WBEC Drops Limbaugh Show

By Larry KratkaBerkshire News Network
10:54AM / Tuesday, March 06, 2012Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Local radio News/Talk 1420-WBEC in has dropped "The Rush Limbaugh Show" in the wake of Limbaugh's comments on contraception last week.

WBEC is the second radio station in the country to drop Limbaugh, with the first being station KPUA in Hilo, Hawaii. Limbaugh's show ran weekdays from noon to 3.

The news of WBEC and the Hawaii radio station dropping the shock jock's show made national news, including a special report by MSNBC, prompting a number of phone calls in support of the decision to drop Limbaugh. It should be noted that WBEC also received some phone calls complaining about it.

Stations in Boston, Springfield, Worcester and Cape Cod still carry the show, according to Limbaugh's website.

Last week, Limbaugh called a Georgetown University Law student a "slut" and a "prostitute" after she testified before congressional Democrats about women's access to contraception and health insurance.

More than a dozen advertisers have pulled out of the syndidated show, heard by some 13 million, and there's an ongoing Twitter and Facebook assault against sponsors.

Limbaugh, who posted an apology to Sandra Fluke on his website, wrote that his show had been the "best opportunity" for advertisers. "They've decided they don't want you or your business anymore. So be it," he wrote on his site.

Tags: radio,

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Remember kids, if somebody says something you don't like they should be silenced!
from: McNuggets	on: 03-06-2012 12:32PM I Agree (13) - I Disagree (13)

Another attack by G.S. and the left. Keep on telling the truth Rush. You are the man. If anyone would like help pay for the womans over active sex life then send her a check.
from: truth	on: 03-06-2012 12:46PM I Agree (5) - I Disagree (32)
Editor: That would be mildly amusing if it was true, which it is not. Why not read Fluke's actual testimony?
I Agree (26) - I Disagree (5)

no, remember kids, even though you have to right to say whatever you want, No one is required to like it. you must be held responsible for the things you say.
from: no	on: 03-06-2012 12:59PM I Agree (17) - I Disagree (0)

If somebody calls your mom, sister, grandmother, aunt, daughter, etc... a slut and a prostitute over insurance coverage, you should just sit back and take it like the good little weak liberal you are. Liberals punching back = Waaaaahhhmbulance for conservatives. Nobody is silencing Rush. He can still say whatever the hell he wants. We are just lowering his market value to advertisers by pointing out what he, in fact, says.
from: Remember Kids	on: 03-06-2012 01:09PM I Agree (25) - I Disagree (5)

McNuggets, Limbaugh has the right to say whatever he wants. I have the right to listen or not, as I choose. And radio stations, as private entities, have the right to choose whether to air his show. No one is stifling free speech here.
from: free speech	on: 03-06-2012 01:15PM I Agree (21) - I Disagree (1)

You know what they call thirty year-old women who pay for their own birth control? Adults.
from: McNuggets	on: 03-06-2012 01:39PM I Agree (12) - I Disagree (11)

Now see, McNuggets, if Rush had made THAT statement, he wouldn't be where he is right now. If he had simply addressed the issue and not resorted to a personal attack on someone because, oh my, she had the nerve to state her opinion publicly - what a crime - no one would have said a word. I can't wait for your comment on how unfair it is that 'only conservatives are punished for things like this,' which is inevitably coming. Before it does, here are some facts... Bill Mahar made a stupid comment about 9-11, and he lost his ABC talk show. He's on Showtime or HBO now, don't know which, and neither rises to the level of a Rush Limbaugh audience, and never will. Don Imus made his stupid comment about the women's basketball team, his highly-rated radio show was gone in weeks. He's back on now, doesn't have nearly the same audience level as before. This has happened countless times to people on the right and left, and as the saying goes... the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Despite the rush of sponsors leaving, I doubt Rush is done. As with the banks bailed out... he might be "too big to fail."
from: Nope	on: 03-06-2012 02:03PM I Agree (12) - I Disagree (4)

@McNuggets - FYI - My vasectomy was covered by insurance. That must bother you a lot. Reproductive health is a helluva lot more complex than a cheap generic pill or a rubber. The fact that many conservatives, including Limbaugh, do not seem to understand that, is a pathetic joke.
from: Junk food	on: 03-06-2012 02:09PM I Agree (24) - I Disagree (4)

Please note that the issue isn't whether or not insurance covers contraception. The issue is whether or not the federal government can dictate to religious institutions (or any other institution for that matter) what they must provide in their insurance plans. Apparently religious freedom is a small price to pay for 'free' birth control.
from: McNuggets	on: 03-06-2012 02:29PM I Agree (9) - I Disagree (13)

Rush by the nature of his job takes on controversial subjects. What he said was inappropriate and he has apologized. We should remember if it weren't for Rush everything would meet MSNBC standards. I hope WBEC reconsiders and keeps the radio dialog open to both sides.
from: 10s	on: 03-06-2012 02:35PM I Agree (7) - I Disagree (11)

This is why I am unenrolled. Extremist to the right or left are the minority for good reason. Everything is black and white in their world. They attack their own members in their party when they cross the line to vote. People like Rush are nothing more than mouth pieces for the parties they represent. It's hard finding a commentator who is unbiased towards either side.
from: Elephonkey	on: 03-06-2012 03:16PM I Agree (6) - I Disagree (1)
*Editor: Elephonkey* LOL**
I Agree (0) - I Disagree (0)

Editor Please $ 3,000 dollars for birth control for 1 person ??? Really ? She goes to one of the most expensive law schools in the country and she can not afford nine dollars a month ??
from: truth	on: 03-06-2012 03:22PM I Agree (4) - I Disagree (10)
Editor: So, you didn't read her testimony?
I Agree (12) - I Disagree (2)

@McNuggets- The institutions in question had already been excused from the requirement, but since group insurance with contraceptive coverage is actually cheaper than coverage without, the insurance companies would have had to use the savings to offer coverage to women should they need it. Certain conservatives are trying to use the religious freedom issue as a wedge, when in fact, that no longer applies, to try and rehash the entire debate about the Affordable Care Act. Others, the RC Bishops in particular, seem very concerned that employees of institutions affiliated with their church might actually have access to affordable birth control whether or not they are members of the church. The first argument is nonsense and the second one sounds more like a problem with the church being unable to get its people to follow stupid doctrine set by old men who can only think about sex (hence this is about sex rather than insurance in their minds.) The right has been 100% dishonest about this conversation from the beginning and Rush is only exploding pimple of the lies being told. He is getting what he deserves. I only wish that was true of the rest of liars.
from: Wrong Again	on: 03-06-2012 03:28PM I Agree (15) - I Disagree (2)

Interesting... Lets be honest. While im sure the station disagrees with what Rush said, to cancel the show does them some good. They have been receiveing national attention all day from almost all the major media outlets. In a small county where keeping a radio station in business can be a struggle, this should get them some much need advertising dollars. Also, if I recall, this isnt the first time in recent local berkshire memory that someone has been thrown off the air for something they said. Radio station owners have the right to air and not air what they want. Its that simple.
from: Salmon	on: 03-06-2012 04:45PM I Agree (12) - I Disagree (0)

Elephonkey, The "both sides do it" cop out is a acknowledgment that someone doesn't understand the argument. One side is talking about insurance coverage and the other is lying and trying say that women want to be paid $3000 for rampant slutty sex. Not even close. The Switzerland argument is cowardice.
from: Elephant Dung	on: 03-06-2012 04:56PM I Agree (9) - I Disagree (1)

Nope. You seem to be under the impression that Obama caved on the HHS mandate. That is simply not true. The federal mandate that insurance companies provide contraceptives and abortion-related services still stands. Shifting the burden doesn't suddenly make it constitutional. Nobody on the right wants to limit access to contraceptives. That is simply a leftist strawman intended to further the "republicans hate women" narrative that we have all come to know. The issue here is whether or not the federal government has the authority to mandate that companies provide these things for free. They do not. You may think they should, but that is a separate issue. Imagine the federal government mandating that Muslim organizations had to serve bacon. While I love bacon, certainly it is within the rights of Muslim organizations to not provide it for free to their employees/students. Does this mean that I am in favor of restricting access to bacon? Nobody is forced to attend a Jesuit law school. There are plenty of schools where the insurance does cover such products. She still has access to birth control and abortion related services, she simply has to pay for them. What a tragedy. You may disagree with the catholic position on birth control. It is entirely acceptable to do so. I would join you in that belief. What is unacceptable is to foist our beliefs on them. This type of federal intrusion on religious freedom is expressly prohibited by the first amendment.
from: McNuggets	on: 03-06-2012 05:06PM I Agree (4) - I Disagree (7)

McNuggets- Where do people get this idea that all religiously affiliated institutions are exempt from any and all laws it might disagree with? It simply is not true. Churches themselves enjoy certain freedoms in the way they worship (peyote and cannabis in religious ceremonies, anyone?), or ministerial employees not having civil rights protections (recent SCOTUS case), but this is not like that at all. I'll believe the Catholic Bishops' (and the Limbaugh wing of the right) are sincere the day they argue that Catholics should be allowed to refuse to pay the portion of their taxes that go towards nuclear weaponry.
from: Insurance	on: 03-06-2012 06:27PM I Agree (9) - I Disagree (3)

Nobody is forcing Catholic women to use birth control. They are forcing insurance companies to cover it. Big difference.
from: Pork Indeed	on: 03-06-2012 08:45PM I Agree (8) - I Disagree (4)

Everyone on the liberal left keeps referring to Ms. Fluke's appearance with Nancy Pelosi as a “hearing” and to her statements as “testimony.” It was not a hearing, and she did not testify. She was never under oath. It was a meeting with some Democrats and she spoke. That’s it.
from: NotFoolingMe	on: 03-06-2012 09:18PM I Agree (11) - I Disagree (1)

Maybe Limbaugh ought to put a disclaimer at the start of his show that it is not to be mistaken for political discourse. I have heard him spew other vile attacks such as "liberals ought to be hanged"... boy, that's biting the hand that feeds you, isn't it? It's because of our country's liberal views on free speech that he is even allowed to incite violence without any repercussions. Good riddance!
from: Glad there's justice	on: 03-06-2012 09:37PM I Agree (5) - I Disagree (7)

I did not realize that this woman was forced to go to Georgetown University. If their policies conflict with her beliefs than she is free to pursue her law degree at an institution that gives out contraception. If she is being held at Georgetown against her will we need congressional hearings ASAP to investigate. I am concerned for her well being.
from: Forced Education?	on: 03-06-2012 10:28PM I Agree (5) - I Disagree (4)
Editor: I think we are confusing generic contraception with birth control. This is not about rubbers; it's about prescription medicine and whether it should be covered by insurance.
I Agree (11) - I Disagree (4)

Mr. Limbaugh's show was aired on the station BECAUSE of what he had said in the past. Mr. Limbaugh's show was dropped from being aired on the station BECAUSE of what he said last week. The right of free speech has two sides, the right of one person to say something, and the right of one person not to listen to it.
from: really	on: 03-07-2012 07:19AM I Agree (7) - I Disagree (0)

Former Harry's Supermarket Under Construction for Restaurant

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
08:30AM / Tuesday, June 09, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Construction is underway to transform the former Harry's Supermarket into a restaurant.

Late last month, the Conservation Commission greenlit some tree pruning on the property. New windows and a new door can be seen in the front of the building.

"It's a substantial renovation that's currently underway here," Brent White of White Engineering said, speaking on behalf of the applicant and owner, Huajie Zhu.

A fire gutted the longtime Wahconah Street supermarket in 2023, and the following year, Zhu purchased the property for $460,000 two years ago to build a restaurant with hibachi in the existing footprint of the more than 100-year-old building.

White explained that the project has been ongoing for over a year, and the Community Development Board granted the property a waiver to reduce the minimum required number of parking spaces so that additional spaces aren't needed.

He noted that, looking at the site plan, there is very little room to do so. A mirror will be installed near the sharp turn on Bel Air Avenue to alleviate traffic concerns.

Pruning will be done on trees in the southeast corner of the existing paved parking lot, as a number of branches are hanging over. The new owners also intend to patch, sealcoat, and re-stripe the parking lot.

A fire tore through the building less than an hour after the supermarket closed for the day three years ago. An automatic sprinkler system is required for the new use.