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Thursday, May 27, 2021

Premiere Networks Decides It Takes Two To Fill The Rush Time Slot


The Rush Limbaugh replacements are in, as Clay Travis and Buck Sexton will take over his three-hour conservative talk radio show time slot, said distributor Premiere Networks.

The duo will serve up similar right-wing fare, tackling news stories of the day, politics and current events, peppered with call-ins from listeners and humor. Premiere Networks hopes the younger voices will bring something new to talk radio, while also continuing on in Mr. Limbaugh’s legacy.

The Wall Street Journal reports the program, slated to begin airing June 21, will be called “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show.” It is expected to air around the country, from noon to 3 p.m. ET, on hundreds of stations.

Since the 70-year-old conservative talk-radio icon and pioneer of right-wing media died from complications from lung cancer in February, the industry has been looking to fill his massive void. Mr. Limbaugh’s show, marked by his signature brash and acerbic conservatism, ran for more than three decades and was the most listened to in the U.S., according to Nielsen Audio, reaching more than 20 million monthly listeners on more than 650 affiliates as of the end of 2020.

Premiere Networks has continued to syndicate “The Rush Limbaugh Show” using archived segments on topics relevant to the day’s news, with guest hosts filling in between clips. The program was attracting about 75% to 80% of its regular audience, according to a person familiar with the matter.

“Rush’s connection with his audience is one of the primary legacies of his show,” Travis said. “I also think Buck and I have the unique ability to offer a perspective that many people in their 20s and 30s are desperate to hear.”

Travis, 42 years old, is a sports journalist, lawyer, TV analyst and founder of sports website Outkick.com. Since 2016 he’s hosted “Outkick the Coverage With Clay Travis” on Fox Sports Radio, syndicated to more than 350 affiliates nationwide on weekday mornings. (Mr. Travis has agreed to sell Outkick to Fox Corp.) He will continue to co-host FS1’s daily gambling TV show “Fox Bet Live,” in addition to his podcasts “Outkick The Show” and “Wins & Losses With Clay Travis.”

A self-proclaimed political moderate and independent, Travis last year announced he would be voting for former President Donald Trump, saying it would be the first time he would vote for a Republican for president. He has written several books, most recently 2018’s “Republicans Buy Sneakers, Too: How the Left Is Ruining Sports With Politics.”

Sexton, 39, is a radio host and political commentator who has served as an officer with the Central Intelligence Agency and a New York Police Department counterterrorism expert. His three-hour weekday evening talk show, “The Buck Sexton Show”—formerly “America Now”—is syndicated to over 180 stations by Premiere, and he has served as a guest host for Limbaugh’s show. Mr. Sexton is a regular on Fox News as a national security analyst, and was previously national security editor for The Blaze.

“The most dominant talk radio hosts have been from one generation; Clay and I represent the next phase. We’re going to bring the perspective of two guys who see a country they’re deeply worried about, and a massive audience that needs people who will speak for them,” he said.

Premiere, which will shop the new program to affiliate stations, expects it to be broadcast on hundreds of stations when it launches. It will also be available as a podcast on iHeartRadio and broadly.

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