Limbaugh's Dirty Little Secret of Radio "Success"

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.

Comments

[youdontgetit2]

Rush is an inspiration and a source of never ending optimism. I was impressed with his message and success before I read this article, but this is absolutely brilliant. by giving away his show he was able to attract people like me who had the same views, but thought they were alone in the world. He obviously had the confidence in his abilities and message to know he would be wildly successful in these markets and get great advertising rates for his air time. Sounds like a win win for everybody. Great Job Rush!

[Bruce Majors]

And Air America couldn't imitate this model?

No one would take their show even if they gave it away fro free?

Rofl

You statists are such envious little failures

I wonder if you will be honest enough to recognize that MSNBC's parent company GE is going bankrupt except for a life line of taxpayers funds the Obama regime is going to force us tax serfs to give it.for "green jobs"

And MSNBC calls tax protesters racists

Looks like fascism and paid propaganda to me

[Buddy McCue]

You clearly don't know what fascism is, and that's sad.

[Forest]

An article in this months Vanity Fair alleges that Rush's listeners are the 60+ crowd.

[AurigaRa]

like Fox is given free or for low cost to hotels and airports

who would want to watch that crap if they could choose?

[JustAnotherVoice]

The reason he's so popular is he speaks the truth...and because no liberal can entertain an audience long enough for them to stay on the air...lol! They're boring!!

[Buddy McCue]

"He speaks the truth?"

No, he doesn't. He holds no principled position, contradicts himself, and uses bad logic to rationalize preconceived notions. That's not what truth is.

[NL207]

If this assertion is true, then stations should regularly drop Limbaugh when they have to pay for his program. They do not do so in any large numbers. Why? Because Limbaugh produces Arbitron radio ratings and Arbitron radio ratings produce advertising revenue. This piece might have a shred of credibility if it published Arbitron ratings for Limbaugh and competitiors in his time slot.

Could the real reason for Limbaugh's success be that his product is in demand, unlike the broadcast garbage Air America produced? Air America, as in the Liberal radio network that illegally diverted funds from the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club to underwrite its losing operations. http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/2005/07/federal-funds-diverted-to-air-america.html

Limbaugh markets his product using a loss leader approach, no different than many retailers. Liberal talk radio seems to prefer to steal taxpayer funds that were appropriated for other purposes.

[rshrink]

First you have to realize that these stations are owned by repubs. Second, radio jockeys don't earn anywhere near what Rush earns. So stations likely couldn't afford his programs, but the repub rich mans network not only can afford it, but they end up making money off of him due to his influence on the disenfranchised segment of our society who like Rush because he gives their disenfranchisement a voice. It is a fake voice and one used to use them, but they don't know it, so it works. Air America is not a radio network. It is a program. The network that diverted and repaid the money you mention is a network, not a player in Air America, just a user of it. Air America does not have rich man's backing, certainly not even remotely like Rush does. So, what would help you understand this, if you really wanted to do so, would be to follow the money, then and only then will you really get it. As long as your monkey brain is locked in on defending your faux hero, that won't happen.

[rshrink]

I was wrong about Air America not being a network, but the culprit here was the station manager and fund raiser, Cohen. What he did does not reflect on Maddow, Franken and others that were hired to do their schtick. The rest of what I said still stands. I see how conservs like to generalize things to apply to every liberal. I read one post talking about how liberals can't run a business without government handouts. Tell it to the auto and banking industry, as well as the no bid contracts that went to contractors in Iraq, not the least of which were Blackwater, Halliburton and KBR. Looks like conservatives have some splainin to do.

[ConnorMarc]

This is really good info. Thanks Bill.

I find it quite funny how the critics of the article come in here defending Boss "I Need A Rush" Limbaugh with their false arguments about his popularity. They totally miss the point. The article isn't disputing his popularity. Its simply explaining it. The point is...if something is given away for free, its liable to get many people at least trying it. Noone is surprised or contesting that county folk out in the podunks would actually like that type of nonsense. So save it.

Now we know the tactics used to get stuff out there so they can say things like "Well he's the top rated, most popular talk show host ever." And now Glen Beck's up next for the same treatment.

Aren't those guys awesome?

[lostnacfgop]

Well, this is thought-provoking. At least two thoughts:

1. Sliming into small and medium radio markets "for free" makes Rush the Wal-Mart of hate radio.
2. Handing out free samples until the weak willed are "hooked" sounds like, um, drug-dealing behavior.

[rooney2]

Wow! I knew there must be some evil plan behind Rush's success...

I knew it!

[JustAnotherVoice]

Ohhhh...you sound a little like an extremist. That is the new definition of it, isn't it?

[Usama]

Excuse me, but the point of the article is that Rush's elitism and 'big draw' is based on the fact and the practice of Rush's show being free in much of the country.
I was aware that Rush's show was heavily leveraged during the 1980s and 1990s, but I did not realize this practice was still being done today. The reality is billionaire elites have been financing the 'grassroots republican right wing' for decades.

[rshrink]

You are absolutely correct! Good post.

[lajaw]

Did you ever get a free sample at the grocery store? Why is the concept of a free market so disturbing to the socialists? When the left comes up with someone who can draw an audience like Limbaugh, success won't be scrutinized by the elite like Rush is.

