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| Rush Limbaugh |
Cumulus Media, the second largest operator of radio stations
in the United States ,
will be dropping popular conservative talkers Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity at
the end of the year, according to Dylan Byers at Politico.
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.
The decision comes after negotiations between Cumulus and
Premiere Networks, the division of Clear Channel that distributes Limbaugh and
Hannity's shows, broke down due to disagreements over the cost of the
distribution rights, the source said. Cumulus is known to drive a hard bargain
on costs, and Clear Channel is known to seek top dollar for big names.
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| Sean Hannity |
Cumulus declined to comment: "Cumulus is not in a
position to comment about negotiations with talent under contract, no matter
what the rumor of the day might be," a spokesperson told Politico.
But in recent weeks, Cumulus has been quietly reaching out
to radio talent agents and political insiders about new local and regional
station hosts to fill some of the airtime on its stations that will be left
vacant by Limbaugh and Hannity, industry sources said. Cumulus is also expected
to move some of its existing talent -- which includes Mike Huckabee, Mark
Levin, and Michael Savage -- into one of the slots.
Premiere, which did not immediately respond to a request for
comment on Sunday night, is expected to move Limbaugh and Hannity to other
stations, many owned by its parent company Clear Channel Media+Entertainment,
in many of the markets where they are currently signed with Cumulus.
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