A lot less people are interested in what conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has to say after he called Georgetown University law student a slut and a prostitute, according to one industry ratings source. Politico reported on Monday that Abritrons key demographic ratings between March 29 and April 25 showed Limbaughs show had fallen 27 percent in New York City, 31 percent in Houston, 35 percent in Jacksonville and 40 percent in the Seattle-Tacoma market.
Clearly Sandra Fluke isnt the only one who didnt like Rush calling her a slut given how many viewers that comment incinerated, a listener told Politicos Dylan Byers.
In late March, Limbaugh had claimed that he ratings were up by between 10 percent and 60 percent after he called Fluke a slut because she advocated that health insurance cover contraception for women.
The advertisers who hung in here are going gangbusters, yes, he told his listeners. I mean, thats the simple truth. The only ones who got hurt are the ones who left.
A radio insider speculated to Politico that Limbaughs ratings had briefly surged as new listeners tuned in to hear him respond to the controversy.
Earlier this month, Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey said that his company had lost millions dollars after dozens of advertisers pulled their sponsorship from Limbaughs show. Dickey added that the radio giant was hit pretty hard by the loss.
The Arbitron report also indicated that ratings were up by as much as 79 percent in both the San Francisco and Las Vegas markets.