Cumulus dropping Limbaugh, Hannity at the end of 2013

[Foxfyre]

I'm not a big fan of Rush and I might catch 5 minutes of his show a week on average (today's repeat of a joke about Rep. Duckworth was beyond stupid and not funny at all), but nobody can argue with his success. The naysayers have been claiming doom and gloom for him since the 1990s. Every controversial and tasteless thing he says is red meat to progressive idiots who think that this will finally be the one that takes him down. For 20 years, nothing has.

An entire network, Air America, was launched specifically to take him down and in 12 hours of broadcasting (the rest of the airtime was repeats) they never got anywhere close to his listener numbers from one show. Rush's ratings beat all progressive programs on radio and TV added up. Not only that, but he handpicked a "sidekick" of sorts. Hannity was the most popular guest host and Rush helped Hannity get his own show. That was brilliant and it turned AM talk radio from "appointment listening" to "this radio station is always on" for many listeners.

The only criticisms about the results of the Rush Limbaugh Show are on trends of listeners. Any decline is celebrated, but that's only because even at worst it's still the largest audience of all time. 40 stations dropping Rush won't change that one bit and there are plenty of other stations in those markets chomping at the bit to gain those listeners.

This might be why most liberals are just plain terrible at business. They can't count.

Yup. Several of us have said pretty much the same thing, but the poor pathetic Rush haters are soooooooo desperate to deny Rush's incredible success and declare him a failure that they just keep repeating the same mantra over and over and over about how he is losing audience, how talk radio is on its way out, how Rush has committed the fatal faux pas or crossed the line and will now be rejected, yadda yadda. They refuse to acknowledge that he has lost some market share only because he has so effectively pioneered the genre and created so much competition for himself.

Next month he will celebrate his 25th anniversary of 'Excellence in Broadcasting' and the #1 position that has carried hundreds of radio to the top of their markets. That is a run unprecedented in radio and a record that may never ever be broken.

But again, when he fianlly retires, they'll say "See? He is a failure!"

 

[asterism]

I'm not a big fan of Rush and I might catch 5 minutes of his show a week on average (today's repeat of a joke about Rep. Duckworth was beyond stupid and not funny at all), but nobody can argue with his success. The naysayers have been claiming doom and gloom for him since the 1990s. Every controversial and tasteless thing he says is red meat to progressive idiots who think that this will finally be the one that takes him down. For 20 years, nothing has.

An entire network, Air America, was launched specifically to take him down and in 12 hours of broadcasting (the rest of the airtime was repeats) they never got anywhere close to his listener numbers from one show. Rush's ratings beat all progressive programs on radio and TV added up. Not only that, but he handpicked a "sidekick" of sorts. Hannity was the most popular guest host and Rush helped Hannity get his own show. That was brilliant and it turned AM talk radio from "appointment listening" to "this radio station is always on" for many listeners.

The only criticisms about the results of the Rush Limbaugh Show are on trends of listeners. Any decline is celebrated, but that's only because even at worst it's still the largest audience of all time. 40 stations dropping Rush won't change that one bit and there are plenty of other stations in those markets chomping at the bit to gain those listeners.

This might be why most liberals are just plain terrible at business. They can't count.

That depends entirely on how you define "success". Limblob's goal is to attract flies so he can charge "confiscatory ad rates" (his term). By that measure, he's a "success".

And no, I wouldn't call what he does the "largest audience of all time".

Name one bigger.

 

[Pogo]

I'm not a big fan of Rush and I might catch 5 minutes of his show a week on average (today's repeat of a joke about Rep. Duckworth was beyond stupid and not funny at all), but nobody can argue with his success. The naysayers have been claiming doom and gloom for him since the 1990s. Every controversial and tasteless thing he says is red meat to progressive idiots who think that this will finally be the one that takes him down. For 20 years, nothing has.

An entire network, Air America, was launched specifically to take him down and in 12 hours of broadcasting (the rest of the airtime was repeats) they never got anywhere close to his listener numbers from one show. Rush's ratings beat all progressive programs on radio and TV added up. Not only that, but he handpicked a "sidekick" of sorts. Hannity was the most popular guest host and Rush helped Hannity get his own show. That was brilliant and it turned AM talk radio from "appointment listening" to "this radio station is always on" for many listeners.

The only criticisms about the results of the Rush Limbaugh Show are on trends of listeners. Any decline is celebrated, but that's only because even at worst it's still the largest audience of all time. 40 stations dropping Rush won't change that one bit and there are plenty of other stations in those markets chomping at the bit to gain those listeners.

