Posted on 03/13/2006 2:18:16 PM PST by joesbucks
Limbaugh, WBAL to part ways Monday March 13, 3:06 pm ET
WBAL Radio will drop Rush Limbaugh as part of an effort to revamp its programming lineup. The nationally syndicated conservative commentator will air his last show on WBAL Radio May 31.
Thereafter, "The Rush Limbaugh show" will air on another station in Baltimore, officials at Limbaugh's radio syndicate Premiere Radio Networks Inc. said Monday. Premiere Radio officials said they will make an official announcement in the "near future" about that station's identity.
"WBAL has been a great partner to Rush Limbaugh for many years," said Julie Talbott, executive vice president at Premiere Radio Networks, in a statement. "However, at this time, we're excited about a new direction the show will take in Baltimore."
Premiere Radio Networks is a subsidiary of New York-based Clear Channel Communications (NYSE: CCU - News).
WBAL Radio, a conservative AM radio station, issued a statement on its Web site on the programming changes, saying that they made the changes after putting "considerable time and effort" into researching what Maryland radio listeners want to hear.
The research showed that listeners like the station's local radio hosts -- Dave Durian, Chip Franklin and Ron Smith. "Listeners believe radio in Baltimore has become less local, has fewer personalities, and is too homogenized / vanilla," the statement read.
The station plans to increase its news and traffic coverage and will begin broadcasting Baltimore Ravens football games this year.
Station officials were not available for comment Monday afternoon.
One channel dropping Limbaugh doesn't mean the dynamics of radio are changing. It means one channel is dropping Limbaugh.
Yeah! Give me that Ron Smith over Rush, anyday! /s
Sounds like my old station everytime they got a new program director. The PD would make "sweeping changes" to show how brilliant he was, he'd be fired six months later, and the station would have to undo all that "brilliance" they stepped in six months earlier.
Betcha WCBM snaps it up and it will be bye-bye for Gordon Liddy. Rush used to be on WCBM, but he dumped them for WBAL a few years back.
It's sad to lose that station (50,000 watts with excellent coverage).
But there are loads of other stations available in that area that carry Rush, so it'll be intersting to "follow the audience". (that's the boroadcasting equivalent of "follow the money".
Sounds like normal radio programming change to me.....
LOL!
A station drops Rush and it becomes news.
Rush had better panic and start interviewing guys from bands with names like Death Cab for Cutie.
I don't suppose the fact some local guy would be cheaper than Rush has anything to do with it. Nah.
And half the people in Baltimore probably listen to Rush on 630-WMAL, which you can pick up to the north of the city. I live in Virginia and would listen to WBAL on the occasions that 630 had some other programming, and then again the few months I was boycotting WMAL before they brought Mark Levin onto the station.
I guess they were tired of having listeners and making money.
WBAL is the only way I've found to listen to the Rush late-night repeat broadcast, up here in the Boston area. Since I don't typically listen to him during the day (WRKO), this is very unfortunate.
Oh, puhleeze. This sort of station-switching happens many times a year, and rarely makes news.
My guess is Al Franken.
That's probably not the same for Virginia, however.
Keeping in mind Baltimore is teeming with libs, I am surprised Limbaugh was on the air there at all. He may have been kicked out of some maggot infested community ( no offense to Baltimore conservatives) but on the whole his popularity is quite strong.
Philadelphia is still the hell hole it was then and Rush's ratings are better than ever.
Maryland is a blue state, and getting bluer. I imagine the radio station is switching to a bluer (no pun intended) show. I doubt Rush will mind, nor his nationwide popularity suffer.
The station would be able to make more money with its own talk show host, if he's any good. Isn't this what's really going on ?
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