Filched off of the AP wire --

Rush Limbaugh sets new deal

AP - Wed, 2 Jul 2008 17:04:50 -0400 (EDT) -- By: DAVID BAUDER

Approaching his 20th anniversary as talk radio's most dominant force, Rush Limbaugh has signed a lucrative new deal with Premiere Radio Networks that will keep him on the air until 2016.

Premiere wouldn't disclose details on Wednesday, but Limbaugh told The New York Times in an article to be published Sunday that he would be getting a nine-figure signing bonus and would make about $38 million a year.

Limbaugh's three-hour show, broadcast from his office in Florida, is heard on some 600 radio stations across the country. More than 14 million people listen to him at least once a week, according to Talkers magazine. Sean Hannity is second with more than 13 million listeners.

"This is exactly where I want to be, doing what I was born to do, with an amazing audience and phenomenal support from affiliate stations and sponsors," Limbaugh said in a statement. "I'm having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have."

He declined an interview request from The Associated Press.

Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos" this year showed his continuing influence in political discourse. He urged his listeners to vote for Hillary Clinton to keep the Democratic nomination fight going in the hopes of hurting Barack Obama.

Limbaugh, however, is no big fan of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, even though he prefers him to Obama. Limbaugh, 57, said in January that if McCain were nominated "it's going to destroy the Republican Party."

Keeping Limbaugh in the fold is crucial if radio is going to be competitive with the Internet and satellite radio, said Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers.

"It shows that there's a strong commitment on the part of one of the leading companies in our industry to remain viable for the next decade," he said. "If radio is going to continue and to survive it's got to do what it takes to keep its biggest players happy and exclusive to radio."

Premiere Radio Networks, which is owned by Clear Channel Radio, is also partners with Limbaugh in "The Limbaugh Letter," a monthly newsletter, and the Web site RushLimbaugh.com. The company also syndicates "The Rush Limbaugh Morning Update," a 90-second commentary that airs Monday through Friday.

Charlie Rahilly, Premiere president, said advertiser and affiliate demand for Limbaugh's show is at an all-time high.

Despite the reported big price tag, Rahilly said: "It's a really rational decision ... It's great for Premiere and Clear Channel."

He said there are new media opportunities that can make the deal more lucrative in the coming years. For example, the possibility of streaming Limbaugh material on demand on the computer, or making commentaries available on wireless devices, are potential future ways to raise revenue.

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"Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others." - Groucho Marx

Good for Rush, he deserves every penny! God Bless American free enterprise!!

Love him or hate him...he's the #1 guy on the radio right now...scoreboard.

More power to him. Anyone who doesn't like it, should not listen to him, so that the ad revenue decreases.

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"It's the rich people's fault they earn more." - Makedde

If you like Rush, I also highly recommend Glenn Beck [#3 behind Rush and Hannity].

Actually, I'm a Beck "Insider" (they don't broadcast his whole show in STL, so the only way I can get it is off the web).

The funny thing is...the lefties always whine about Beck being a republican. Problem is, he's more libertarian than anything.

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"It's the rich people's fault they earn more." - Makedde

I consider him more of an 'American' than anything. Which is more than I can say about most of the people in this country....sadly.

Glenn Beck is GREAT, I was REALLY pissed when here in South Florida, they moved Beck from his 9-Noon slot and replaced him with "Footy" an idiot who knows absolutely nothing about anything, but is liked because of his overall goofyness.

I call into the show all the time, and get through every single time because I guess there aren't that many people listening, and it just amazes me at how little this guy knows and is still on the air.

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http://www.nosocialism.com
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America is not a Socialist country, this is why the only democrats who ever win, are democrats who SOUND like Republicans (Hello Bill Clinton - Low taxes, Free Trade, Welfare Reform, Era of Big Government Over - Sounds Republican).

Interesting. Considering the overall shrinking audience of political talkers on the radio right now (including Limbaugh), this is a risky move for Premier. Especially given the rapid rise of progressive talkers like Ed Schultz, and the sports talk format that seems to be a rising AM-dial juggernaut right now. Maybe that's why Ed Schultz is doing well -- he's a former sports broadcaster!

The radio market is morphing lately -- especially with the pending XM-Sirius merger and "HD Radio" (which I personally think sucks). With high-speed, 3G/WiMax/4G mobile technology finally getting off the ground (and thus likely into car stereos to compete with satellite and terrestrial radios) I must wonder if Limbaugh can really continue to rake in the coin to earn that fat contract, unless he can adapt his model to be successful in a non-subscription streaming Internet radio model. Or any other traditional AM talker format, for that matter.

We've already seen that PC-based internet radio has opened up the talker market for the nearly-absent progressive format, as Air America Radio has dominated streaming political talk for the last 3-4 years, and Jones Radio (Schultz and Miller's network) is not far behind. Once mobile broadband is an everyday "no big deal" item, i question how commercial AM/FM stations can compete with a format with such significantly lower operational costs.

I'm a bit puzzled by this contract, and not because I don't agree with Limbaugh's persona he has created. I just don't see how such a long-term deal makes sense for Premier in a market that is in the stage of polymorphic flux.

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Member of the vast Radical Middle conspiracy.