Update 3/2 6:00pm: With the Limbaugh move official, Clear Channel has moved up the launch of the new talk lineup from April 1 to next Monday, March 8. The 1200 lineup will consist of:
6am to 9am: To Be Announced
9am to 12pm: Glenn Beck
12pm to 3pm: Rush Limbaugh
3pm to 6pm: Sean Hannity
6pm to 9pm: Jason Lewis
9pm to 12am: Mark Levin
12am to 6am: Coast to Coast with George Noory
Update 3/2 12:15am: BostonRadioWatch.com is reporting that Limbaugh’s final airing on WRKO will be this Friday, March 5. Charlie Manning, a local consultant for the Republican party will debut on Monday, March 12 in the 12pm to 3pm time slot.
Original Report 3/1: Since the announcement in early January that Clear Channel would flip 1200 WXKS Boston from Spanish AC to News/Talk, we’ve been waiting to see whether Clear Channel’s Premiere Radio Networks would shift Rush Limbaugh from his longtime Boston home Entercom’s 680 WRKO to the soon to launch “Rush Radio 1200“. Clear Channel has yet to announce Limbaugh as a part of the launch lineup at WXKS, however the logo that arrived today clearly indicates he will join Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Jason Lewis, and George Noory when the station debuts on April 1.
LinoNYC 
oasisrulz 
Anonymous 
Les 
kevbat54 
warren.merrill
This is more like quarantining a disease than programming with any sort of future.
Limbaugh’s national listener average is a 67 year old white male w/high school education. His audience has declined some 40% since the mid-late 1990s, with age medians such as these….well this ain’t a growth proposition.
The fact that “Rush radio”- will be on mostly graveyard frequencies is most appropriate.
From the TPMedia NewsPage on my site, TotalPopularMusic.com:
Clear Channel moves up a previously announced move at WXKS-AM, Boston, which on Monday (March 8) becomes "1200 Rush Radio," with a lineup including Premiere Radio Networks' Rush Limbaugh, as well as Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Jason Lewis, and Citadel Media Networks' Mark Levin. Limbaugh moves over to WXKS from Entercom's WRKO.
LinoNYC I would take Rush anyday, then the likes of radical racists Sharpton/Jacksons spew of evil….their audiance consists of racist black men and females…and a few white liberals…touche'
As I had mentioned a couple of times before, I fully expect Don Imus' syndicated show to leave WTKK-96.9 at any time (with Margary Eagan and Jim Braude's morning show expanded to cover the 5-10 A.M. daypart) and move to WXKS-1200 for 6-9 A.M.
"oasisrulz
LinoNYC I would take Rush anyday, then the likes of radical racists…."
Your politics aside, the facts are that these sorts of shows are symptomatic of a medium in terminal decline.
The facts are that AM radio now reaches well under 20% of the American audience and in as you down the demographics it declines to under 5% in the under 25 group.
There is no future here, only ever more strident extremism to attract a dwindling listenership followed by sale to religion or scrap.
Although I've been called a "conservative," personally I'm not a fan of Rush. Still, if I were programming a conservative Talk station, I'd schedule his show if Premiere would let me have it — if Clear Channel didn't want it in the same market. Thankfully, I only program and consult music stations these days!
Rush gets ratings, and a number of Talk stations that air him do well in the ratings, and often translate that into ad revenues. (In some markets, Limbaugh on AM out rates some of the competing music stations that otherwise do well for overall shares & cumes.)
Some 40+ years ago, when I was a young and idealistic broadcaster, a GM called me into the office and sat me down, explaining radio is a business, out to make money. He advised me to never forget that. I took his advice. (I won't go into why he had that talk with me!)
Radio has changed. The ratings system is changing. The economy has changed. But the fact that radio is a business is as true today as ever!
I find it amusing that Liberal Democrats are even stalking radio boards in their fear of Rush! Not difficult to predict what's going to happen to Boston area ratings with the shift. Problem is there will be initial confusion as to where to find Mr. Limbaugh unless there is a really massive campaign to inform regular listeners.
I find it amusing that Liberal Democrats are even stalking radio boards in their fear of Rush!
Then you'll find this hilarious
http://www.pensitoreview.com/2010/02/22/like-saddam-fox-news-fourth-largest-investor-funds-families-of-suicide-bombers/
Yep! the same arab "prince" -who pays 25K to the families of suicide bombers Is now Fox "news'" fourth largest investor.
Enjoy your sinking ship.
If you want to talk to politics go somewhere else.
Keep the talk relevant to radio.