This might be why most liberals are just plain terrible at business. They can't count.

That depends entirely on how you define "success". Limblob's goal is to attract flies so he can charge "confiscatory ad rates" (his term). By that measure, he's a "success".

And no, I wouldn't call what he does the "largest audience of all time".

Name one bigger.

Hell, Father Coughlin had more listeners (30 million) even in the 1930s, even by absolute numbers (rather than audience share). Without having the numbers in front of me I suspect Walter Winchell and Jack Benny and Amos and Andy and several others did too.

Oh sorry, you said "one". My bad.

 

[Foxfyre]

POPWATCH Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity: Rumors of their demise are greatly exaggerated

by Jeff Labrecque on Jul 29, 2013 at 4:54PM


The second-biggest radio broadcaster in the country is threatening to dump Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, but before you celebrate the demise of conservative-talk’s most polarizing voices or curse the development as some liberal-media conspiracy — depending on your political view — take a deep breath and relax. Nothing is really going to change.

For once, Limbaugh and Hannity aren’t engrossed in a political imbroglio. Reports that Cumulus Media is planning to drop the pair from 40 or so of its channels is all about the money, as Cumulus is currently in negotiations with Clear Channel’s Premiere Networks, which syndicates both shows, over distribution rights and licensing fees. . . .

. . . . the fact of the matter is that whether Cumulus pays Premiere’s asking price or decides to cut ties with the conservative talkers, the hosts will not lack a microphone. “If that happens, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity will be added to every Clear Channel station that’s in a market that doesn’t have them where they were on with Cumulus,” says Harrison. “And in markets where they don’t have a station, there will be other companies that will be champing at the bit to get what are clearly the two biggest properties in talk radio: Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.”

In fact, Cumulus’ hard-ball tactics could backfire. “[Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey] is playing with real fire here, because if Rush and Sean go off of Cumulus stations, then the value of their radio stations goes down because they bought them as conservative-talk stations,” says Jerry Del Colliano, an industry analyst who runs the subscription media site, Inside Music Media. “Plus, they don’t have anybody to put on the air in an era where talk radio is really dying. Who do you have to replace them? Huckabee? Michael Savage? Cumulus does not have any real options.”

Dickey has publicly lashed out at Limbaugh before, chiding him for the lost revenue that was caused by political boycotts following Limbaugh’s crude remarks about Sandra Fluke in 2012. But if Cumulus wanted to be out of the Limbaugh business once and for all, they likely wouldn’t still be negotiating with Premiere, in and out of the media. (Neither Cumulus nor Premiere responded to EW’s requests for comment.)
Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity face radio shake-up | PopWatch | EW.com

Talk radio may indeed have run its course and will gradually phase out just as the pop music stations of years past lost favor and as did the radio comedies and dramas that were once highly popular. Huckabee who took over the late Paul Harvey's slot with the same type program is very good, but he will never enjoy the success that Paul Harvey did nor will he ever be a household name as Paul Harvey was.

Few things stay the same indefinitely. But conservative talk radio has had a hell of a run, and I am guessing Rush's record of being on top for 25 years is a record that will stand for a long, long time to come.

 

[asterism]

That depends entirely on how you define "success". Limblob's goal is to attract flies so he can charge "confiscatory ad rates" (his term). By that measure, he's a "success".

And no, I wouldn't call what he does the "largest audience of all time".

Name one bigger.

Hell, Father Coughlin had more listeners (30 million) even in the 1930s, even by absolute numbers (rather than audience share). Without having the numbers in front of me I suspect Walter Winchell and Jack Benny and Amos and Andy and several others did too.

Oh sorry, you said "one". My bad.

Good luck proving those very inflated Father Coughlin numbers.


None of this matters to me, I think Rush is better for the left side of the aisle than the right.

 

[Avatar4321]

And they will turn around and find new stations.

 

[Pogo]

Name one bigger.

Hell, Father Coughlin had more listeners (30 million) even in the 1930s, even by absolute numbers (rather than audience share). Without having the numbers in front of me I suspect Walter Winchell and Jack Benny and Amos and Andy and several others did too.

Oh sorry, you said "one". My bad.

Good luck proving those very inflated Father Coughlin numbers.


None of this matters to me, I think Rush is better for the left side of the aisle than the right.

"Proving"??

I don't have to "prove" jack squat. Those are the estimates. Entire city blocks reverberated with the broadcast, which received at peak upwards of 80,000 letters a week. And I might add, using far fewer stations that Lush Rimjob has at his disposal.

I know my radio history, son. That's why I know a statement like "biggest audience of all time" is bullshit.

 

[asterism]

POPWATCH Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity: Rumors of their demise are greatly exaggerated

by Jeff Labrecque on Jul 29, 2013 at 4:54PM


The second-biggest radio broadcaster in the country is threatening to dump Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, but before you celebrate the demise of conservative-talk’s most polarizing voices or curse the development as some liberal-media conspiracy — depending on your political view — take a deep breath and relax. Nothing is really going to change.

For once, Limbaugh and Hannity aren’t engrossed in a political imbroglio. Reports that Cumulus Media is planning to drop the pair from 40 or so of its channels is all about the money, as Cumulus is currently in negotiations with Clear Channel’s Premiere Networks, which syndicates both shows, over distribution rights and licensing fees. . . .

. . . . the fact of the matter is that whether Cumulus pays Premiere’s asking price or decides to cut ties with the conservative talkers, the hosts will not lack a microphone. “If that happens, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity will be added to every Clear Channel station that’s in a market that doesn’t have them where they were on with Cumulus,” says Harrison. “And in markets where they don’t have a station, there will be other companies that will be champing at the bit to get what are clearly the two biggest properties in talk radio: Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.”

In fact, Cumulus’ hard-ball tactics could backfire. “[Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey] is playing with real fire here, because if Rush and Sean go off of Cumulus stations, then the value of their radio stations goes down because they bought them as conservative-talk stations,” says Jerry Del Colliano, an industry analyst who runs the subscription media site, Inside Music Media. “Plus, they don’t have anybody to put on the air in an era where talk radio is really dying. Who do you have to replace them? Huckabee? Michael Savage? Cumulus does not have any real options.”

Dickey has publicly lashed out at Limbaugh before, chiding him for the lost revenue that was caused by political boycotts following Limbaugh’s crude remarks about Sandra Fluke in 2012. But if Cumulus wanted to be out of the Limbaugh business once and for all, they likely wouldn’t still be negotiating with Premiere, in and out of the media. (Neither Cumulus nor Premiere responded to EW’s requests for comment.)
Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity face radio shake-up | PopWatch | EW.com

Talk radio may indeed have run its course and will gradually phase out just as the pop music stations of years past lost favor and as did the radio comedies and dramas that were once highly popular. Huckabee who took over the late Paul Harvey's slot with the same type program is very good, but he will never enjoy the success that Paul Harvey did nor will he ever be a household name as Paul Harvey was.

Few things stay the same indefinitely. But conservative talk radio has had a hell of a run, and I am guessing Rush's record of being on top for 25 years is a record that will stand for a long, long time to come.

He certainly beats all progressives added up and that's what irks them so much.

 

[Foxfyre]

AM radio was on its way out with station after station losing money until conservative talk radio rescued it in the 1980's. Now interpersing sports with news and talk radio, most AM stations are profitable. Don't look for conservative talk radio to go away as long as it keeps those stations in the #1 and #2 slots in their markets.. And advertisers are going to be atracted to the largest market share regardless of what they broadcast.

 

[asterism]

Hell, Father Coughlin had more listeners (30 million) even in the 1930s, even by absolute numbers (rather than audience share). Without having the numbers in front of me I suspect Walter Winchell and Jack Benny and Amos and Andy and several others did too.

Oh sorry, you said "one". My bad.

Good luck proving those very inflated Father Coughlin numbers.


None of this matters to me, I think Rush is better for the left side of the aisle than the right.

"Proving"??

I don't have to "prove" jack squat. Those are the estimates. Entire city blocks reverberated with the broadcast, which received at peak upwards of 80,000 letters a week. And I might add, using far fewer stations that Lush Rimjob has at his disposal.

I know my radio history, son. That's why I know a statement like "biggest audience of all time" is bullshit.

Then you know the reach and penetration radio had back then compared to today. You say you don't have to prove "jack squat" but you made a distinct claim. So which is it, does your claim stand or does your lack of ability to back it up stand?


I bet you actually do know your radio history, and that's why Rush pisses you off so much.

 

[Foxfyre]

Rush is featured on more radio stations than probably existed back in the 1930's through 1960's. We got one local station and maybe two or three other long distant stations tops back then. And even though the population has grown substantially too, there are definitely many many more radio stations now and that dilutes the market for everybody. Just as Rush paving the way for a huge proliferation of other talk radio programs has cut into his own market share.

