Cumulus Says Report WLS To Drop Rush Limbaugh Is False

[alp227]

Source: AllAccess.com

After ROBERTFEDER.COM reported early TODAY that sources said that CUMULUS News-Talk WLS-A/CHICAGO, mired in a ratings slump and reshuffling its lineup over the past few months, will drop PREMIERE's RUSH LIMBAUGH from its schedule as early as the end of MARCH, CUMULUS denied that such a move is happening, with a spokesperson subsequently telling FEDER later THURSDAY morning, “This is not at all accurate. Any report to the contrary is false.”

Read more: http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/139018/report-wls-to-drop-rush-limbaugh

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

1. They'll ride that sinking ship right down to the seafloor. nt

[frylock]

4. yep. they'll continue to lose revenue, and dump employees..

all in the quest to keep the illusion rolling that this blowhard is still relevant.

[George II]

2. Is that guy somehow related to Mr. Richard Feder of Fort Lee, New Jersey?

[calimary]

5. LOL!!!!

[bullwinkle428]

12. NEVER MIND!!!

[AngryAmish]

3. Robert Feder is a well respected journalist

[CincyDem]

6. It's all over but for setting the date

WLS is one of Chicago big ones. The call letters are said to mean World's Loudest Station from the days when stations were named (WGN - Worlds Greatest Newspaper, they were owned by the Tribune/WCLF - Chicago Federation of Labor/WVON - Voice of the Negro, it was the 60's/etc etc).

Unfortunately for WLS, they're running somewhere are 25th in the market during Rush's slot (11am-2pm CST). A friend of mine in the Chicago radio business jokes that there's a station that reads the daily lunch menu from the Lettuce Entertain You chain at noon on some radio station and it beats Rush - every day. I'm sure that's not really true but it does make a point.

Premier Radio Networks, Rush's syndicator and a wholly owned sub of iHeart Radio (aka ClearChannel) is in deep chit as non-ClearChannel networks like Cumulus finally come to the realization that hate radio is dead, it just hasn't fallen over yet. You saw this in NYC when Rush/Hannity/Beck all moved to ClearChannel stations. Same in LA.

Works great when there's a local CC talk station that can "suck it up". Unfortunately (or fortunately as the case may be) there isn't a CC talk outlet in Chicago. So....CC has to offer up enough to another network station to take him.

Look for Dennis Miller to get the boot over at WIND. Issue is that they have to give him 60-90 days notice that they're dumping him. He's not a Premier Radio Networks guy so they'll probably want the entire notice period on air. They can't announce Rush coming to WIND until Miller is formally notified and I suspect Premier is rebating WLS a hefty fee to keep the lid on this until it can all look like a seamless transition to a new station and everyone can spin it to their benefit (except probably Miller who probably loses his spot on the dial).

Anyway, it'll be interesting because the new station will likely NOT be susceptible to an advertiser boycott like WLS is. That's because Premier will cut a deal with them that practically (and possibly literally) pays them to take Rush. They can make zero on the ad buys and still make a profit.

It's just too important to Premier nationwide to keep Rush on in the top 10 cities. Losing Chicago would be a crack in the damn that would be hard to recover from.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. I watched the similar fiasco happen with Cumulus on his flagship station WABC

a little over a year ago, where a year before that, CC bought the previously privately-owned WOR and remade it into a true garbage dump of RW loon hosts, and even included a ridiculous simulcast of MTP (unceremoniously booting my favorite, decades-old garden show originally in that slot).. as they prepared for the move of Limbaugh & Hannity from WABC to WOR.

[CincyDem]

7. But wait - there's more.

Even el-Rushbo knows he's toast.



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/03/05/1368747/--Rush-Limbaugh-Admits-Defeat-On-Facebook-Reports-Of-Being-Dropped-In-Chicago-Begin-To-Fly?detail=facebook#

[wordpix]

11. "aging media bully" LOL, good concise description

[Optical.Catalyst]

8. The trouble with Rush Limbaugh is that he was dropped on his head as a baby

[wordpix]

10. good riddance to that blowhard forever!

Guess what, Limpballs? Even repukes like their Obamacare and the improved economy