And then there were seven

Nobody is buying the lascivious loudmouth Limbaugh's phony apology. Advertisers are still fleeing Limbaugh's odious radio show, the latest being ProFlowers. Meanwhile, Clear Channel is still standing by their bloated gasbag:

Premiere’s parent company, Clear Channel, deferred questions to Premiere, which declined to answer questions about the effect of the ad boycott or the widespread anger at Mr. Limbaugh.

In a statement, Premiere — best known for conservative talk shows — said it was committed to giving listeners access to a broad range of opinion and commentary. “The contraception debate is one that sparks strong emotion and opinions on both sides of the issue,” the company said. “We respect the right of Mr. Limbaugh, as well as the rights of those who disagree with him, to express those opinions.”

They don't have much choice. His $400 million contract doesn't run out until 2016. And I assume this media malestrom may have actually increased his ratings in the short term as people tune in to see what vile slurs he may spew next.

Conventional wisdom tells us advertiser boycotts don't really work, but the anti-Rush social media blitz appears to having an effect this time.

ProFlowers had said on Twitter that posts it received about Limbaugh's remarks affected its advertising strategy. ProFlowers is an online flower delivery service.

And he is losing some major players on a national level.

The six other advertisers that say they have pulled ads from his show are mortgage lender Quicken Loans, mattress retailers Sleep Train and Sleep Number, software maker Citrix Systems Inc., online data backup service provider Carbonite and online legal document services company LegalZoom.

It all depends on keeping the pressure up. As the NYT reported:

Later that day, a LegalZoom executive accidentally copied a reporter on an e-mail to her colleagues. It read, “We may need to prepare additional Q.& A.’s if this situation does not settle down soon.”

Ultimately, it was the loss of advertisers that took down Glenn Beck. A sustained campaign to pressure all the advertisers to drop out, especially and including local businesses on the local affilates, could very possibly end Limbaugh's hateful reign as King of the Cons.

[More posts daily at the Detroit News.]