Limbaugh Feuds With Host Company Over Ad Revenues Lost to ‘Slut’ Boycott
Republican shock jock Rush Limbaugh could soon find himself without a distribution company thanks to an internal feud over ad revenues lost amid a boycott of his show, triggered when he called a Democratic activist a “slut” and a “prostitute” for speaking in favor of birth control coverage.
It’s not likely that Rush will be off the air anytime soon, but his loyal listeners in the nation’s largest media markets may have to search the dial to find him.
A source close to Limbaugh tells Politico that he’s considering breaking free of Cumulus Media once his contract is up at the end of 2013, effectively pulling his show off the largest talk radio platform in the world.
The leak from Limbaugh’s people coincides with Cumulus Media CEO Lew Dickey’s scheduled earnings call set for Tuesday morning. “The Rush Limbaugh Show” is the company’s most valuable program, and losing it could be devastating.
Politico noted that, while the boycott’s total damage is not publicly known, Dickey’s statements in 2012 and March 2013 indicated that the network’s largest stations have been bleeding revenue. While the CEO has not elaborated on the causes of the company’s financial woes, he did say in March that the troubles were “due to some of the issues that happened a year ago.”
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