Its probably still too soon to tell, but so many advertisers have fled Limbaugh's program, the bulk of ad time is now consumed by non-revenue generating public service announcements. I have no idea what a thirty second spot on The Rush Limbaugh show costs, but I have to imagine that Premire Radio and Clear Channel lost thousands upon thousands of dollars over the past week by being unable to replace sponsors fleeing Limbaugh like he was an overturned and leaking container of toxic waste.
Thanks to social media keeping the pressure up, those advertisers might come back anytime soon either.
Jim Cooper, executive editor of Adweek, said that Limbaugh's comments were "so offensive" that he could have impaired his ability to attract advertisers in the long term. "He could have a problem with brands being associated with his show. They don't want to have any sort of rub off, to be associated with anyone seen as so bold or obnoxious or cruel to that woman, it is pretty off the charts."...
"It's really high profile. Not only are the ratings so huge, but this story has blown up on social media, it is all over Twitter and these brands are not stupid, they are monitoring that space, too. If this story had happened 10 years ago, it would not have had the gasoline of social media to push it. The story will not go away."
Katy Bachman, former radio reporter for MediaWeek and past editor of Radio Business Report, said the controversy might affect Limbaugh "for a while."
"Advertisers are very sensitive to where their ads are placed," Bachman said. "This might set him back for a while, the pressure should be put on Premiere and Clear Channel because they are the syndicators and the ones selling the advertising."
Asked why the ads started being pulled so soon and so quickly, Bachman replied, "They don't want their ads or their products associated with a show like this."
Limbaugh should have been excluded from polite company decades ago for the many, many offensive and vulgar comments he's made, but this particular controversy seems to have the legs to do some real damage to the brand.