Wed, May 19, 2004 4:24pm ET

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Media Matters for America runs TV ad about Limbaugh comments; radio station carrying Limbaugh rejected MMFA radio ad

On May 13, Media Matters for America launched an aggressive TV ad campaign spotlighting highly controversial comments made by Rush Limbaugh about the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. guards.

Limbaugh is the political commentator with the largest radio listenership in the United States. Running for four days in the Washington, DC, area on major cable networks including CNBC, CNN, ESPN, FOX News Channel, and MSNBC, the 30-second ad contrasted the Bush administration's denunciation of the abuse with Limbaugh's May 4 comments comparing the abuse to a college fraternity prank and "people having a good time."

A companion radio ad launched on May 14 was rejected by Disney-owned radio station 630 WMAL in Washington, DC. Asked why the ad was rejected, WMAL president and general manager Chris Berry said, "Rush Limbaugh is the top-rated show on my station... I'm not going to run something that screws him." The website dcrtv.com -- which covers "Washington DC/Baltimore Area Radio/TV/Media" -- posted a brief item on WMAL's rejection of the Media Matters for America ad and quoted Berry, who denied that he sought to avoid "screw[ing]" Limbaugh: "I don't know where they got the quote they attributed to me... [Media Matters for America] would have been wasting their money. This commercial isn't going to change the minds of Rush's loyal listeners."

United Press International also mentioned the Media Matters for America ad in an analysis reporting that "Limbaugh bought a full-page advertisement in two south Florida newspapers Thursday [May 13] attacking the prosecutor who is leading the investigation [into prescription drug allegations against him], along with the media coverage."

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