Rush Limbaugh rejected all the talk of his show losing advertisers on Wednesday, telling listeners that "everything is cool" and that the media was just out to get him.
Over the past few days, dozens of advertisers have asked that their spots be removed from his show because of his controversial comments about Georgetown law student and contraception activist Sandra Fluke.
So how can journalists stand by all those reports and lists of sponsors leaving his show?
“Because they lie,” Limbaugh told listeners. “Because they don’t understand how it works.”
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Outraged by the media's treatment of this scandal, Limbaugh gave his audience a course in the radio advertising business Wednesday. It is true that his show draws hundreds if not thousands of sponsors, so the real question is this: Did the advertisers pulling their spots buy air time directly from his production company or from Premiere Radio Networks, which syndicates his show, or local affiliate stations?
To hear Limbaugh tell it, this scandal is nothing special.
“Everything is fine on the business side,” he said. “Everything is cool.”
He acknowledged that some sponsors have left – the figure sits somewhere in the 28-32 range, though some reports Wednesday said 40 – but Limbaugh compared it to losing a couple of fries out of the box in a drive-thru.
He also said this happens with him, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Howard Stern and others every day.
“None of what’s happening is out of the ordinary,” he said. “It’s part of the onslaught to convince you this show is history and our days are numbered. I’m happy to tell you nothing could be further from the truth.”
And what about his being suspended?
“Utter BS. I would have to suspend myself.”
Robert Unmacht, an expert on the radio industry and editor at trade website radio.info, disagrees. He told TheWrap the various apologies demonstrate that Rush "got hit hard." A high-level advertising executive agreed.
"I think he's lost advertisers and certain stations for a long time," he told TheWrap on Tuesday.
But remember, everything is cool.
Here's Rush: