No surprise; Rush has the largest audience in talk radio, with more than twice as many listeners as his nearest competitors. And, according to a Pew Research Study, his audience is more affluent and better-educated than that of the MSM. Rush is in the enviable position of being able to pick-and-choose his sponsors; I’ve also heard that he has a waiting list of advertisers, like the late Paul Harvey. With that kind of clout, it’s easy to replace the cowards that bailed last week.
Incidentally, a 60-second commercial on Rush’s network will set you back $16,000. Local stations also charge premium rates for spots that air during Rush’s show. And lest we forget, Rush’s program is one of the few syndicated radio talk shows that stations must pay to carry. Most are provided free, with the “network” retaining a certain percentage of the commercial slots each hour.
There’s a reason stations gladly pay to air Rush’s program—he delivers. When the Fluke “controversy” exploded, there was nary a peep from Rush’s syndicator (Premier Radio), or the vast majority of his affiliates. In fact, the only stations that have cancelled his show are a couple of teakettle outfits in MA (go figure) and HI (ditto). And, in many cases, a cancellation is actually a convenient cover for other reasons, i.e., the station can’t afford to pay the syndication fee to carry Rush’s show.
16,000 Dollars for a 60 second commercial. WOW! If nothing else, it lets people know that if you can advertise on Rush, you are already a business of substance.