Is Rush Limbaugh in Trouble?

Politico Magazine ^ | May 24, 2016 | Ethan Epstein

[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 ...

[nd76]

I love conservative talk radio and spend several hours per day with it. My home station is WMAL in Washington, which has the awesome Chris Plante as well as Rush, Savage, Levin, Batchelor and Red Eye Radio; I also listen to stations like 1260 The Answer in DC and WCBM in Baltimore, along with Catholic Radio AM 1160, the Guadalupe Radio Network, which broadcasts a number of programs of interest beyond hardcore Catholics (The Al Kresta show at 4-6 pm, broadcast on many EWTN terrestrial affiliates nationwide, is really good).

One major problem with talk radio formats is that they seldom get blue chip advertisers like banks, established car dealers or supermarkets. Instead, they get some truly cringeworthy advertisers like LifeLock, Optima Tax Relief (where they use a Canadian spokesman to scare you about the IRS), Cordell and Cordell divorce lawyers, or the per inquiry types like Shari’s Berries.

WCBM seems to have a pretty good business model, in that they sell their local weekday inventory to advertisers seeking to reach the over 50 crowd (which is counter-intuitive in the radio business) such as an audiology firm, an optometrist, an adult healthcare products firms, a couple of independent living/nursing home facilities, elderlaw specialists, and then sell all their broadcast time on the weekends to lawyers, financial planners and ethnic/specialty programmers.

[taildragger]

"Now I have not been particularly happy with Rush during this primary season. He has been a little off his game from the few times I was able to listen to him. But when I'm in the car from 12 - 3pm EST there is literally nothing else to listen to from a talk show perspective in my area."

Stig.

A lot of ifs here but. If you have a smart phone and can plug it in your car ( since they use so much juice with radio apps ) get the free WRKO app from your app store( 680am out of Boston ) and give Jeff Kuhner a try. If you can sync your phone to your car audio ( newer cars ) you can listen thru your existing car speakers, and it is sweat.

Go here for more: http://www.wrko.com/kuhner-report

The Boston Bulldozer!, We are the Resistance!

I gave up on Rush a year ago after finding Jeff as a loved one was about to head to that area of the world and I wanted a lay of the land. This guy is good...

[rodguy911]

I heart radio is where clear channels money went after they got a load from being forced to sell off hundreds of stations because the FCC said they had a monopoly and they were right. Cheap channel was putting the arm on sponsors in every small market community. They doubled ad rates since they owned all the stations,finally the FCC did something right.

[chimera]

FWIW I listen less to Rush than before but Sandra Fluke has nothing to do with it. The things that turned me off were all the golf stories, as well as inability to stay on point (too many “By the way”s). He seems to have a problem keeping his mind focused on the subject at hand, and wanders all over the place. His analyses are generally good, but too many asides dilutes the message.

[rodguy911]

Steyn is brilliant but probably a fill-in host.To do this stuff 24/7 which is a three hour gig a day, is a true ball buster and few can cut it. Once in a while is great. You come off really hot. But, don’t try it all the time.

[rodguy911]

Like him or not he's #2 and the air to Rush's throne. If you take the time to listen to his opening monologue in his first hour he has some great days.

Historically, Rush was so good that he made everyone else look bad.He knows the logistics of talk radio better than anyone and could write the book. Sadly, those days are slowly receding.

[rodguy911]

You hit on the big question.With the enormous wealth that Limbaugh has accumulated, books,ice tea,radio who knows what else, who is he really serving.Clearly its not his audience.Is he a player in the NWO,I don't know.

[Political Junkie Too]

So what is the story on the source? Is Politico Magazine right or left?

Politico was formed in 2007 by two former Washington Post political reporters, Jim VandeHei (former WaPo White House correspondent) and John Harris ( former WaPo National Politics Editor).

-PJ

[Road Warrior ‘04]

Rush’s anti-Trump, pro-Cruz, pro-Rubio took him off the rails. Quit listening and cancelled 24/7.

[wardaddy]

Wow

Gen Xers will be baffled by that analogy

James Watt...lol

[rodguy911]

You too are hitting on it.

