This is Clear Channel - who owns Premier Radio and the rights to Rush - exercising their rights to move Rush to their own stations. They have had the right to do this for year.
In the past, they had used their own stations for music, etc, and also made money on other stations they did not own by selling them Rush’ show. In other words, they were making money all over every market with music and with Rush.
Now with music failing - they have brought Rush to their own stations all across the country to save those stations. They did it over a year ago in dozens of markets. It is a symptom of the music format dying.
When Farid Suleman was running Citadel, he seemed to make it his mission to destroy AM conservative talk radio by ousting long-time local hosts and time-delaying national shows in order to break the live participatory experience of talk radio.
Suleman fired Melanie Morgan from KSFO, and a few years later he fired Lee Rodgers, even though KSFO was a money-maker station for his network.
Brian Sussman was elevated to morning host to replace Rodgers, but in my opinion he hasn't filled the big shoes he followed. Sussman brought back the call-in aspect which Rodgers detested, and Sussman has carved out a niche for himself with his prior meteorology experience to challenge global climate change fanatics.
However, I find him a bit weak and over the top when he fills in for Mark Levin in the evenings. I actually found KMJ's Inga Barks to be a more appealing afternoon host in Levin's absence.
I'm anxious to see what's next for KSFO in the post-Limbaugh era.
-PJ
Music radio isn’t really failing, it’s probably the cheapest radio to program. Most CC stations are canned and voice-tracked by jocks in NY or Los Angeles. Then you have filler fluff material from intellectual lightweights like Ryan Seacrest, John Tesh and Leeza Gibbons who cater to the lowest common denominator among us. As well as VH1 Classic Rock Nights, closet libs Bob and Tom and other syndicated music fare.