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.
Yeah, truth has very few friends at times.
Regardless of who’s endorsed whom, charges of favoritism or what have you, I’ve never been able to endure listening to Savage. He’s always been shrill. Rush has had his moments in the sun, he’s also had his moments of apparent shilling. It’s a difficult balancing act, keeping all sides happy during a hotly contested primary. But, to say that Savage is squandering the Rush audience handed to him in that time slot due to endorsing Trump is just wrong, he’s always had a big drop off in listeners by comparison. Apparently I’m not the only one who can’t bear listening to him for any length of time.
The Top Talk Radio Audiences (talkers.com)
Levin was already ahead of Savage
And I’m not a a savage fanboy much