Posted on 07/29/2013 3:51:53 AM PDT by raccoonradio
In a major shakeup for the radio industry, Cumulus Media, the second-biggest broadcaster in the country, is planning to drop both Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity from its stations at the end of the year, an industry source told POLITICO on Sunday.
Cumulus has decided that it will not renew its contracts with either host, the source said, a move that would remove the two most highly rated conservative talk personalities from more than 40 Cumulus channels in major markets.
The decision comes after negotiations between Cumulus and Premiere Networks, the division of Clear Channel that distributes Limbaugh and Hannity's shows, broke down due to disagreements over the cost of the distribution rights, the source said. Cumulus is known to drive a hard bargain on costs, and Clear Channel is known to seek top dollar for big names.
As industry insiders caution, Cumulus and Clear Channel have come to the brink before during contract negotiations only to resume talks. But the source told POLITICO that Clear Channel was unlikely to reduce the cost for distribution rights to a level that would satisfy Cumulus.
Cumulus declined to comment for this story: "Cumulus is not in a position to comment about negotiations with talent under contract, no matter what the rumor of the day might be," a spokesperson told POLITICO.
But in recent weeks, Cumulus has been quietly reaching out to radio talent agents and political insiders about new local and regional station hosts to fill some of the airtime that will be left vacant by Limbaugh and Hannity, industry sources said. Cumulus is also expected to move some of its existing talent -- which includes Mike Huckabee, Mark Levin, and Michael Savage -- into one of the slots.
Premiere, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday night, is expected to carry Limbaugh and Hannity on stations in many of the markets where they are currently signed with Cumulus, should the negotiations not go through. A spokesperson for Limbaugh was not immediately available for comment; Hannity did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Back in May, a source close to Limbaugh told POLITICO that the host was considering ending his affiliation agreement with Cumulus because CEO Lew Dickey was blaming the company's advertising losses on Limbaugh's controversial remarks about Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown law student. On an earnings call two days later, Dickey reported a $2.4 million first-quarter decline in revenue related to talk programming, which he attributed, indirectly, to Limbaugh's remarks about Fluke.
Dickey is expected to hold another earnings call this week, though it is unclear if he will address the contract negotiations.
Boston talk host Jeff Katz, who will be part of the new Internet station Boston Herald Radio starting Monday, says this is no surprise (on his facebook):
“...they are all about cost cutting and those two shows are very expensive...they already have a less expensive in-house alternative to limbuagh and will apparently put one together for afternoons as well”
Huckabee is on Cumulus I think.
In Prov RI Cumulus’ WPRO already doesn’t carry those shows—they do local talk. Clear Channel’s WHJJ runs Rush and Sean.
>>Cumulus is also expected to move some of its existing talent — which includes Mike Huckabee, Mark Levin, and Michael Savage — into one of the slots.
Currently Huckabee airs at noon, Levin at 6 pm, Savage at 9 pm (et). Would they slot Levin at 3 ET vs his buddy Sean?
Whatever markets they pull out of will have competitors eager to pick up Rush. Cumulus’ local stations’ ratings will plunge in that time slot.
Sometimes you simply get what you pay for.
Silencing conservative talk radio. Levin next.
CEO Dickey? You can’t make this stuff up.
I’ve oftern feared that Rush could retire...but I think he’s got one more election fight in him. I listen to Levin often...but not Michael Savage or Hannity. Too irritating. And Huckabee? Seriously? I think someone will work something out. We’ll see.
Answer, look for the conservative talkradio show hosts to start their own company.
The Romney Agendae that brought Obama x 2,
that destroyed Gov. Palin and the Speaker,
and that imposed RomneyCARE/ObamaCARE and gay marriage
is NOT going away.
hannity is an idiot
he repeats talking points like a liberal on speed
he pretends he wants to talk to people, then cuts them off or talks over them
i cannot listen to him for more than 5 minutes
he has become the refuge for cookie cutter conservatives who think bumper stickers are well thought out political positions (some present company included)
listening to his show for three hours is akin to sitting in a bar next to a drunk who has three things to say- over and over and over and over
and each time he thinks it’s new and clever and you should be impressed
>>Meanwhile, Sunday night brought Cumulus back into the headlines for another reason: Politico is reporting that negotiations have broken down to keep Premiere Radio Networks’ talkers – most notably, of course, Rush Limbaugh – on Cumulus’ big talk stations. That includes New York’s WABC (770), Limbaugh’s erstwhile flagship, and it means you’ll be hearing a lot between now and year’s end about the future of the talk format at WABC, which depends heavily on Limbaugh and Sean Hannity for much of its audience. It’s widely assumed that Limbaugh’s show will move down the dial to Clear Channel’s WOR (710) in January if the deal with Cumulus is really over.
He won't retire, he's a hyperactive work-a-holic who loves what he's doing....
They're moving a little bit down the dial, from 77 WABC to 710 WOR in the New York market. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/rush-hannity-leaving-cumulus-wor-article-1.1411314
WABC is running infomercials in their non-prime time slots. I doubt they'd be doing that if they could afford even second and third tier broadcast syndications.
I have to agree. But I could listen to Mark Steyn for quite some time without getting bored.
cumulus is racing towards the gulch that airhead America died in.
When a door closes, a window opens! There will be people/stations lining up to broadcast those two.
The same reason I don't listen to, or watch, him anymore. Actually haven't for a couple of years.
listening to his show for three hours is akin to sitting in a bar next to a drunk who has three things to say- over and over and over and over
Never heard it put that way before, but you're exactly correct and have caught myself screaming at the radio for him to stop repeating! Thank God for the station changer.
I stopped listening to Hannity years ago when I realized that, after listening to him for a period of time, I never learned anything listening to his show.
The other major reason for not listening to him is that he always makes the talk about himself. In some way he has to bring the discussion to about how "I visited that place. I know that guy." etc. It's nauseating.
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