Conservative talk radio powerhouse Rush Limbaugh continues to bleed advertisers following his verbal attack on law student Sandra Fluke, whom Limbaugh called a "slut" and a "prostitute" for advocating mandated workplace insurance coverage of contraceptives. Think Progress reports that 43 advertisers have pulled their spots from The Rush Limbaugh Show over the last week. (See a helpful timeline of the controversy here.) Two radio stations, one in Massachusetts and another in Hawaii, have pulled Rush's show from their schedules altogether. Limbaugh, who has apologized for his choice of words, insists that he's not worried about the exodus. Is his confidence justified?
Advertisers will be back: Here's a prediction that "does not really require psychic powers," says Brian Dunning at Skeptoid: Within a month or two, Limbaugh's advertisers will return. They only yanked their ads so they'd be "seen in a positive light" during the scandal, but once the commotion dies down, they'll come crawling back. "The Rush Limbaugh Show is, by a strong margin, the #1 radio show in the country. Advertisers do not let a property like that go to waste. They'll be back after everyone's forgotten this week's offense."
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