I don't think he minds. He obviously loves what he does and he continue to command top dollar for doing it. It's pretty hard to point to somebody as a failure who started out with nothing and will retire a millionare several hundred times over despite the liberals in power doing their damndest to discredit him and take him down.. Their hatred and jealousy of him is soooooo obvious, you gotta love it.

 

[Politico]

Wow this is four pages of wasted bandwidth lol.

 

[JoeB131]

I'm not a big fan of Rush and I might catch 5 minutes of his show a week on average (today's repeat of a joke about Rep. Duckworth was beyond stupid and not funny at all), but nobody can argue with his success. The naysayers have been claiming doom and gloom for him since the 1990s. Every controversial and tasteless thing he says is red meat to progressive idiots who think that this will finally be the one that takes him down. For 20 years, nothing has.

An entire network, Air America, was launched specifically to take him down and in 12 hours of broadcasting (the rest of the airtime was repeats) they never got anywhere close to his listener numbers from one show. Rush's ratings beat all progressive programs on radio and TV added up. Not only that, but he handpicked a "sidekick" of sorts. Hannity was the most popular guest host and Rush helped Hannity get his own show. That was brilliant and it turned AM talk radio from "appointment listening" to "this radio station is always on" for many listeners.

The only criticisms about the results of the Rush Limbaugh Show are on trends of listeners. Any decline is celebrated, but that's only because even at worst it's still the largest audience of all time. 40 stations dropping Rush won't change that one bit and there are plenty of other stations in those markets chomping at the bit to gain those listeners.

This might be why most liberals are just plain terrible at business. They can't count.

But you see, it's business that is doing your boy Limbaugh in.

Hate Radio isn't making money anymore.

I listened to Rush on WLS recently. You know what his commercials mostly consisted of? Gold Bugs, IRS payoff schemes and PSA's. Not consumer products you'd actually use.

Oh, yeah, and the heritage foundation has been propping up his show lately.

So other than the Koch Brothers paying to keep the Rubes stupid, what's his point?

 

[JoeB131]

Rush is featured on more radio stations than probably existed back in the 1930's through 1960's. We got one local station and maybe two or three other long distant stations tops back then. And even though the population has grown substantially too, there are definitely many many more radio stations now and that dilutes the market for everybody. Just as Rush paving the way for a huge proliferation of other talk radio programs has cut into his own market share.

I don't think he minds. He obviously loves what he does and he continue to command top dollar for doing it. It's pretty hard to point to somebody as a failure who started out with nothing and will retire a millionare several hundred times over despite the liberals in power doing their damndest to discredit him and take him down.. Their hatred and jealousy of him is soooooo obvious, you gotta love it.

It's not jealousy, it's frustration.

Hate Radio drops the level of discussion.

As I pointed out on another thread, there actually was a valid political discussion around Fluke.

Which Limbaugh totally got off the track by calling her a slut for three days in attempts to jack up his own ratings until his sponsors told him to knock it off.

 

[poet]

POPWATCH Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity: Rumors of their demise are greatly exaggerated

by Jeff Labrecque on Jul 29, 2013 at 4:54PM


The second-biggest radio broadcaster in the country is threatening to dump Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, but before you celebrate the demise of conservative-talk’s most polarizing voices or curse the development as some liberal-media conspiracy — depending on your political view — take a deep breath and relax. Nothing is really going to change.

For once, Limbaugh and Hannity aren’t engrossed in a political imbroglio. Reports that Cumulus Media is planning to drop the pair from 40 or so of its channels is all about the money, as Cumulus is currently in negotiations with Clear Channel’s Premiere Networks, which syndicates both shows, over distribution rights and licensing fees. . . .

. . . . the fact of the matter is that whether Cumulus pays Premiere’s asking price or decides to cut ties with the conservative talkers, the hosts will not lack a microphone. “If that happens, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity will be added to every Clear Channel station that’s in a market that doesn’t have them where they were on with Cumulus,” says Harrison. “And in markets where they don’t have a station, there will be other companies that will be champing at the bit to get what are clearly the two biggest properties in talk radio: Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.”

In fact, Cumulus’ hard-ball tactics could backfire. “[Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey] is playing with real fire here, because if Rush and Sean go off of Cumulus stations, then the value of their radio stations goes down because they bought them as conservative-talk stations,” says Jerry Del Colliano, an industry analyst who runs the subscription media site, Inside Music Media. “Plus, they don’t have anybody to put on the air in an era where talk radio is really dying. Who do you have to replace them? Huckabee? Michael Savage? Cumulus does not have any real options.”

