18 universities that get no revenue from broadcasting sports on Limbaugh stations.

[certainot]

The GOP and its supporters are paying very little for the endorsement of their partisan hate radio stations by our major universities.

When the list of 76 Universities for Rush Limbaugh is checked with a USA Today database detailing revenue and expenses of athletic programs of US universities there are some surprises (thanks to Old Gray Dog for the USA Today web site).

One item in revenue is <blockquote>Broadcast, television, radio, and internet rights.</blockquote>

The percentage of that revenue from radio may be low (anyone out there have examples?).

61 of the 76 Limbaugh universities (on 119 of 170 Limbaugh stations) showed up in the USA Today database. 42 of those 61 universities get less than 3% of their athletics related revenue from broadcasting rights. 17 got more than 5%.

And guess what? 18 universities on 28 radio stations received $0. That list includes some major athletic programs: Michigan, Indiana, Arizona State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, and Virginia. University of New Mexico might as well be on that list, at $5,250.00 or 0.01%.

8 more universities on 12 stations got less than 1% of their athletic revenue that way. Another 16 got less than 3%.

The total number of right wing radio stations leeching off university athletics programs and their student athletes is much greater than the 170 Limbaugh stations. The GOP and its supporters are riding these universities and paying very little for it.

All of these universities need to hear from their students, faculties, and communities. And if universities still use revenue as an excuse for resisting finding alternative radio stations perhaps there are donors that can make up the difference.

Can any amount of money can help rationalize a university association with right wing radio? In some states the largest Limbaugh stations are essentially the centers of GOP power.

Right wing radio stations, on public airwaves and licensed to operate in the public interest, are the loudest and often the only AM talk stations even in blue communities. They act in unison on major issues and have been used to create made-to-order constituencies for 20 years. Their talkers are usually protected by call screeners and use software that can prioritize paid callers. They swiftboat Democrats and often decide who advances in Republican primaries. They blast their states with misogyny, racism, partisan political lies, global warming denial, voter suppression, attacks on teachers and unions, and constant support for efforts to defund and privatize eduction. They were instrumental selling and excusing Bush, lying us into Iraq, deregulating Wall Street, and making single payer 'unacceptable'.

How can any institution of higher learning to continue to associate itself with right wing and Limbaugh radio? None of the university mission statements I've read would allow such an association if taken seriously.

Most of the comments I've seen defending those associations point out the university is making a business decision and make money by selling broadcasting rights. The RW stations are the loudest AM stations and they can pay the most. The stations like the association. It gives them community standing and credibility and attracts local advertisers, even though the sports broadcast may only take a few hours a week.

Very few universities in the list below can claim they can't afford to immediately begin looking for alternatives for their athletic programs. Most states have plenty of non-partisan radio stations that would love to be associated with those universities and could reach a similar number of listeners.

How do radio revenues compare with bonuses handed out to staff and other expenses?

Why is it that North Carolina can bring in so much from broadcast rights and Michigan, Indiana, and Arizona State nothing? Those RW Michigan stations made a difference in their last governor's race.

There seems to be a conflict of interest.

The local talkers on RW stations can significantly effect local politics, including university regent elections and the acceptability of university presidential candidates. Once the short list of possible presidents or chancellors is revealed they will do their best, perhaps with talking points and guests supplied by national think tanks, to make sure the 'liberal' ones are 'too' liberal. It works.

In Colorado, the biggest talk station in the state (which says it reaches more than 30 states at night- with the wit and wisdom of the likes of "heck-of-a-job-Brownie"- Michael Brown) can say: "850 KOA, home of the Buffaloes and Rush Limbaugh!", while lobbying for regents and presidents dedicated to privatizing the university. Mike Rosen, the local GOP talker preceding Limbaugh, is a very loud voice in local politics. CU gets $155,528.00 or 0.31% for radio, TV, and internet.

