Paul Goldman says he’s “appalled” that Rush Limbaugh called Georgetown Law School student Sandra Fluke a “slut” and a “prostitute” last week after she told lawmakers in Washington that insurance should cover birth control. But Goldman has no plans to take Rush off the air at the radio station he owns, WVMT 620 AM in Colchester.
“The majority of people who are asking me to take him off the air don’t even listen to him,” said Goldman. “The listeners still want Rush and that’s my job and my business — to satisfy the listeners. It’s America. It’s freedom of speech. He’s paying a financial price for what he said.”
Limbaugh made a public apology to Fluke last weekend, saying “those two words were inappropriate.” But that hasn’t stopped dozens of advertisers — anywhere from 28 to 43, as of Wednesday — from fleeing his show.
At WVMT, Goldman says he received a few calls and emails complaining about the comments, but he said they were part of a coordinated campaign that would not influence programming decisions at the station. It might be different, Goldman said, if regular Rush listeners had complained.
“I get more heat when I pre-empt Rush for a baseball game. I get as many phone calls,” Goldman said.
Goldman said none of the station’s advertisers had complained to him, nor did anyone who identified as a regular listener of the show, which airs noon to 3 p.m. in the Burlington area.
“It would be different if somebody who personally worked for me did this, but he doesn’t work for me,” Goldman said.
At WNTK in the New London, N.H., which broadcasts Limbaugh’s show over 99.7 FM the Upper Valley, it appears to be much the same story. Station owner Bob Vinikoor told the Valley News he was satisfied with Limbaugh’s apology and added, “It was still a pretty poor choice of words and the wrong thing to say.”
Goldman, who also owns pop station 95 Triple X, stressed that he’s not defending Limbaugh, adding, “It’s not my cup of tea. I probably never turn on the show..” Rush is the most listened-to talk radio show in America, Goldman said, before adding, “It’s not about the ratings. It’s about what I can impact.”
Goldman said the station’s local morning hosts, Charlie Ernie & Lisa, tackled the controversy on their talk show. Beyond that, the station has not addressed the matter over the air and has no plans to, Goldman said.
“I’m sure people were offended. I’m not trying to downplay that,” Goldman said. “I think most people who would hear him say it wouldn’t be absolutely shocked. That’s who he is. Most people who would be shocked and offended wouldn’t be listening to him in the first place.”
The social media campaign that has fueled Limbaugh’s advertiser exodus has been visible in the Burlington area — but just barely. Melinda Moulton, a business woman who also serves on the board of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE), posted a list of Vermont stations that carry Rush on her Facebook page and urged friends to complain. Elaine Young, a professor at Champlain College, has also posted about local radio stations carrying the show — and named their advertisers.
As it happens, Moulton was headed to a PPNNE’s quarterly board meeting in New Hampshire on Friday and tuned into Limbaugh’s show “for the first time ever in the history of my life” on the drive down. When she arrived at the meeting, she learned that several fellow board members had done the exact same thing.
“We felt we really had to listen to him for ourselves to believe this was real,” said Moulton, the CEO of Main Street Landing in Burlington. “I’m absolutely outraged that this kind of attitude still prevails in our country. I thought this was over decades ago.”
But outrage makes for good fundraising potential. On her Facebook page, Moulton urged friends to respond to Rush by making a donation to Planned Parenthood.
“It really helps Planned Parenthood to be able to fundraise so they can be at the front lines of this,” Moulton said. “How else are we going to speak out about this?”
So, in a strange way, maybe this whole thing is a mutually beneficial: Rush gets to say remarkably offensive things and drive up his ratings. And opponents such as Planned Parenthood get to fundraise off the ensuing outrage. The only one that loses is Sandra Fluke herself — until she lands her inevitable book deal, of course.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
This article appears in The Real Estate Issue 2012.
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Are you kidding me? “Mr. Limbaugh has paid a financial price for what he said.” Mr. Goldman feels that makes things right Yet his choice to keep the show on the air is not about the money? It’s about what his listeners want…uh-huh.
guess the sponsors of the the stations should be boycotted…
When WVMT announced a couple years back on the CEandL show that they would be carrying Limbaugh, from 12 to 3 I called and thanked them as this would be 3 hours of the day I could dedicate to something else . I as a conservative Republican have heard his message over the years and he poorly represents any ones point of view, whether conservative or liberal. Every now and then I will listen to his crap for 5 minutes to continue to be assured he is an idiot. He has not let me down yet as he is an idiot.
Please note as this mess unfolded earlier this week he had to again make everyone aware of his hearing problem by not pronouncing names correctly, but in my opinion intentionally using his hearing issues to his advantage. So yes as a conservative republican I have heard his messy message and yes he is an idiot and I can recommend people find something else to do between the hours 12-3 when he is broadcast on WVMT.
Popular speech doesn’t need protection.
Champlain Professor wants to censor radio programming, and prevent other Americans from listening to what they want in a free country. Got it…
Note to self: apparently I can’t send my kids to Champlain now because of liberal indoctrination.
My blog post was written specifically to call out the anti-woman context of the Rush Limbaugh show and to call on Vermonters to question the value of a show where the host is consistently anti-woman. It also highlighted that we have local advertisers who don’t seem to mind that they are affiliated with that show. It is my right as an American to call this out and to speak up when I am offended. Seems to me that is what you would want your children to learn about — they can then use their own free will and educated minds to come to their own conclusions. My blog posts do not reflect the point of view of Champlain College, they are my own opinions as a career-oriented, professional woman who teaches Marketing.
I don’t get it sometimes. Rush is a dipshit, no doubt about it, however words have only the power one gives them. If they offend you, that just validates someones moronic comments.
People need to grow a thicker skin, get over being hurt by name calling, and worry about the actually important things in their lives.
No need to explain yourself. Speech should be free. There was nothing in your post that gave me the impression that you spoke for your employer.
Limbaugh and now Goldman make me embarrassed to be a member of the human race. I would imagine some woman has been bashed somewhere by someone who felt encouraged by Limbaugh’s misogynist and venomous rants. Why hasn’t he been arrested for hate crimes?
“Why hasn’t he been arrested for hate crimes?”
Hello?
His name calling was ignorant and stupid. In fact, his entire show is ignorant and stupid. But calling for his arrest for hate crimes is also ignorant and stupid.
It’s the same as Howard stern. If you don’t like what he says, just turn the dial. It’s America people. Never forget the 1st amendment.
I must say I’m a bit surprised that Rush hasn’t been canned. This isn’t much different then Imus and his “nappy headed hos” comment.
It’s too bad though, he is an idiot and too many people think the guy represents republicans. It would be nice if he was canned.
Hate crime, no chance.
I don’t believe you. You sound like a progressive activist using seminar tactics. Sorry. No real conservative who ever listened to Rush would write what you just wrote. Your vitriol can only be because you are liberal.
I was called a liberal, first time for everything. Been called a lot of things in life, many unprintable. But question Limbaugh and I attract immediate liberal status, amazing
I think it was much more than “ignorant and stupid”. I think his words were generated by hatred. Don’t some hate crimes involve just speech? But you called me ignorant and stupid, so….
Whether his words were generated by hatred or just extreme stupidity, we have this thing in the US called the First Amendment . . . It gives him the right to say things that are hateful and stupid, and you and me the right to call him hateful and stupid.
I worked for Paul Goldman in high school. He’s a horse’s ass, for sure…but there’s no basis for trashing him on this. Believe me, I looked for one.
I smell a liberal in some of these comments..not a conservative. Anyone on here who has not used the wrong words when outraged by something..cast the first stone. The outrage to me in these comments is these hypocrites who are using this to kill more babies…of which many are female. You are so deceived. The other point I want to make is that anyone who thinks Rush is an idiot needs their head examined.
Rush is not against women but he is against anyone who is okay with killing babies and that makes him more righteous than you. You have made this all about killing babies and THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS!