• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Do you see Rush moving back to 100.3?

Not any time soon. I don't know if new contracts were signed when the change happened, or if the Rush affiliation here is part of a national contract with Premiere. From what I've seen so far 98.7's ratings seem to be holding up...for now.
 
NO
Citadel has a “trump” card: WABC NY. If CC wants to move Rush to FM in Chicago on one of their poor performing FM’s from WLS (Citadel) and or 100.3 in Knoxville, Citadel could threaten to drop Rush in NYC. CC’s Music FMs in NY are generating some serious cash and blowing one of them up to install a labor expensive news talk operation is not practical. The all syndicated model has not worked too well in Atlanta (WGST) for CC, so I do not see any reason for CC to “rock the boat”. But then again CC does occasionally do strange things. Now if Citadel flips 98.7 then definitely!
 
Somehow I'm doubting that Citadel would threaten to pull the show from WABC if Premiere dropped it Knoxville (which Citadel HQ probably thinks of as "Knox-what?".
 
Assuming Citadel got angry and DID pull Rush off of one or more major stations, what would they put on as a replacement and what would be the effect on their revenue?

And how many stations would line up in those markets to carry Rush?

And would Citadel care to have even larger markets heading in the same direction as Knoxville?

It would seem that The Rush Limbaugh Show has the leverage here.
 
Tennessee Cowboy said:
Assuming Citadel got angry and DID pull Rush off of one or more major stations, what would they put on as a replacement and what would be the effect on their revenue?

And how many stations would line up in those markets to carry Rush?

And would Citadel care to have even larger markets heading in the same direction as Knoxville?

It would seem that The Rush Limbaugh Show has the leverage here.

Rush in Knoxville is part of a larger deal that includes distribution of Fox Sports radio and other programming in this market and others. It's not an individual contract. As long as they're getting the check, there's not going to be a change.
 
Rush would be on WOR the next day if he were pulled off WABC. In Chicago it would depend if Randy and Co wanted him on WGN or not (lots of their listeners are POed about ex-WLW host Mike McConnell being there). WIND would jump at the chance.
 
The minute the contract expires, I would definitely say Rush would be on 100.3 in a hurry. And I bet HHH will follow as soon as his contract expires.
 
Limbaugh talked openly in the early years about strong-arming live clearance on the best station he could get in each market. He didn't want a station to buy rights to his show and shelve it to keep the competition from getting it. He doesn't seem the type to take one for the team in any market.

It's hard to see where Limbaugh would agree to letting a distributor or station group call the shots on this, especially when the guy who was there for the original Knoxville deal is now GM of a 100kw blowtorch across the street. And that GM would likely know the wording of any exit clauses.

That show would be important to either station to attract listeners and advertisers.
 
Does anyone here know how it would work? Would Rush, HHH or whomever contact WNOX and offer to move, sort of like applying for a job, or would WNOX contact them (or their "people," in the case of Rush) and offer them a job? Also, who pays and who gets paid? And, what would become of the shows being displaced, Bob and Ed, or Dave Ramsey?

I assume that Rush, with his list of paying sponsors, would pay for the airtime, the station would accept the money, and everyone would be happy, but HHH would likely be just an employee. Am I right...or wrong?

In reading this post prior to hitting the send button, I realized there is another unknown: does WNOX even want to have HHH or Rush on their station?
Thoughts?
 
The bopper has a point. Who knows if the "talents" mentioned, the owners or distribution networks are even considering such notions. How many stations in the market play country music? Is there a problem with having more than one station in the news/talk format? There's lots of business for everyone out there, competion is a good thing.

In many parts of this world, there would be no opportunity to debate these issues.
 
Usually stations compensate the program supplier in some way if the show is strong enough, as this one definitely is.

If I were at Old Kingston Pike, I'd try to have a game plan for the contingency of keeping the show and a game plan for what to replace it with should the time come.

If I were at New Kingston Pike, I would have been on the phone with EIB about two minutes after the 'we own it' on air 'celebration' on the HHH show. I would also have rationale and a game plan in place to acquire the show as soon as there's some kind of hiccup on Old Kingston Pike.

If I were Rush Limbaugh, I'd be patiently watching the numbers in Knoxville and recalling any previous dealings with the new class-act GM at WNOX.