If you are worth say, conservatively, several hundred million and have the ego he has, will you do the biding of wannabe underlings? Even your lawyer or your brother?I put that chance at 20% at best.

So what motivates him to screw over all his listeners who depended on objectivity and got a bunch of crap for weeks on end about how wonderful Dirty Teddy is?

That's the question.

[rodguy911]

Great post you clearly have a grasp at what is giong onin the wonderful world of radio.

It should be mentioned that most radio stations are poorly run managed even worse and have terrible/marginal employees from top to bottom.Especially at the top.

It's rare to find one that is well run.

Some of the big city stations are better but do dumb stuff all the time.

When the FCC told clear channel to divest themselves of hundreds of stations because they had a monopoly that changed everything as well.

I -heart radio/clear channel is a lot like X-finity/comcast. These are companies whose original names had such a poor, bad, terrible connotation/reputation that they had to literally reinvent themselves.

[rodguy911]

Limbaugh picks and chooses topics so he can go with a single or two big ones per day.

He's just not smart enough to to tackle everything we do here.IN doing so he has a bunch of pissed off listeners since he never covers anywhere near what is going on.

As much as Michael Savage is hated for breaking the eleventh commandment,though shalt never talk bad about a fellow talker, he has shades of brilliance from time to time. He's fast on his feet and knows a lot about a lot of topics.He also monitors what we do here. There's no way he doesn't if you listen to his show.

He is subject to massive ego overloads as well.

[rodguy911]

THe guys is basically deaf as well.

[rodguy911]

It’s not just your area,its most places as well. Think aobut it if you are on talk radio do you really want to go up against Rush?No way I would have.

[rodguy911]

All part of being an insecure broadcaster. And don't let any of them fool you I have never met one who wasn't. Part of the problem with writing for a newspaper and getting paid or broadcasting on the radio for money is that everyone wants your job and 75% of them are willing to do it for free.That alone changes the equation.

Broadcasters are always afraid that what they are doing at the time is pissing someone off. So they try something else and that really pisses people off! It's sort of a no win situation. The apple phone crap, sports chat, golf chat all that pisses a lot of people off.

[unread]

Wow....I just can’t wait to see what politico has to say next...

[BobL]

Who knows...but I can just imagine Snerdly ready to whack some sense into him.

It was painful and he lost a lot of listeners when he violated what is probably his primary rule, which is to treat well-meaning callers with RESPECT. He knows better, since it is his rule and one of the main reasons he got as far as he did.

Hopefully that ‘phase’ is over. It will be interesting this week - does he unload on Billy Crystal, who CLEARLY is trying his best to get Hillary elected (regardless of what claims, no third party candidate will win any state, as Trump and whoever the Dem is will still get at least 40% of the vote, each - regardless of who else shows up on the ballot).

If Rush unloads on Billy, then he’s back to the old Rush - if not, he may well be compromised at this point.

[raccoonradio]

TuneIn app carries WRKO. In addition
to newer cars having bluetooth smart
phone syncing capability,many have an
aux jack,1/8th inch (walkman plug
size).Get an adapter that’s 1/8th inch
on each end and you can play your
smartphone audio that way too.

[raccoonradio]

Very true.As the article said,they
had to convert WKOX 1430 to talk to
have a station clear Rush in Boston.
In 2010 the company,then known as
Clear Channel, made WXKS 1200 into
Rush Radio carrying him, Sean Hannity
and some local talkers.Didn’t do well and now they
lease time to Bloomberg business radio there.

In Pitt. iHeart decided to take their
talk FM WPGB 104.7 to country to get higher
ratings.An independent owner wound up
changing his AM station to talk so that
Rush, Sean etc could be cleared. I think
iHeart even lets this indie station use
some of their studio space.

For those interested in Jeff Kuhner,
his wife Grace Voto has a show on WBIX
AM 1260 in Boston (Salem Media,the folks
who have Hewitt, Praeger, Gallagher, and
now Larry Elder.Her show runs 9am to
noon.The station is also on TuneIn.