Limbaugh throws fit, threatens to dump Cumulus

[progressivetalk]

Lew Dickey, the CEO of Cumulus media, has a hugh problem. It's name is Limbaugh. It seems that Dickey over the weekend all but blamed Limbaugh for the loss of revenue for his top three stations, including WABC in New York, which is the originating station for Limbaugh's five-day-a-week hate fest. In the first quarter of 2013, Cumulus took a red ink bath to the tune of $5.5 million, and Clear Channel, the brain surgeons who pay ElRushblo took a $200 million loss in the first three months of 2013,all thanks to Limbaugh's misogony and smears of Sandra Fluke, and the millions of people who've decided that Limbaugh's hate has to stop and are actively demanding advertisers boycott the program.

Of course, in Limbaugh's drug-addled brain, it's everyone else's fault but his. Typical of Rush. Blames everyone else for his lack of manhood and inabliity to control his WMD, (Wide Mouth of Destruction). Of course, this may be nothing more than Limbaugh passing some more gas. However, it may be a fitting end to the man, King Dittohead done in......by his own hand......er mouth!!! Couldn't happen to a bigger bunch of morons!!!

 

[Silkie]

Ah, the good old days when we fired banks.

 

[MarcB]

Seriously this is not a Connecticut story. It only affects a flea-powered AMer in Groton that no one listens to.

 

[RadioMan203]

Seriously this is not a Connecticut story. It only affects a flea-powered AMer in Groton that no one listens to.

Is that a Cumulus station, Marc? I'm not familiar with it.

Funny enough they don't even clear Rush on any of their CT stations as far as I know.

Granted, this is a specific Connecticut topic and likely a moderator will relocated it to a more fitting area of the board, but I do have an observation while we're here discussing it. Did anybody see somebody twisting Cumulus' arm when they bought and absorbed all of Citidel / ABC Radio's debut when they purchased them? Seems sort of two-faced to blame Rush, whether you like him or not.

It looks like they themselves screwed the pooch on this one!

 

[KeithE4]

Limbaugh doesn't have the authority to "dump" anybody, and his fit-throwing is 100% BS. He's syndicated by Premiere/Clear Channel, who inherited his original syndicator EFM Media via several acquisitions. EFM contracted with the then-ABC stations (most notably WABC and WLS) to carry Rush many years ago, but the current deal ends at the end of this year.

CC wants him (and Sean Hannity) on WOR when their current deal expires, so he'll still be heard in the NYC area and Connecticut. It is Chicago that may lose him, since CC is not a talk-radio factor in that market and owns no major AM stations there.

 

[reelyreal]

Seriously this is not a Connecticut story. It only affects a flea-powered AMer in Groton that no one listens to.

Is that a Cumulus station, Marc? I'm not familiar with it.

Funny enough they don't even clear Rush on any of their CT stations as far as I know.

WXLM (The former WSUB) 980 Groton is a Cumulus station and airs Rush. 1,000 days, 72 nights. The signal covers Groton/New London and into Norwich and Westerly just fine during they day.

To say nobody listens to the station is a lie. It doesn't do well by any stretch of the imagination, but it has a loyal following of the old-timer right wingers that enjoy that type of syndicated fare in between flipping over to WICH to hear Grandpa Stu Bryer.

 

[RadioMan203]

I had no idea that Cumulus own anything outside of the Bridgeport and Danbury markets. Unless they own a sister FM that's the cash cow owning a lone AM by itself is almost laughable today for them.

The big thing is if Lew Dickey has his shorts in a knot why don't they re-negotiate with Rush's syndicator? Like it was mentioned previously, if Clear Channel would pop him over to WOR (which I know covers certain portions of Connecticut much better then WABC) it may be a win for them. Likewise, is el Rushbo is unhappy can't his syndicator propose a similar deal? Most times, you can do anything with money.

Question: Does any Connecticut station clear Rush, either live or delayed? It's sad to say I've been listening to a NYC news station to get my news as the local CT station's attempt of a news department doesn't cut it for me.

 

[JPB ENT]

According to the WTIC website, Rush continues the 12 - 3 timeslot. I've seen no mention of 'TIC before now. Doesn't WTIC carry any weight? ? ?

 

[Bill-in-CT]

Question: Does any Connecticut station clear Rush, either live or delayed? It's sad to say I've been listening to a NYC news station to get my news as the local CT station's attempt of a news department doesn't cut it for me.

Clear Channel's WELI in New Haven carries Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity and Levin live from 9:00 am to 9 pm.

WLAD in Danbury carries Limbaugh.

WTIC still carries Limbaugh, and has done so since stealing him from WPOP in 1992.

 

[reelyreal]

'TIC carries weight, but the conversation has been about Rush and Cumulus stations.

WXLM (Formerly WSUB) is part of the 4-station Cumulus New London, formerly Citadel New London. WXLM (AM) and WQGN (Q105) are the old Spring Broadcasting stations. The two other FM's are WMOS Stonington (102.3 The Wolf) and WELJ Montauk (104.7 ELJ.). WELJ is in a trust awaiting divesture.

Q105 is the money maker there, and the wolf does alright too.

 

[progressivetalk]

While these are all good points, the fact remains that Limbaugh and his type are, as I've read on this site, are toxic to the genre of talk radio and rest assured that even heritage stations like WTIC AM start (or continue) to lose revenue, they'll lose Limbaugh. The fatted calf may have met his match....himself...The irony abounds!!!

 

[MarcB]

I had no idea that Cumulus own anything outside of the Bridgeport and Danbury markets. Unless they own a sister FM that's the cash cow owning a lone AM by itself is almost laughable today for them.

