Rush Limbaugh Says It’s Business Not Politics

Rush Limbaugh

On Monday, Rush Limbaugh took about 90-minutes of show time to talk shop about his reports he was being dropped on 40+ Cumulus stations nationwide. 

The liberal blososphere, led by lefties-Media Matters and Al Sharpton, cited the reports as proof that a call for ‘advertiser boycotts’ had taken its toll.   Various groups have been harassing national and local Limbaugh advertisers since Rush called reproductive rights advocate Sandra Fluke a “slut” in early 2012.

Rush was quick to say listeners were “being treated to is just a public business negotiation”. 

RUSH: There was another Politico story that ran last night about this program and the radio stations that it is on, and is going to be on, in the future. And someday, someday I am looking so forward to being able to detail all of this for you, but suffice it to say nothing is gonna happen that you will notice. Nothing is going to change. You are gonna be able to get this radio program on as many, if not more, radio stations down the road than it's on now, and what you're being treated to is just a public business negotiation.You are gonna be able to get this radio program on as many, if not more, radio stations down the road than it's on now, and what you're being treated to is just a public business negotiation. Negotiations have been taken public by one side of this. I thought it was done. I thought it was over with. And, folks, I would love... I mean, I love inside baseball stuff, and I would love to pass this on, but I must use proper business restraint here. 

But I just want to assure you, everything's cool, and, as always, what's on the table for this program is growth.

The statement follows a weekend story by media write Dylan Byers at Politico. He wrote Cumulus Media, plans to drop the radio programs of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity by the end of the year. In the past, Cumulus has cited the fallout resulting from Limbaugh’s Fluke comment as the cause depressed advertising revenue on its stations.

The network is reportedly balking at paying the syndication costs that Premiere Networks demands to broadcast those programs – among the highest rated talk radio shows in the nation.

This latest update is in fact an extension of the same battle over distribution pricing which has been ongoing since the spring, not to mention Clear Channel would love to add Rush and Sean Hannity to is WOR 710 AM in NYC.

WOR was purchased last year by Clear Channel, which owns Premiere Networks, which syndicates the Limbaugh and Hannity shows.