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ADVERTISER SUCCESS STORY
Freedom Of Speech Spurs Success On Radio
By Rob Dumke
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Ross Rhode
Ross Rhode is not afraid to speak his mind. He supports freedom of speech. He supports radio as a way for people of all political and social stripes to have a voice. That’s why when he wants people to know about Fair Muffler & Brake Shop in Green Bay, Wisconsin, he spends his ad dollars on WTAQ News Talk, 97.5 FM/1360 AM. When Rhode was hired as the first employee at the business when it opened in 1984, radio was the messaging medium. And when he bought Fair Muffler & Brake in 2001, radio remained his first choice. “We always advertised on the radio,” Rhode says. “The late Shawn Mulhern from WNFL used to do live remotes from the business. He became the voice of Fair Muffler & Brake Shop. After Shawn passed, I tried another announcer, but he sounded like every other voice on the radio. So I started doing the ads.” Most of the spots he runs are during AM drive, but when Rush Limbaugh was added to the WTAQ lineup, Rhode’s spots filled some of the avails. That drew some attention to Fair Muffler & Brake Shop — especially from some folks who started trolling the business on Facebook. “There were some people that targeted us because we advertised on WTAQ during Rush’s show,” Rhode says. “These people would send me messages that would say, ‘You know Rush is controversial, blah, blah, blah.’ They were trying to get me to stop advertising on Rush Limbaugh. I said, ‘I’m not going to stop.’ WTAQ then asked me if I would be interested in doing an ad just about freedom of speech, basically saying that I support freedom of speech.” And that’s what Ross Rhode did. The spot ran during one of the local WTAQ talk shows. “People called while one of my guys was answering the phone. He got off the phone and asked me, ‘What the hell did you just do?’ He told me a couple callers said they were already customers and because of the ad, they will continue to be. Also, some said they were not customers yet, but because of the ad, they will be.” On February 17, 2021, the news broke that Rush had lost his fight with cancer at age 70.
“When Rush passed away I did a special ad, because I owed him that,” Rhode says. “He was a link between people who are like-minded. Whatever your politics are, we agree that I’m not trying to tell anybody what they should or should not believe — but there is still freedom of speech, and that is what it should be.”
Limbaugh Commercial Transcript
Hey, this is Ross at Fair Mufer and Brake Shop. The year 2021 is the 20th anniversary of owning Fair Mufer and Brake Shop. I’ve been part of Fair Mufer since 1984, and I liked it here so much, I bought the place. There are a lot of things that need to work together to stay in business for 37 years. One thing that is important is having good customers. How do you get good customers, you ask? Advertising. We always advertise on WTAQ, and for most of the time, Rush Limbaugh has been there. I have had many people tell me that they are our customers because we support freedom of speech and Rush Limbaugh by advertising on WTAQ. Rush listeners are very special people. Rush was that link that brought a lot of good people together. His passing is very sad. And he will be missed by millions. Rest in peace, Rush Limbaugh.
Rhode says, “You know, I’m not trying to be controversial. I’m riding the edge a bit, especially with Rush, but you know, it catches people’s attention. They think of the place and they come in. I actually had a guy come in, he said he had not been here before, and he was asking about the shop. He said, ‘I heard your ad, and the one you did about Rush Limbaugh, and that’s why I’m here.’ I don’t think there is any other medium where you can get that reaction. That’s why I like radio.”