Cumulus got 4 stations that serve New London Country when they got married to Citadel.

 

[RadioMan203]

@MarcB: I usually think of the mess they inherited from Citidel as ABC Radio, I keep forgetting about most of the various stations, including the few they owned in CT.

 

[quadraphonic]

While these are all good points, the fact remains that Limbaugh and his type are, as I've read on this site, are toxic to the genre of talk radio and rest assured that even heritage stations like WTIC AM start (or continue) to lose revenue, they'll lose Limbaugh. The fatted calf may have met his match....himself...The irony abounds!!!

Why does Rush Limbaugh only get the blame for the "toxic" genre of talk radio?
Lew Dickey needs to steal the power back from Rush, apparently. But even if he did that, he can't really do that, because the fatted calf is a much easier target, and will always have the power until he's gone.

 

[progressivetalk]

While these are all good points, the fact remains that Limbaugh and his type are, as I've read on this site, are toxic to the genre of talk radio and rest assured that even heritage stations like WTIC AM start (or continue) to lose revenue, they'll lose Limbaugh. The fatted calf may have met his match....himself...The irony abounds!!!

Why does Rush Limbaugh only get the blame for the "toxic" genre of talk radio?
Lew Dickey needs to steal the power back from Rush, apparently. But even if he did that, he can't really do that, because the fatted calf is a much easier target, and will always have the power until he's gone.
Because the "fatted one" claims to be the most important talker in radio today with an alleged 20 miliion listeners and all that crap. Limbaugh is by no means the only toxic radio host on the air today, and when "FlushRush" and other venues are done deflating the air out of Limbaugh, the Hannity's and the Savage's and the Ingraham's are next on the list!!!

 

[fmradio1]

This is old news. Cumulus hired Mike Huckabee soon after he decided not to run for President, and he's holding down Rush's timeslot on many of their stations already. It was in preparation for Rush's eventual departure. One of the main reasons Clear Channel bought WOR was that Cumulus wasn't going to renew with Cumulus and he'd be off WABC. I'm not sure why Lew Dickey is picking this fight now, but I figured this was a done deal anyway.

And as much as I detest Rush's politics, the boycott is only exacerbating a much larger issue. It's the rapidly aging demographics of political talk radio. It's become the 55+ angry white man format. Ad agencies want to steer clear of it, simply because it's not reaching the consumers they want to target anymore. But, Rush's clearance fees aren't keeping up with reality. That's the main reason CBS decided not to renew him at WPHT/Philadelphia last year. Even the move to FM hasn't helped many talkers. Stations in San Diego, Boston and other places have flipped to sports or music formats in the last year.

It seems fitting though, that the man who built conservative talk radio may be the one who hastens it's downfall.

 

[KML0224]

But yet CBS Hartford, a.k.a. WTIC-AM 1080 still airs his show. Hmmmm! How long is their deal to carry him anyways?

 

[fmradio1]

The original thought was when CC moved 97.9 into the Hartford market, they were going to pull the Premiere talkers off 1080 and go conservatalk. That didn't happen. Not only didn't they do talk, but they went sports talk....with ESPN, not Fox Sports Radio....which is syndicated by....Premiere. There's a reason for this, as well as CC allowing talk competitors to take Rush's show, including WPRO (a Cumulus station) from CC's WHJJ, and in Boston where Rush returned to WRKO from CC owned WXKS-AM. My guess is that Clear Channel is making more money by syndicating his show to an competing station, rather than running it on their own properties, at least in certain markets.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Rush in Providence once WPRO drops him. Does WHJJ pick it up again? My guess is that in Groton-New London, Rush fans will have to try to pull him in on 790 or WOR. And I don't think it's a lock that he stays on WTIC-AM past this current contract. 1080's ratings have been slipping in the last few years, and there will either be a re-negotiation of the rights fees for the next deal...(think BARTER) or he loses the clearance.

 

[MarcB]

Rush isn't on WPRO. He's on WHJJ. Dan Yorke is on 12-3 on WPRO.

 

[progressivetalk]

This is old news. Cumulus hired Mike Huckabee soon after he decided not to run for President, and he's holding down Rush's timeslot on many of their stations already. It was in preparation for Rush's eventual departure. One of the main reasons Clear Channel bought WOR was that Cumulus wasn't going to renew with Cumulus and he'd be off WABC. I'm not sure why Lew Dickey is picking this fight now, but I figured this was a done deal anyway.

And as much as I detest Rush's politics, the boycott is only exacerbating a much larger issue. It's the rapidly aging demographics of political talk radio. It's become the 55+ angry white man format. Ad agencies want to steer clear of it, simply because it's not reaching the consumers they want to target anymore. But, Rush's clearance fees aren't keeping up with reality. That's the main reason CBS decided not to renew him at WPHT/Philadelphia last year. Even the move to FM hasn't helped many talkers. Stations in San Diego, Boston and other places have flipped to sports or music formats in the last year.

It seems fitting though, that the man who built conservative talk radio may be the one who hastens it's downfall.

Mike Huckabee? Mr. Impeach Obama??? Laughable.!!!! All Huckabee is,is an alleged Christian. He's just another right-wing bigot, albeit a religious one,who comes off as a softer-sounding,less frightening version of Limbaugh and his ilk, while Rushie is just a secular, woman-hating, minority-hating, Constitution-hating bigot. As for the 55+ angry white man (and some women),"format",conservative talk,all it's become is the last bastion (along with Fox "News") of the crazy in this country and the fact their hatred and animosity towards anyone not them is finally dying off (with them) and they are going insane trying to stop the inevitable. (BTW, I'm 57 and white and am not a paranoid).