The Business of Being Rush Limbaugh

Darryl Parks ^ | 5/27/15 | Darryl Parks

[gr8eman]

being an old man verbally abusing a young woman, which in our society is never acceptable

Mr. Letterman, please pick up the white phone...Mr. Letterman, please pick up the white phone...

[TexasCajun]

Methinks Darryl Parks is “toxic”.

...whoever he is.

[wastoute]

Libtard fantasies. Delusions.

[Reno89519]

So this guy things Rush rises or falls on whether Sandra Fluke is a slut?

[wastoute]

And it turns out Rush was right about Sandra Fluke. Hope she enjoys hanging out with gals with hairy armpits.

[Texas Eagle]

After Rush Limbaugh stepped over the line with his Sandra Fluke comments a few years ago, his mistake being an old man verbally abusing a young woman, which in our society is never acceptable,

"Shazaam! Damn straight."

[TexasCajun]

Best known for his programming and as a personality at the legendary 700WLW in Cincinnat, lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with his wife Kathie and dog Jake. He likes to garden and cook. Don’t hold that against him.

[raccoonradio]

—In 2010 Clear Channel, now iHeart, started its own conservative talk station in Boston, WXKS 1200 “Rush Radio”. They took Rush off Entercom’s WRKO as part of this. Two years later the station changed formats (now brokered business/financial radio from Bloomberg). WRKO got Rush back.

Now they have decided to stop carrying Rush and will substitute their own Jeff Kuhner (Savage listeners may remember him filling in). Kuhner’s morning slot will be replaced by a new show hosted by Kim Carrigan and another host to be named later, with content from boston.com aka The Boston Globe.

Rival WMEX, owned by Blackstrap and leased to Daly XXL of N.C. was rumored to be taking Rush. Nope; they have said they would rather run a show with host Bill Keeler out of Utica NY. Rush will be homeless in Boston though some listeners will still be able to get him on WGIR 610 Manchester NH, WTAG 580/94.9 Worcester MA, WXTK 95.1 on Cape Cod, and WHJJ 920 Prov RI. All are owned by iHeart whose Premiere arm syndicates Rush.

Maybe sports talk is considered “non toxic”. It’s doing well...anyway WRKO wants their own local guy and hope to make money with him. They were losing money with Rush,
who may well keep doing his show for years to come and maybe where you are, you can still hear him.

And...that $400 million 8 yr contract from 2008? (Salary plus bonuses). Rush is not going to get that kind of money next time around. iHeart is deep in debt as it is.
Maybe he’d retire or maybe he’ll wind up on smaller stations...or no station at all...in your market depending on the economics of radio.

In the first episode of WKRP in Cincinnati, station owner Mrs Carlson comes to the station after new program director Andy Travis changes the format from elevator music to rock and roll. Her son Arthur is the station manager.

Mrs Carlson: Young man this radio station is a business. It is not here for your personal listening pleasure.

Andy: Ma’am, I know it’s a business. That’s why I had to
change the format.

---

That’s just it...it’s a business. Rush has done pretty darn well these past couple years, the past few decades. Times are changing now, though...and listeners in places like L.A. and Pittsburgh where he has been shuffled to weaker stations know that.

[bigbob]

Thanks for some real data. I give credit to Rush for coming up/with a model that worked for a long time, but the end is inevitable. His Fluke comment was the wrong thing to say at the wrong time, fueling the “war on women” myth during an election season. He should have known better.

[Tenacious 1]

WIBC in Indianapolis is canceling? Wow. They are all conservative talk radio. I hadn’t heard that.

[raccoonradio]

Yup...but this guy seems to know his stuff at least as far as the money goes. Also true that Boston isn’t necessarily a conservative paradise. But Howie Carr does fairly well.

(In Lowell MA, WCAP AM 980 was paying to carry conservative talker Howie Carr, but is dropping him to instead pick up liberal talker Jeff Santos. Turns out when Howie went _back_ to WRKO, advertisers turned to the Boston station. Rather than PAY for Howie, WCAP is _getting paid_ by Jeff Santos to carry his show. Air America flopped even in liberal Boston, with the likes of Santos having to pay to get their shows on....anyway it’s money, all money.)

[Texas Eagle]

Boston’s WRKO-AM is paying around $500,000 each year in rights fees. All in Limbaugh’s show is costing WRKO-AM around $1.2 million dollars annually. Now consider all those advertisers, nationally and locally in the Boston market, that have no placement demands because his show is considered “toxic” and you quickly discover the financial reason WRKO-AM is declaring, “No Mas! No Mas!”

Woo hoo! The free market at work.

So, you see, there's no need for The Fairness Doctrine or Net Neutrality or any other government imposed "solution".

[day10]

At one time, Parks was Program Director at 700WLW here in the Cincinnati area. This article sheds light on why that is no longer the case and why the current programming lineup at the station is predominantly “unlistenable”.

[GilesB]

Who is Darryl Parks?

Nobody asks, “Who is Rush Limbaugh?” and this guy talks about Rush’s “declining ratings” - in their wildest dreams.

[gaijin]

as a technophile and good businessman Rush is more and more active on the virtual side on the Internet, which is where radio is going.

it is guaranteed that Rush is basically going to be around forever, or as long as he chooses.

Old people love him, and after his book series now little kids do, too.

[Old Sarge]

As little as I listen to Rush any longer, I have NEVER heard of this metrosexual blogger until now.

Rush was right. And this clown is just a Leftist.

[raccoonradio]

The libs arguing for the Fairness Doctrine would get mad each time I pointed out it would probably mean conservative hosts being forced on the local NPR outlet. “Fair is fair...”

About that $400 million contract Rush got in 08. Not bad.
Times have changed though. Flashback:

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121504302144124805
>>Updated July 3, 2008 11:59 p.m. ET
Conservative radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh Wednesday inked an eight-year contract for around $400 million, underscoring how radio is spending big sums on bankable talent to compete in the crowded entertainment field.

>>Mr. Limbaugh’s compensation of $38 million a year, plus a signing bonus of about $100 million is less in absolute terms than the five-year, $500 million contract Howard Stern cut in 2004 with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. But Mr. Limbaugh’s contract could net him more, as Mr. Stern must pay costs for his cast and production.
It’s a big jump from Mr. Limbaugh’s last contract, which at $285 million was a record for a radio personality when he signed it in 2001. Since then, the weekly audience for his three-hour midday show has held steady at about 20 million listeners, according to his syndicator, Clear Channel Communications Inc.’s Premiere Radio Networks. But advertisers are increasingly anxious to reach that audience.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Advertisers in general are fleeing commercial radio. Their marketing studies show a continued trend towards streaming and podcasts, with the broadcast audience becoming older and poorer every year. Hence the selection of “non-traditional” advertisers.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Bump,