Newsflash for Rush Limbaugh: When somebody says they don’t have to contract with a station that carries your show, that’s not a First Amendment issue for you.
A Broward (Ft. Lauderdale) commissioner suggested the county not renew its contract for emergency broadcasts on a station that transmits the wisdom of the fat one, since a lot of people (like me for instance) avoid such stations for that very reason. But Rush and his supporters are crying big, Viagra-enriched tears, saying it just ain’t fair.
WIOD Program Manager Ken Charles agreed. ”It’s a shame people would let politics get in the way of saving lives during a hurricane,” he said.
Under the partnership, the station agrees to broadcast county press conferences in their entirety; the county lists the station on all its preparedness information.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Commissioner John Rodstrom brought up First Amendment concerns. ”When we start censoring what people write on radio, TV or newspapers, that is a slippery slope,” he said.
I’m not sure when the last time a county press conference saved any lives but I’ll allow as to how that could happen. One thing’s for sure though, just not doing business with somebody is not a slippery slope. Nobody’s telling Rush what to say or trying to keep him from saying it.
”We don’t have to do business with them,” [Commissioner Stacy] Ritter declared…
Ritter said Wednesday that commissioners should have made partnership deals with three stations.
”To limit it to one probably was not the way we should have gone, especially one that some people won’t listen to,” she said.
That makes too much sense, Stacy, and it looks like the rabid Rush-ites, whipped into a frenzy by their leader, have won this round. The county will likely renew the contract with just the one, Limbaugh-infused station.
But wait. I saved the best for last. What do you suppose Rush — in between whining about how mean the commission was to consider taking its business elsewhere — concluded about the matter live on the air?
“It’s just amazing to watch liberals in action. They can’t stand competition.”
UPDATE FRIDAY, JUNE 15
Broward County Commissioner, District 3, Stacy Ritter
From today’s Miami Herald:
Rush Limbaugh declared Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter ”a babe” on his radio show Thursday, eyeing her photo in the newspaper.
”Liberal babes are rare,” he said. “That’s why they stand out. It’s in The Miami Herald. It’s not Photoshopped.”
We can forgive Rush, however, it’s just the Viagra talkin’. — Buck
If I lived in Broward County, I’d take my chances with hurricanes before I’d listen to any station that carried that fat-assed slimer Limbaugh.
I think that God would be more inclined to ensure my safety knowing that I didn’t listen to that cheesy creep.
Competition? From whom? This is about competition? Such a self-absorbed freak.
Bryan Talbot–you gotta remember that Limbaughs comments make perfect sense to his audience, which has a collective I.Q. approaching the freezing point of helium.
Sometimes I honestly think that the civil war we need to be concerned with is not in Iraq. It is right here at home. For the moment, a cold civil war, but a civil war, nonetheless, that is anything but civil.
If this country does fly apart, people like Limbaugh, Coulter, Beck, Hannity, O’Reilly and others of their hateful ilk will have only themselves to blame.
I know I would really rather not live in the same country with them their followers. They offend my spirit
The only place that fat turd-ball Limbaugh should be broadcasting from is a prison cell for his numerous violatons of the Controlled Substance Act.
What’s that? Ooops, that’s right, i forgot.
Only the poor and minorities get sent to prison for doing what Limbaugh did with his illegal drug buying extravaganza.
If you rich, white and especially a Republican mouth piece, you can break laws with impunity all the while shouting on the airwaves how “we need to be tough on drug users.”
Don’t know what’s bigger: Limbaugh’s ass or his bloated ego.
Rush famously brags that he does whatever it is he does with half his brain tied behind his back. If that half-brain ever came undone, the fetid ooze that comes out will be the biggest public health and safety problem ever faced down there in south Florida, and the radio station & environs will be off limits to anyone not in a haz-mat suit.
True enough. I am not likely to listen to a station that broadcasts claims that I hate America or am ‘with the terrorists’..particularly by a draft dodger like Limbaugh. I, unlike Limbaugh, faced my countries enemies in combat and would never consider prostituting that experience by listening to the likes of that viagra addict.
They have contracted to only one radio station in Broward County??? It’s a good thing there are other forms of communication for receiving needed info! I agree with the person who said they would take their chances with a hurricane rather than listen to that trash mouth. Anyone who takes him, or the same type of trasher, seriously has a real problem with just about everything.
our ‘democracy’ can handle a lot of money and lies in politics and media but it could not handle the talk radio monopoly that for the last twenty years has been blasting most of the country and tens of millions of Americans with a “goebbles-would-be-jealous” trickle-up propaganda machine that infects all other media.
if Americans want their country back start at with the local talk radio station. let the LOCAL sponsors of the organized lies, propaganda, and swiftboating know you think the right wing blowhards they have chosen to represent their products and services HAVE BEEN WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING, are responsible for selecting the worst president ever, are responsible for gettting thousands of US troops and innocent Iraqis killed (no matter how many support the troops ribbons they sell) , are responsible for keeping ‘moderate’ GOP reps from voting to impeach bush and override his irrational vetoes, and so on. many sponsors are looking for alternatives and want balance but the station owners and managers will have to feel the economic pressure.
once Americans realize how much of the disaster of the last twenty years of American politics (since reagan killed the Fairness Doctrine) can be directly attributed to the unnacountable repetition of talking points, excuses, whinning, and hate only possible with this talk radio monopoly- this particular bush/GOP nightmare will be over.
Eh, according to Rush, there are no liberals in Florida. And if there were, they wouldn’t be worth saving anyway.
/sarcasm off/
I would love it if EVERY town in America had at least 1 true liberal radio talk show host or equal amount of newspaper space for every conservative windbag.
With competition, conservatism would wither at the vine.
But conservatism can only survive when other voices are not allowed an airing.
I too, cannot stand Lush Slimeball or any of the subversive vomitous crap he spews. However, he has the right to express himself and I support that right. If we don’t support and ensure the rights of those we despise then none of us will have any rights.
I live in Santa Fe & leaning on the progessive end, but as a business lawyer (albiet no specialty whatsoever in broadcast law), I am curious about this —
Need a little more background from folks familiar with applicable law/regs. I would have assumed that emergency broadcasts go out on all stations per some general state preemption/interest, i.e. preempt any programming. Is this not the case (I gather not)? Are Counties treating “emergency broadcasts” as intellectual property? Selling “emergency broadcoast” programing rights to privately owned broadcasters? Just trying to undertand why Limbaugh has an issue …
I think it’s a clever move on the part of the Broward County official to rid his jurisdiction of dittoheads – they’ll be too busy listening to Limbaugh to notice that the wind’s picked up outside.
There, I had to say it.
“a BABE”????
Yeah, right, like HE cares about women…!
Rush Limbaugh went ballistic because he has a monopoloy down there and he doesn’t want to give it up.
There’s a huge demand for progressive/liberal radio so I’m not quite sure why we don’t have more available.
I keep waiting for Air America to get to my area but I could be waiting a long time if they won’t spend some money on advertising and buying radio stations.
Is it that the conservatives own everything? Is that why we’re stuck with the right-wing falsehoods and bull.
Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck are getting a little bit louder so they must be feeling pressure. I need to hear more about this and will certainly participate if theres something I can do to support progressive radio.
This is great.
Limbaugh “1”. All of you uneducated name callers “0”.