Allow me to slow down this "Rush" to judgment here.
First, Dave Ramsey will now have a much more consistent clearance in a weekday time slot on a four-station network, all on day pattern. While 50K, WTIC only offered weekend playback with frequent preemptions. In Ramsey's case, the move makes total sense.
I've seen more of Michael Smerconish - thanks to MSNBC - than heard him. He does a nice job there, but that along with his local talk show in Philadephia do not make him el Rushbo's heir apparent. One criticism of Smerconish offered by a GM I know is that he is too moderate or analytical for the regular lineup of a conservative talk station. They want the "red meat" issues, not the "that didn't occur to me, caller" guys. In other words, he is no Rush, Hannity or Beck. That's no putdown. I couldn't replace Rush either (I'm OK with that).
Love them or hate them, Rush and company's success with a desired target audience would take a very sustained loss of listenership, advertisers and affiliates to change that. Much of their base wonders what all the fuss is about. They are the ones who pay attention to Rush day in and day out. When those "Imus moments" go viral outside the core listenership, then you get the boycott threats. We'll see what happens, but two small affiliates dumping Rush doesn't exactly signal a mass defection.
If WTIC did lose Rush - a big IF - then it wouldn't be much of a stretch to envision them being local throughout the day similar to WPRO in Providence. Remember after the 2011 storms? That was a ready made reason to program locally. WPRO's success against mostly syndicated WHJJ provides other compelling reasons. The comparison has its limitations, though. In this Land of Steady Habits, don't look for a change tomorrow.
