—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.
Thanks for the background information and 'inside baseball' financial details on the talk radio biz (and not excerpting!). Our culture has dramatically changed for the worse, and as you point out, advertisers are heavily influenced by our very liberal culture, even if we wish it were not so. Rush has a huge following of listeners but the advertisers may be shrinking due to their own weak knees.
Darryl, I always enjoyed listening to you while driving on various Saturday mornings over the years. Is Sensible Don still with us?
H.L. Mencken might have been as famous in his day as Limbaugh is now. Father Charles Coughlin had a radio audience of millions for his political views. Generations change, and so does the mass media they prefer, as well as the way they think of that mass media. The leftist cultural juggernaut goes on.
Doesn’t “iheartradio” offer streaming content (including Rush) to phones?
Is this more another case of “white people have pay-radio, internet, and cellphones and therefore don’t NEED broadcast spectrum stations anymore”?
It’s what I’ve been repeatedly told as old people were kicked out of radio markets (wealthy, retired) and English speakers are...