Monday, March 05, 2012
Hilo station KPUA dumps Limbaugh
by Larry Geller
Hawaii radio station KPUA announced today that it was discontinuing the Rush Limbaugh program, a decision which has gained national and international notice for the station.
A Daily Kos article linked to a “kick-ass rebuke” of Limbaugh from Chris Leonard, president and general manager of New West Broadcasting. See the full statement at KPUA cancels Rush Limbaugh radio show in Hilo (KPUA.com, 3/5/2012) .
“We have always encouraged spirited discussion about national and local issues on KPUA and from time to time those discussions may be deemed by some to be objectionable. We are strong believers in the first amendment and have recognized Mr. Limbaugh's right to express opinions that often times differ from our own, but it has never been our goal to allow our station to be used for personal attacks and intolerance. The most recent incident has crossed a line of decency and a standard that we expect of programming on KPUA whether it is locally produced or a syndicated program like the Rush Limbaugh show.
While much of the national debate regarding this issue is now being framed in political terms, the decision for us is one of decency and responsibility. Regardless of one's political views on the issue being discussed, we feel the delivery was degrading and the continued comments over several days to be egregious. As a result, we are discontinuing the Rush Limbaugh program on KPUA effective immediately.”
The same Daily Kos article reports that so far 13 sponsors have dropped Limbaugh’s radio show. Sears tweeted today:
Sears and Kmart did not intentionally advertise on the Rush Limbaugh show. Sears Holdings has taken actions to ensure our ads do not run on this show. We appreciate our customers, fans and followers and thank you for your business.
Only two other Hawaii stations carry Limbaugh’s program:
Honolulu: KHVH-AM 830kHz AM M-F 9a-12p
Kihei: KAOI-AM 1110kHz AM M-F 8a-11a
For information on how to contact radio stations about this (or any other program) see this article or this one.
KHVH is likely to be a tough nut to crack. They recently tweeted their admiration for the late Andrew Breitbart as a “true conservative warrior.”
Rick Hamada wrote:
Today we mourn the passing of an old friend, the great Andrew Breitbart.
If they were so in love with Breitbart, don’t expect them to do the right thing and drop Limbaugh any time soon. But it’s ok to try, have at ‘em.
Rush brings out the fringe like dog poop brings out flies. I know, I know, that's an insult to dog poop.
: March 5, 2012 at 11:03:00 PM HST I try to listen to quality shows, so I didn't know there was a KHVH. Sounds like I haven't missed a thing.....
: March 6, 2012 at 10:18:00 AM HST KHVH wont be THAT tough of a nut to crack. What WILL work to shut Limbaugh down on Oahu is if local businesses currently advertising on KHVH decide that it isn’t in their long-term interest to associate themselves with this misogynistic blowhard. If all the LOCAL businesses that advertise on Rush start getting complaints via Facebook, Twitter and phone calls they will likely choose to funnel their precious ad dollars into less controversial media. When the local advertisers bolt, KHVH owner Clear Channel will lose most of their revenue stream from programming Rush on Oahu and that will seal his fate in the islands.
I’ve searched online and haven’t found a list of Rush’s Hawaii advertisers. I encourage everyone who wants to take Rush down on Oahu to reply to this post. Listen to his show, which airs from 9:00 AM to noon on 830 AM and also on Oceanic Time Warner channel 881. Listen for local advertisers and let them (the advertisers) know what you think about Rush via social media, phone, or email. If you support him, that’s cool too, maybe some local businesses are proud of their association with Rush.
The most important thing is that we know WHICH Hawaii businesses will stand up for Rush Limbaugh.
: March 7, 2012 at 12:23:00 AM HST 
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