Dickey has publicly lashed out at Limbaugh before, chiding him for the lost revenue that was caused by political boycotts following Limbaugh’s crude remarks about Sandra Fluke in 2012. But if Cumulus wanted to be out of the Limbaugh business once and for all, they likely wouldn’t still be negotiating with Premiere, in and out of the media. (Neither Cumulus nor Premiere responded to EW’s requests for comment.)
Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity face radio shake-up | PopWatch | EW.com

Talk radio may indeed have run its course and will gradually phase out just as the pop music stations of years past lost favor and as did the radio comedies and dramas that were once highly popular. Huckabee who took over the late Paul Harvey's slot with the same type program is very good, but he will never enjoy the success that Paul Harvey did nor will he ever be a household name as Paul Harvey was.

Few things stay the same indefinitely. But conservative talk radio has had a hell of a run, and I am guessing Rush's record of being on top for 25 years is a record that will stand for a long, long time to come.

He certainly beats all progressives added up and that's what irks them so much.

Excuse me, but hate speech from a convicted felon druggie doesn't beat anyone.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

See the Hatred by the Reactionary Left? It's positively disgusting and unAmerican

 

[Pogo]

Good luck proving those very inflated Father Coughlin numbers.


None of this matters to me, I think Rush is better for the left side of the aisle than the right.

"Proving"??

I don't have to "prove" jack squat. Those are the estimates. Entire city blocks reverberated with the broadcast, which received at peak upwards of 80,000 letters a week. And I might add, using far fewer stations that Lush Rimjob has at his disposal.

I know my radio history, son. That's why I know a statement like "biggest audience of all time" is bullshit.

Then you know the reach and penetration radio had back then compared to today. You say you don't have to prove "jack squat" but you made a distinct claim. So which is it, does your claim stand or does your lack of ability to back it up stand?


I bet you actually do know your radio history, and that's why Rush pisses you off so much.

No, YOU made a distinct claim, and I quote "largest audience of all time". You offered no "proof" of either the comparative nor the numbers themselves (nor does Lush). I simply opined that that distinct claim is distinctly bullshit.

And this level of defensiveness after claiming not to be a fan...

You also appear to be laboring under the misconception that the objective of a radio program is simply to draw listeners. If true it would be like stating the objective here is to post something that draws readers, whatever the content, which means grabbing attention any way you can, in which case you might as well just paste porn images. In other words by measuring Limblob (or anyone else) by ratings numbers, you're saying the content therein is meaningless and amounts to, in this case, political porn.

OK, have it your way.

 

[Pogo]

Rush is featured on more radio stations than probably existed back in the 1930's through 1960's. We got one local station and maybe two or three other long distant stations tops back then. And even though the population has grown substantially too, there are definitely many many more radio stations now and that dilutes the market for everybody. Just as Rush paving the way for a huge proliferation of other talk radio programs has cut into his own market share.

I don't think he minds. He obviously loves what he does and he continue to command top dollar for doing it. It's pretty hard to point to somebody as a failure who started out with nothing and will retire a millionare several hundred times over despite the liberals in power doing their damndest to discredit him and take him down.. Their hatred and jealousy of him is soooooo obvious, you gotta love it.

Again, as noted before it all depends on values. If it's all about money and nothing else, regardless how low you have to go to get it, then yes, Lush embodies "success".

 

[poet]

See the Hatred by the Reactionary Left? It's positively disgusting and unAmerican

You're obviously mentally disturbed. There is no "hatred" emanating from the "imagined" reactionary left. There is exhilaration at the thought that Limbaugh's hate speech and misogynist rants will be limited, if not in audience, then in scope. What is disgusting and un-American is his rhetoric and obviously your support for it.

Signature
"Barack Obama is either an idiot or he is intentionally trying to destroy the American economy" -- Vladimir Putin.

"Obama has been re-elected for a 2nd term by an illiterate society and he is ready to continue his lies..." Pravda

Yep, you're a partisan idiot.

 

[JoeB131]

See the Hatred by the Reactionary Left? It's positively disgusting and unAmerican

It isn't a left or right issue. Limbaugh is a terrible person, regardless of his politics.

Now, if Cumulous was replacing him with Al Franken, you might have a point.

But they aer going to replace him with Huckabee. Just as right wing, but can get his points across without calling people vile names. A baptist minister whose been married to the same woman for 30 years opposed to Limbaugh, who is on his fourth sham marriage.

The irony of it being, the main reason why Huckabees 2008 failed was because the Hate Radio people didn't like the fact Huckabee didnt' think the main message of Christianity.