Posted on 05/30/2016 12:46:50 PM PDT by EveningStar
Earlier this year, as that unmistakable bass line of the Pretenders’ My City Was Gone faded into the background, Rush Limbaugh opened his daily three-hour broadcast with characteristic bombast. “[According to the] latest research data,” he intoned, “the audience is expanding at near geometric proportions, as people seek guidance, answers, explanations, information, and an answer to the basic question, ‘What the hell is happening out there?’" ...
And yet, there are signs that all is not well in the Limbaugh radio empire. Because even as his influence is sky high and his dominance at the top of talk radio remains unchallenged, as a business proposition, Limbaugh’s show is on shaky ground. In recent years, Limbaugh has been dropped by several of his long-time affiliates, including some very powerful ones: He’s gone from WABC in New York, WRKO in Boston and KFI in Los Angeles, for example, and has in many cases been moved onto smaller stations with much weaker signals that cover smaller areas.
Why? Because four years after Limbaugh called Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke a “slut” on air, spurring a major boycott movement, reams of advertisers still won’t touch him. He suffers from what talk radio consultant Holland Cooke calls a “scarlet letter among national brand advertisers.” And for someone who has said that “confiscatory ad rates” are a key pillar of his business, that spells trouble. (Limbaugh ignored multiple interview requests.)
Limbaugh’s extremely lucrative eight-year contract—estimated to be worth roughly $38 million a year—is up this summer ...
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Unfortunately part of the nature of talk is ego and these guys and gals have plenty of it.
Great post,limbuagh joined the ranks of imus,trent Lott and others who went down the apology tour road and became chum for the drivebys,never works only gets worse.
Dream on, Pollutico. Even here in the belly of the beast, otherwise known as Sacramento (pronounced: Sack-a-tomatoes), Rush can be heard on 3 radio stations. KFBK, KPAY, and KSFO.
The only reason he is no longer on a fourth station is because that station’s owner hadn’t paid for the show for over a year so Rush told him to take a hike.
“He’s gone from WABC in New York, WRKO in Boston and KFI in Los Angeles, for example, and has in many cases been moved onto smaller stations with much weaker signals that cover smaller areas.
Why? Because….”
Because he’s available for daily on the web.
“I suspect that the internet has affected his business.” <——Yep.
That’s not to entirely dismiss the Cruz/Trump primary. Plenty of bad blood there and it’s sloooooow to dissipate. Rush’s attempt to split that baby was far from satisfying.
I have listened for years but this last year he has become stale, you could not help but notice he was for Cruz although he thinks his bias doesn’t come through. His remarks about Trump was nothing positive....I have listen to Cruz a few times on youtube, Iuse to like him also, but not any more...trump is right, I have heard him lying when he opens his mouth.
He streats his show for free. Maybe he should accept messaging, email, etc. in addition to calls.
The most self destructive guy on radio is Michael Berry in Houston.
Rush is boring. And he makes hideous, guttural sounds, constantly. His voice used to be a pleasure to listen to. Not anymore.
Mark Steyn is great.
***** .Hardly ever for Hannity *****
The radio in my truck is on only when I’m by myself and it’s only used to listen to politics while traveling from point A to point B.
Sometimes, I can listen to Hannity’s radio show but will go for months and never give him a listen.
Rush?? I can USUALLY listened to him if he’s on the air...But, sometimes, I can’t.
Hannity’s TV show. Long ago I listen to him almost every night but now, I can’t stand it anymore...Tonight, we have the great Juan Williams...Tonight, we have the great Geraldo Rivera. And back a couple of years ago, it was the great Bob Beckel. I can’t stand to listen to any of those leftards. It’s not a debate, it’s only a spewing of the leftard lunacy and their same old idiotic talking points. There is NOTHING any of them can say that has any interest to me at all. I don’t know why Hannity is so determined to have those blabbering morons on his show.
My ears perk up when I hear Steyn has sneaked over the border and stolen a job from an American talk show host. When I hear him on at lunch I often find a way to work at my desk until 3pm and listen on my cell phone (no AM reception at my desk like my old job had).
I think when Rush went deaf he lost a lot of the interactivity of his show. Callers said their peace and then Rush said whatever he felt like without concern for what the caller said.
It is a known fact that he lost advertisers because of the Sandra Fluke issue.
Well, I like Rush but
1) He said Hillary would never run for the senate because she couldn’t be seen as losing.
2) He didn’t outright predict it but strongly suggested Romney would win.
Glad to hear that he is opposed to amnesty. His support of Robot Rubio, who fought extensively for amnesty, sure leaves a different impression.
You can tell from his advertisers that he has had trouble. I mean, how many Mahindra tractors can you sell to a radio audience. More than that, he was hurt badly by his Cruz love this cycle, and demographically his audience is getting older.
Now, with his kids’ books, maybe he can leapfrog to the next generation and get them as listeners.
The threads from the last three months are not the same as the previous ten years. You obviously haven’t been listening for the past three months. I have listened to Rush faithfully since 1991.
When he stops talking about the has been Cruz and stops dissing Trump, maybe I’ll go back.
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