I can’t wait until Monday! I’ll get Glenn Beck and Hannity during the day…….Way cool!
“Limbaugh“™s national listener average is a 67 year old white male w/high school education. His audience has declined some 40% since the mid-late 1990s”
Is this the classic liberal, if we don’t know the facts we make them up approach?
From the Pew Research Center ….
Percentage of college grads as regular radio or tv listeners –
Limbaugh: 37%
CSPAN: 36%
CNN: 28%
MSNBC: 31%
NPR: 38%
National Average: 27%
Percentage 50+ in age:
Limbaugh:51%, not 67%
According to Arbitron, the top five programs are Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, and Michael Savage.
Arbitron: Since 1991, Limbaugh has had the most-listened-to radio talk show in the United States, with 14.25 million listeners a week as of March 2009. In 2003, he peaked with an audience of nearly 20 million a week.
His audience share peaked in 2003 not the mid 90’s. HIs share has declined a litlte more than 25% not 40%. There’s more competition now. But he’s still #1 by a large margin.
The thing I’ve always found interesting about liberals is they don’t care about facts since facts usually interefere with the truth. It’s much easier to make up facts and repeat them until the uninformed start to believe them.
Note: I’m not a big Limbaugh fan. I just like dealing in realities and truth when it comes to facts.
As for The Launch Of Rush Radio 1200:
Today (March 8th), up until 12:06 P.M. EST, WXKS-1200 ran a loop of soundbites from Rush (and other syndicated hosts it will carry) as well as excerpts of speeches from former President Ronald Reagan (who, almost six years after his death, remains a hero to conservatives and an arch-enemy to liberals).
Then at 12:06 came the start of the Rush Limbaugh show.
The Globe had an article on March 3rd regarding the change. They referred to Limbaugh as a shock jock with lackluster ratings. The Herald noted the change today as an article on Charley Manning but noted Limbaugh's change to 1200. Go figure The Globe is on the brink if disaster. They feel the need to editorialize a station change. Massachsetts is a different animal than most of the country. The people tend to be very provincial. Local sells better.
Well, "warren.merrill" you are a tricky one aren't you.
Percentage of college grads as regular radio or tv listeners ““
Limbaugh: 37%
CSPAN: 36%
CNN: 28%
MSNBC: 31%
NPR: 38%
National Average: 27%
Note: Limbaugh with "37%" -that alone places the average of his listeners outside the college educated strata.
"Percentage 50+ in age:
Limbaugh:51%, not 67%"
Note here that my remarks was "Limbaugh“™s national listener average is a 67 year old white male w/high school education. "
Either you misunderstand the difference between -percentage- and an age median..or..you are being purposefully deceptive.
"Arbitron: Since 1991, Limbaugh has had the most-listened-to radio talk show in the United States…."
The term; "most listened too"- is a marketing tool and means little in actual business terms.
The -facts- are that Con-Talk stations often bill substantially less than straight new ot music formats in most markets -even with comparable 6+ shares.
Here in NYC the two conservative N/T's WABC and WOR bill substantially less than other stations with comparable ratings:
Here's the BIA list for 2008. figures are in millions.
1. WLTW $52.6
2. WINS $51.8 – All News
3. WHTZ $49.6
4. WCBS-AM $46.7 -ALL News
5. WFAN $38.9
6. WPLJ $31.1
7. WQHT $30.1
8. WSKQ $29.4
9. WAXQ $29.2
10. WBLS $28.0
11. WRKS $26.4
12. WKTU $25.6
13. WWPR $25.0
14. WABC $21.3 -Con Talk
15. WPAT-FM $20.8
16. WCBS-FM $18.5
17. WWFS $17.8
18. WXRK $15.9
19. WOR $15.1 Con-talk
20. WQXR $10.6
21. WRXP $10.4
22. WCAA $9.5
22. WADO $9.5
24. WEPN $9.3
25. WMCA $7.9
The reason for this disparity is not simply AM vs FM in fact, WCBS-am is now late (2009) the highest grossing station in the market, it is the demographics of the conservative audience.
Quoting:
"Note: I“™m not a big Limbaugh fan. I just like dealing in realities and truth when it comes to facts."
Well then you might want to peruse these links:
http://people-press.org/report/319/public-knowledge-of-current-affairs-little-changed-by-news-and-information-revolutions -Not particularity good news for Democrats but truly grim for conservatives as their cohort is actually dying off.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2009/05/rush-limbaugh200905
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20100115/FREE/100119904#
"Rush Radio" is the classic example of a re-branding and packaging of a fading product.