That’s 1 down and lots to go in the West Michigan Radio Market: On the Death of Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh is Dead, and that is a good thing, because it means that there is one less radio show in West Michigan that does not promote hate, White Supremacy, misogyny, ablism and transphobia from a cop apologist that defended the brutal economic system of Capitalism.

Groups like Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting had monitored Rush Limbaugh’s show content for years, especially after the radio conglomerate Clear Channel syndicated his show so that people all across the country would be subjected to his vile on a daily basis.

In 2012, GRIID began a campaign to get Rush Limbaugh off of WOOD Radio here in Grand Rapids. This campaign included the targeting of advertisers on WOOD Radio, and it included a regular Dump Rush protest outside of the offices of Clear Channel on Monroe Center. It is interesting to note, that while we were doing this campaign, the WOOD Radio station manager would say that their station was just trying to provide a wide range of perspectives. There was no range of perspectives, since it was all far right hate speech!

WOOD Radio has been broadcasting Rush Limbaugh and other far right shock jocks for more than a decade, which means that the hate-filled content has infected this community. West Michigan has a long history of White Supremacy and WOOD Radio has contributed to fostering White Supremacist values, values that have long term consequences to justify poverty, housing discrimination, inadequate health care and educational opportunities to Black, Indigenous and other communities of Color in West Michigan.

I said one down in the headline, because in this radio market there are also numerous other far right proponents of White Supremacy radio programs that air in this market on a daily basis. WOOD Radio alone airs Sean Hannity, Glen Beck, Dave Ramsey and other lesser-known proponents of hate speech and White Supremacy. Like any forms of hate speech and platforms for White Supremacy, they can be fought and shut down.

Rush Limbaugh was one of the court jesters of the US Empire and I will not mourn his death, instead I will celebrate the fact that there is one less amplified voice for hate and White Supremacy.