In NM the Limbaugh megastation 770 KKOB is the loudest AM station in NM and did a great job associating Democrat Diane Denish with the fruits of years of attacks on former Gov Bill Richardson in the last elections. So now NM has a very oil and gas friendly Republican governor from Texas, Susanna Martinez, pushing voter ID laws. For the privilege of being the voice of the UNM Lobos, the Limbaugh megastation 770 KKOB paid less than <strong> $5,250.00! or 0.01% </strong> in 2009-10. The GOP got a hell of a deal there. That's the same station that was used by Rove to attack NM attorney general David Iglesias for not doing enough to prosecute voter fraud in NM. It's the same station used to demonize Wen Ho Lee to dissuade Gore from picking Richardson as VP and sucking the Hispanic vote from Bush.

Like many of those 76 Limbaugh stations and others, KOA and KKOB will likely use CU and UNM for significant political gain in the next elections.

Surely there are donors that can make up that lost revenue while the university looks for other stations to reach just as many listeners.

Activists at the universities of North Carolina and Vermont are already working to dissociate those universities from Limbaugh stations.

Here are some websites working to end the reign of Rush Limbaugh:

http://boycottrushlimbaughssponsors.com/
http://endhateradio.com/
http://stoprush.pbworks.com/w/page/51762363/Volunteer

LIMBAUGH UNIVERSITY (Revenue from Broadcast, television, radio, internet rights) (% of total revenue)

United States Air Force Academy $0.00 0%
University of Alabama $8,444,674.00 6.47%
Arizona State University $0.00 0%
University of Arkansas $950,000.00 1.22%
United States Army War College $2,124,667.00 7.16%
Auburn University $4,637,605.00 5.01%
Boise State University $126,678.00 0.34%
Bowling Green State University $0.00 0%
University of California–Los Angeles $4,998,603.00 8.08%
Clemson University $920,000.00 1.6%
University of Colorado–Boulder $155,528.00 0.31%
University of Connecticut $1,749,796.00 2.99%
East Carolina University $0.00 0%
University of Florida $7,450,000.00 6.36%
University of Central Florida $0.00 0%
Florida State University $349,869.00 0.47%
University of Georgia $6,231,302.00 6.94%
Georgia Institute of Technology $1,254,697.00 2.27%
University of Idaho $50,000.00 0.32%
U of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign $1,175,065.00 1.56%
Indiana University–Bloomington $0.00 0%
University of Iowa $1,500,000.00 1.69%
Iowa State University $2,608,896.00 5.57%
University of Kansas $7,276,988.00 10.31%
Kansas State University $3,263,941.00 6.11%
University of Kentucky $7,743,327.00 9.72%
University of Louisiana–Monroe $0.00 0%
University of Louisville $1,675,000.00 2.64%
University of Maryland–College Park $0.00 0%
University of Memphis $1,157,049.00 2.93%
University of Michigan $0.00 0%
Michigan State University $660,025.00 0.79%
University of Mississippi $1,658,650.00 3.63%
Mississippi State University $0.00 0%
University of Montana $72,010.00 0.43%
University of Nebraska–Omaha $4,393,529.00 5.98%
University of Nevada–Reno $320,000.00 1.38%
University of New Mexico $5,250.00 0.01%
New Mexico State University $0.00 0%
U of North Carolina–Chapel Hill $11,171,458.00 15.34%
Ohio State University $2,329,462.00 1.89%
University of Oklahoma $317,361.00 0.32%
Oklahoma State University $6,395,000.00 6.01%
University of Oregon $108,452.00 0.09%
Oregon State University $6,267,671.00 11.27%
Pennsylvania State University $2,362,500.00 2.22%
Purdue University $0.00 0%
University of South Carolina $1,829,000.00 2.29%
University of South Florida $588,298.00 1.5%
University of Southern Mississippi $0.00 0%
University of Tennessee $6,293,621.00 5.44%
University of Texas–Austin $338,171.00 0.24%
Texas A&M University $0.00 0%
Texas Tech University $0.00 0%
Troy University $0.00 0%
Utah State University $0.00 0%
University of Virginia $0.00 0%
Virginia Polytechnic Institute $3,769,583.00 5.93%
University of Washington $1,248,599.00 1.95%
Washington State University $562,098.00 1.43%
Wichita State University $433,164.00 2.18%
University of Wisconsin–Madison $5,547,740.00 5.78%

[freshwest]

1. Thanks for all of this info, certainot. Following the money.