Conservative talk radio hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are getting the boot from a major broadcaster. Politico’s Dylan Byers reports that Cumulus Media, the second biggest broadcaster in the country, is dropping Limbaugh and Hannity from its stations by the end of the year.
The move means that the two right-wingers will no longer be aired on 40 Cumulus channels. Cumulus owns hundreds of radio stations around the country.
The reason why Limbaugh and Hannity are being dropped has more to do with money than their toxic politics, though. Byers reports that “the decision comes after negotiations between Cumulus and Premiere Networks, the division of Clear Channel that distributes Limbaugh and Hannity's shows, broke down due to disagreements over the cost of the distribution rights...Cumulus is known to drive a hard bargain on costs, and Clear Channel is known to seek top dollar for big names.”
Cumulus is thinking of moving some of its other right-wing talent--people like Mike Huckabee and Michael Savage--into the time slots when Limbaugh and Hannity were broadcast.
In May, Limbaugh was reportedly thinking of ending his relationship with Cumulus because the CEO blamed advertising losses on Limbaugh’s outbursts against Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown law student who became a household name after Republicans decided to bar him from testifying over the cost of birth control. Fluke spoke to House Democrats instead.