[TakingBackTheUSA]

Ha!! More "socialist" cr@p, from someone who probably doesn't even know what it means.

Here's a clue, since you dittoheads have severe allergies to factual info. This kind of practice has since been outlawed by the FCC. This is in it's essence "rigging the media" kinda, like you guys like to rig elections. Rush was little more than a "free sample" like cheap candy at a grocery story, and as typical nuts will do you righties kept coming back to stuff your gullet full of free samples. Hatespeak, insults, grade-school level bodily function jokes, and slanderous attack with no merit have always appealed to the right because it's all that they've ever had, and Rush doles out more of it than anybody in the media, so naturally he appeals to the juvenilistic impulses of his base, and I do mean BASE, audience.

[ObjectiveRealist]

Econ 101:
For a market to be considered "free" all customers must have absolutely free, open access to all information pertinent to both product quality and price. Without such information, competition devolves to half-truths, deceptive marketing, and other forms of looting from those of us who produce.

In terms even a neo-conservative can understand, if they aren't doing anything wrong, why are they trying to hide it?

[ssfahrer]

All I know is that if Rush actually goes through with his threat to leave NY, the world should know that he is a COWARD. Was he at ANY of the Tea Parties in NYC or Albany? I'd love to see if he actually would REALLY protest what he says he's protesting.... Or was he too concerned with his Wednesday paycheck????

[barbarica]

It just kills lefties that in the only purely free medium, the customers overwhelmingly want the conservative viewpoint.

[stagebandman]

You really didn't read the post, did you?

[rshrink]

Spoken like a true dittohead. "Purely free medium" Don't worry, you are paying heavily for this. It will be in the form of tax dollars paid to the bail out of the bankers, so there is nothing free about it. Conservatives actually lack any kind of workable reality based message. It is all made up in think tanks and then sold to the likes of you.

[emncaity]

Yup. In fact, that indicates that there are so many "conservatives" around that you lost the last two elections decisively. Just kills me, as a "leftie," to mention it.

[TakingBackTheUSA]

You obviously have issues with factual information. Radio is hardly a free medium, because somebody is paying for ads, by buying products.

The fact that the idiofest so widely proclaimed superior by syncophants such as yourself only got a market hold because the radio stations could get it for free proves it's value point. ZERO. It also proves that the only way Rush could get air time was to give it away where the local radio stations could cut funding and local personalities, thereby destroying the very "local media" that radio is.

Then again, you rabid righties hate the media anyways. Has nothing to do with the fact that it might air views counter to yours, does it?

[sheepherder]

I asssume by "free" you mean that you're tuning into corporate run stations that are littered with advertising and whose entire content and messages are carefully crafted by said advertisers so that you hear exactly what they want you to. Not surprised that your definition of "free" is so much in line with an Orwellian vision of society. I'll stick with listener supported radio and intelligent, open-minded discourse from all sides of the political spectrum and make my own decisions about what's going on in the world thanks.

[MaDmOnKy]

It is odd how michealJfox was still able to keep with head in the frame while shaking uncontrollably for that Claire McCaskil ad..

[barbarica]

More ridiculous left wing propaganda. The guy didn't take his medication so the symptoms returned and that proved what exactly?

[LeftLeanWing]

Bull...

The medication actually makes them shake... When people with Parkinson's are not on the medication the muscles become stiff and rigid... The medication relaxes the muscles but the synapses are still uncontrollable firing

My father had it and should know.

So you are WRONG and showing more right wing ignorance on everything and on anyone that does not fit within you shrinking frustrated fact challenged demographic.

[rshrink]

Whoa, one of the finest examples of dittodom I have ran across in awhile. Wow. Limbaugh will be pleased, maybe make you ditto of the year.

[stagebandman]

Who died and made you fake doctor?

[MaDmOnKy]

I think this would be worth a year of Rush 24/7

[ptbaa]

In order for you to have your program broadcast on radio or tv you have to pay for your programs time on air and you sell the ad time to sponsors to pay for it.
Each 1/2 hr you purchase for your show depending on your negotiated contract you can recieve 1-6 minutes of air time to sell.
The contracts are structured many different ways, bartering requires the exchange of a product or service in place of paying for it but you are still paying for the time with your product or service or advertising. Syndication which is what you are talking about does get structured many different ways but ultimately someone somehow pays for the air time.
Bill you are an experianced tv and radio person what is your point? You know a program needs good sponsors to sell add time and the sponsors have to have measurable results from that advertising. If their ads dont work and they dont sell any product advertising on your show then they stop sponsoring you and you cant pay for your airtime. The success of RL advertising is what has made him or he would not be on the air.
Call your local radio and tv outlets and ask for their rates you can all find out yourself.

[stagebandman]

And your point is? All that bluster, but you did not refute any point of the post. What are you trying to say here? The success of Rush was that he had a syndicator behind him, just like every successful syndicated radio and TV show. Just ask Oprah. But it was the way Rush and his syndicator did their business that, although perfectly legal, was dirty pool. But the story was a history lesson, not how local radio and tv outlets are currently run.