was on hundreds of local radio stations, and a high percentage of the advertising was local. So the anti-Limbaugh forces had thousands of advertisers to deal with, from national brands to the local tire store. While Limbaugh’s national advertisers were targeted, they were less of a factor than the attacks on O’Reilly advertisers.

I think #3 was a big factor. With O'R the attackers could focus very narrowly. Rush's business model - how he sells his show - makes for there being thousands of sponsors of his show. And makes sponsors part of his revenue, not all of it.

[DumbAss Tanker]

An fairly diverse group of very capable women who actually worked with him came forward once the ice was broken, not just some isolated few with ideological motivations, greed, or psychological issues.  It looks a lot like a 'Where there's smoke, there's fire' situation to me.  And so, Number One is a big factor.

[thundley4]

I agree with #3 being the biggest reason.

Local radio stations do their best to keep their listeners happy, and local advertisers know who is listening and who is spending money at their businesses.

Back when President Bush was still in office and that stupid scrunt of the Dixie Chicks opened her mouth, the local station station stopped playing their music within 24 hours.

They have only recently been played on the classic country station here. People have a long memory.

[Drafe Hoblin]

Local radio stations do their best to keep their listeners happy, and local advertisers know who is listening and who is spending money at their businesses.

Put an *asterisk by that in regards to the obama-years, when diaper-ears frequently scheduled announcements and special press-conferences to coincide with the start of Rush's show.  And the local-stations were obligated to preempt Rush, if they were network-affiliates. 

Luckily I was in-range of 3 stations that aired Rush, and one of them usually ignored the network-cutaway.

Rush would often comment on the timed preemptions, but would direct his criticisms toward the White House and not the stations, who Rush alluded were deluged with angry listener phonecalls.