Levin just signed a lifetime contract with Westwood One. And what do you do for a living besides bash conservatives like Levin? Defend DeBlasio, the Daily News and Bratton?
Listen to people who don’t yell on the radio.
Yeah, the entire article is long on rumor and speculation, short on fact.
Consider this: Levin, as you indicated, just signed an eight-year contract with his syndicator. In this era, virtually no talk host is getting more than a four-year deal, even Rush. No syndication firm would sign a host to that type of contract if they weren’t delivering solid ratings, particularly in the 24-54 demo—the most-prized audience segment.
And the supposed demise of the talk titans is greatly exaggerated. Here’s another fact, conveniently omitted from the article. Rush’s ratings remain strong in many markets, out-performing music programs on FM and even local hosts on the stations that carry his show. In Washington, DC, for example, Rush is normally #3 or #4 in his timeslot, by far the highest-rated host on WMAL and the highest-rated program on an AM station in the city. Obviously, DC is not exactly a conservative-friendly market.
By comparison, Trump backer Michael Savage (who follows Rush on the station) is no better than #13 or #14 in afternoon drive—the time slot that follows Rush. So, the Trump endorsement isn’t exactly bringing more listeners to his show, and he squanders the big audience that Rush delivers from noon to 3 pm.
Levin may have signed a new contract, but his salary is based on
ratings and listeners. He still has an audience, but it is a lot smaller
than it was.