Originally Posted By mawnck I'll go first on this one and hopefully pre-empt all the misinformation that's going to be spread by the overenthusiastic "lamestream media" (including the story I'm linking to - I can't wait to see the HuffPo version). <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2013/07/cumulus-planning-to-drop-rush-limbaugh-sean-hannity-169371.html">http://www.politico.com/blogs/...371.html</a> >>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. << First, Cumulus never contracted with "either host". They contracted with Premiere Networks, Rush's syndicator. Second, a reminder: We saw this coming the day Cumulus Media announced that they were syndicating the Mike Huckabee Show in Rush's timeslot. It was highly unlikely that Cumulus would continue to accept the rather onerous terms the Limbaugh contract requires, when they had their own competing national talk show to run in the same slot. As soon as the contracts were up, Rush (and Hannity, since he's syndicated by the same company) were out at the Cumulus stations. Third, you seriously think there is going to be a single radio market in the country that is going to miss one single second of the Rush Limbaugh show? Fat chance. Every non-Cumulus station in those markets was on the phone with Premiere Networks at 8:01 this morning to inquire about what unnatural acts they have to perform to get the Rush contract. (They needn't have bothered if there's a Clear Channel owned station in their market. Clear Channel also owns Premiere.) The next to the last paragraph in the POLITICO article ("Back in May…") is unusually clueless even for a Limbaugh story, and should be ignored in all its particulars. Just note who is speaking (the CEO of the radio stations that were about to drop Rush), and who negotiates the contracts with the stations (Premiere Networks, not Rush).
Originally Posted By mawnck >>You do realize this is a negotiation tactic right?<< Actually, that remains to be seen. Broadcasting is a funny business with an unusually large supply of crazy people. Everyone, and I do mean EVERYONE, thought it was a negotiation tactic when KCET, the primary PBS station in LA, said they were going to drop the network over an increase in fees a few years ago. Such a move would have been suicide, people said (correctly, I might add). Then dang if they didn't go and do it anyway. They're still on the air, but just barely, and with very little programming other than feeds of international news channels. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.kcet.org">http://www.kcet.org</a> Given that Rush's syndication terms are notoriously one-sided in Premiere's favor, it very well could make more economic sense for Cumulus stations to run Huckabee, and take the huge ratings hit. A large percentage of the ad time goes to the syndicator, not the local station. If the syndicator is you, then you make lots more money even if you can't charge as much. And if not, Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey might be dumb enough to *think* that it will. I expect that either this will stick, or they'll quietly make some sort of deal in the few markets where Premiere really can't find another decent Rush affiliate (if any).
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones I'm under the impression that he (and Hannity) are switching stations. The net effect is no stations lost. Anyway, I was done with terrestrial radio a long time ago. The only thing that did it is that my kind of radio went extinct (FM talk/hot talk). I briefly believed in satellite radio but I'm done with that too. There are some Internet radio programs that recapture some of that FM Talk magic that I used to love, and it's good, but it's not the same.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>I'm under the impression that he (and Hannity) are switching stations. The net effect is no stations lost.<< It may not be quite that straightforward, what with different coverage areas and such. And with the FCC's near abandonment of radio duopoly rules since saintly ol' Pres. Bonzo, there could actually be cases where ALL the viable stations in the market are owned or operated by Cumulus, and Rush winds up on either a small station or a couple of broadcasters out on the fringe. I would SO enjoy the irony if that happened. But yeah, probably not much difference in Rush's overall coverage area. I have no doubt that all of his fans will find a way to listen to him. (Or become fans of Mike Huckabee, which is almost as bad.) I predict that you will see some music stations switch to an all-talk format, ONLY because they were able to snag the Rush Limbaugh show. BTW, we haven't really mentioned Hannity, but he's the one that should be concerned. His show will be a bit harder to place on new affiliates.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones Well, the federal government can do whatever they want with the FM/AM wavelengths. I don't even bother taking my radio faceplate with me into the car anymore, which renders the radio useless. I listen to music or Internet radio on my earbud (1 ear only, per California law!). If I get a new car, it will definitely have an AUX jack.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>If I get a new car, it will definitely have an AUX jack.<< I installed one (no, I'm not one of those car stereo guys, endlessly tweaking his radio, it was just really easy) and I now regret the days I'd spent scanning the radio. I mostly listen to books, but regardless, I haven't listened to a radio station in over a year.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>I haven't listened to a radio station in over a year.<< Uh, I just realized that makes me sound like I think I'm all cutting edge. My car is a 2006 model, the 2007 came standard with an aux jack and the option to add an iPod dock. So I'm only six years behind the times.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< If I get a new car, it will definitely have an AUX jack. >>> Here's your solution if you have no AUX jack, and an iPhone or iPod: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003B1ITFS">http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ...03B1ITFS</a> It's under $10, and performs 3 functions: it's a stand for your iDevice, it charges the iDevice, and it retransmits the iDevice's audio output on an FM frequency so you can tune your car radio to it to listen without hooking up any cables.
Originally Posted By mawnck A couple of postscripts: August 23: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/23/rush-limbaugh-cumulus-deal_n_3805674.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...674.html</a> >>Rush Limbaugh has signed a new three-year deal with Cumulus, he revealed Friday. The news confirmed recent reports last week that he would not be getting dropped by the radio network. The announcement came after weeks of speculation that Cumulus was prepared to walk away over the high cost of distributing his show. "There will not be any changes," Limbaugh told listeners on Friday. The only exception is that he is leaving WABC in New York City for WOR.<< November 27: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/27/mike-huckabee-radio-show-over_n_4350962.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...962.html</a> >>Mike Huckabee's radio show is coming to an end. “The Mike Huckabee Show on radio, which was heard 3 hours a day on over 200 radio stations across the country since April of 2012 will conclude its run at the end of the final show on Thursday, December 12,” Huckabee wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday. Hr thanked the affiliate stations who aired his show, his listeners and Cumulus Media, adding that he and the company "mutually agreed to conclude" to end the show.<<
