Limbaugh's Dirty Little Secret of Radio "Success"

[Joanne98]

Ever wonder why Rush "Boss" Limbaugh's syndicated radio show is all over the place like the proverbial cheap suit?

If you do much driving in rural areas -- e.g. between cities -- "Boss" Limbaugh's bloviations are often the only thing you can pick up on a car radio. Hey, that's what CD players are for.

Did Rush accrue hundreds of local radio affiliates across the country because his political views are mainstream? That's obviously not it. OK, so why IS his show so "popular?" Why do hundreds of stations around the country carry his show, the most widely syndicated talkfest in the country?

Glad you asked.

The real story is not generally well-known. The only reason I know is through my covering the business of radio for years for several major daily newspapers and also, for industry trade magazines like Radio World.

It's because -- ready for this? -- Rush's show was, and presumably still is, given away for free to many local radio stations.

This shocker is because of a little-known practice in broadcast syndication called a "barter deal." (Barter deals were briefly mentioned in Michael Wolff's first-rate recent piece on Rush in Vanity Fair).

Here's how a barter deal works: To launch the show, Limbaugh's syndicator, Premiere Radio Networks -- the same folks who syndicate wingnut du jour Glen Beck -- gave Limbaugh's three hours away -- that's right, no cash -- to local radio stations, mostly in medium and smaller markets, back in the early 1990's.

So, a local talk station got Rush's show for zilch. In exchange, Premiere took for itself much of the local station's available advertising time (roughly 15 minutes an hour) and packed the show with national ads it had already pre-sold.

Think Gold Bond Medicated Powder.

It's a very sweet deal for local radio station owners, explained Bill Exline a respected radio broker (he helped people buy and sell local stations). "Not only does the local station get three hours of free programming," Exline explained, "but that's one less local talk-show host on staff they need. It makes small- and medium-market radio properties more profitable and attractive by cutting down staff expenses."

Shocking, isn't it, that Limbaugh would allow jobs to be cut to advance his dubious career? Not to mention helping to make small radio stations far less local?

Major-market right-wing talk stations, like San Francisco's KSFO-AM ("Reichstag Radio") have to pay actual money, of course, to carry Boss Limbaugh's daily proclamation-a-thon. (Note: KSFO, which I referred to as "Sieg Heil on Your Dial" in my column when it first switched to righty talk, is the same station that gave hatemonger Michael Savage his first radio megaphone).

Radio sources say that small- and medium-market stations still get Limbaugh's show for free, or pay only a token amount of cash for it. I asked Michael Harrison, editor of radio-syndicator-friendly Talkers magazine about this, and he claimed he didn't know how many Limbaugh affiliates still barter. .

So, when you hear Rush bellowing as you're passing through Birdseed Junction, Beanblossom, or Pyrite, just remember: The radio station's getting what it paid for. Or, more accurately, DIDN'T pay for.

Ever wonder why Rush "Boss" Limbaugh's syndicated radio show is all over the place like the proverbial cheap suit? If you do much driving in rural areas -- e.g. between cities -- "Boss" Limbaugh's ...
Ever wonder why Rush "Boss" Limbaugh's syndicated radio show is all over the place like the proverbial cheap suit? If you do much driving in rural areas -- e.g. between cities -- "Boss" Limbaugh's ...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-mann/limbaughs-dirty-little-se_b_185965.html

[LiberalFighter]

1. This info needs to be spread like wildfire.

[navarth]

2. Wow. K & R.

I could smell something funny about the whole thing...thanks for clearing it up. What dishonest, greedy bastards. But SMART...

We need to do the same thing. Thom Hartmann should be everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Goddam it.

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. That's very interesting. I hope this story gets around.

[boobooday]

4. He's totally manufactured

And even with all the subsidization, his only advertisers are the sleep number bed and xycam.

Oh, and gotomypc.com

:puke:

[ewagner]

5. That explains it!

For 10 years I sold equipment to Wisconsin's Dairy industry and traveled about 300 miles a day in mostly rural areas...

I would lose the signal from Wisconsin Public Radio in the really rural areas and only be able to pick up Sieg Heil Radio (I love that term). If I was "en-route" I usually had to listen only about a half hour or so before I could pick up WPR again.

What was so surprising to me was the number of stations in those rural areas where the only thing I could get was Limbaugh...

Now I know why.

[WCGreen]

6. I worked at a mom and pop radio station in Fort Wayne Indiana back

in the late 80's. I knew that back then. His first big sponsor was Snapple. All it cost the station was a board operator. BTW, this was going on in the mid to late 80's. By the time they pushed the end of duopoly, the restrictions on how much of the media one company could own in a given market, Limbaugh was gaining steam that was unstoppable.

[rurallib]

7. Along with that isn't Premiere radio an arm of Clear Channel?

While Rushie and Hannity are carried on more than Clear Channel they are the in-house brand. Ergo it's a double win for CC.
I live in Iowa and we basically have 3 choices - music, NPR and RW radio. Sometimes NPR is as RW as Clear Channel.

[Mist]

8. Thanks for this posting. The RW is *VERY* committed to blanketing the

airwaves (radio and TV both) and have the deep pockets to do it. Of course, this Limbaugh 24/7 deal doesn't really cost them, I guess. They've been quite good at this media take-over thing. (I'm not saying it as a compliment, just pointing out the many years they've had to get their "message" in place.)

[Kali]

9. thanks for posting this

[Doctor_J]

10. Murdoch paid cable companies to carry Fox "news" for years

it was worth the cost to get the propaganda. I am sure the ubiquity of Boss Limpballs also has something to do with his pandering to the PTB

[Uncle Joe]

11. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Joanne.:thumbsup:

[applegrove]

12. Canada's right wing national newspaper has been around for more than a decade and

I don't think it has ever posted a profit.

[ShockediSay]

13. And I bet there are fat financial funders {who don't feel like they should pay taxes}

behind the whole enterprise.

Like LimpBough, they don't want to give up an ounce of their fat
for the system that got them there.

[lame54]

14. Like a crack dealer that gives away the first free samples...

Only Rush rots your mind faster

[Tace]

15. You Folks Are Way Off Base

I'm no fan of Rush Limbaugh, but the OP, if he knows what he's talking about (which he doesn't) is being disingenuous. And, the replies uniformly show ignorance and naivete about the broadcasting industry.

See this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5446107

[Kolesar]

16. The OP is Bill Mann at HuffingtonPost, and exactly how is he being "disingenuous"?

I read the thread you referred us to. Please tell me more.

[TankLV]

18. FAIL...

FIRST: The linke PROVES the OP's point.

Second: You don't make ANY case for your bullshit OPINION.

Third: You try to make the same bullshit on the post you linked to...

you open your trap and now everyone knows what an ass you are...

[TankLV]

17. It's all about the Golden Rule

Those that have the Gold RULE...

it's quite simple - and why we need to CHANGE THE FCC REGULATIONS!!!

[pokercat999]

19. Actually this makes good marketing sense to me. That the

"product" being marketed is despicable doesn't change that fact.