If I were at Premiere or Citadel Corporate, I'd be thinking about what color of carpet would look nice on the next remodel. When the matter might eventually come to my attention I would instinctively rattle my saber, ask a my whipping-boy to show me Knoxville on a map, then make a decision on how much damage I'm willing to make or take, knowing that stupid decisions have little personal consequence.

Then again, I'm at none of these places and I have a liquor buzz (rum this time boogiecheck). Very easy under these circumstances to make decisions with other people's money. Kinda like working for Citadel Corporate, I imagine.

(Posted before reading Janitor's response, modified now: Yes sir TnJanitor, this is a rare opportunity, and the speculation is enjoyable.)
 
In the early days of Rush when he was syndicated by Ed McGlaughlin, there were situations where Rush stayed on the smaller station out of loyalty (what's that?). Fort Wayne's WGL kept Rush until Jacor bought the show and took it to WOWO. Same with Detroit where McLaughlin kept the show on WXYT and WJR didn't get it until the syndicator change.
Rush isn't paying any station anywhere for air time. It works the other way around, plus the stations have to clear the spots and usually has to air a morning update and a weekend best of. Rush also isn't handling the minutae of clearing stations in individual markets...that's what Premiere's affiliate relations department is for. Rush won't know about it until he's asked to cut a liner for News Talk 100.3, WNOX, should that change occur.
Dave Ramsey's contract is super easy to get out of. There is enough content for 2 talk stations. Whether there's enough audience and revenue remains to be seen. More than likely, if WNOX wanted Hal, Phil, Dave Foulk etc. they would have to sit out noncompetes. I'm sure Ed has their phone numbers, just like JP had Ed's
 
gr8oldies said:
...More than likely, if WNOX wanted Hal, Phil, Dave Foulk etc. they would have to sit out noncompetes. I'm sure Ed has their phone numbers, just like JP had Ed's

The main question is where someone would work for a year (or whatever the term) and make enough money to hang loose. Phil did it once when he left South Central. One of the WIVK sales babes went to sell dollar a holler cable tv ads. Nice place to wait out a non-compete I guess before settling in at WNOX this time next year.
 
If WNOX wanted Rush or HHH or Phil or Beck they would have them on their airwaves right now.

WNOX is still WNOX. Same frequency, same call letters, same owner.
 
Except their contracts are with Citadel, not with Oak Ridge FM. I can only speculate that the reason there was no non-compete issue with Ed Brantley was that he was terminated while the bankruptcy was in progress, thus his contract, including the non-compete, was null and void. I'm sure (but I don't know) that the talent had to sign new contracts once Citadel emerged from bankruptcy. When Team Pirkle first announced a double-run of Michael Savage at noon to 3 and 6 to 9 (which never occurred since they signed Dave Ramsey for 12n-3) that the intention was to keep the chair warm for Rush should they be able to get him. Possibly still is.
 
gr8oldies said:
Except their contracts are with Citadel, not with Oak Ridge FM. I can only speculate that the reason there was no non-compete issue with Ed Brantley was that he was terminated while the bankruptcy was in progress, thus his contract, including the non-compete, was null and void. I'm sure (but I don't know) that the talent had to sign new contracts once Citadel emerged from bankruptcy. When Team Pirkle first announced a double-run of Michael Savage at noon to 3 and 6 to 9 (which never occurred since they signed Dave Ramsey for 12n-3) that the intention was to keep the chair warm for Rush should they be able to get him. Possibly still is.
Usually in bankruptcy, the Trustee gets to choice the contracts that are cancelled: Ed’s contract and the 100.3 LMA are examples. Of course the Bankruptcy Judge has to sign off on this but almost always does. The contracts that are not cancelled are still in force. The threat of having your contract cancelled is real leverage in getting anyone to sign a new contract usually for less money. All new contracts must be approved by the Judge. This is a sure way to run up the already high legal fees. Unless there is great savings most companies will not start reworking a bunch of individual contracts. They usually have a “standard” contract that is very one sided that you sign or walk. BTW While the corporation is under bankruptcy all new and old non cancelled contracts are guaranteed by the Court, which is backed up by the US Taxpayers.
 
boogiecheck said:
WNOX is still WNOX. Same frequency, same call letters, same owner.

...with decisions now being made by people who don't need a map to find Knoxville.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom