Rush Limbaugh renews contract

By Brian Stelter
Rush Limbaugh, the country’s best-known conservative talk radio host, has renewed his contract with radio distributor iHeartMedia.
The company called it a “long-term, multi-platform agreement,” but declined to comment on the length or value of the contract.
That’s a big change from 2008, when Limbaugh signed an eight-year deal worth about $400 million — huge dollar figures that were trumpeted at the time.
No matter what the terms of the new deal are, Limbaugh is “still the one,” conservative news site The Drudge Report proclaimed with a banner headline on Tuesday.
“The Rush Limbaugh Show,” live from 11am – 2pm CT on WLS-AM 890, is the #1 talk show syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a division of iHeartMedia.
Limbaugh reaches tens of millions of listeners through radio stations across the country and web streams. On Monday, he celebrated his 28th anniversary as a nationally syndicated broadcaster.
“After 28 fulfilling years, I seriously considered moving on to something else, but Rich and Bob were very persuasive,” Limbaugh said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to be continuing. And I really want to be on the air if the Russians find Hillary’s emails.”
His statement referenced Rich Pressler, the iHeartMedia president, and Bob Pittman, the chairman and CEO.
Pittman said in a recent interview with CNNMoney that Limbaugh is “bigger than ever” and “doing really well.”
But some observers have doubts about that.
Radio industry expert Michael Harrison, the publisher of Talkers magazine, said Tuesday that the new contract news shows that iHeartMedia still views Limbaugh as a valuable business partner.
“They had an opportunity here to get rid of him!” Harrison said. “If he is such a liability, the way his enemies paint him out to be, why didn’t iHeartMedia take this opportunity to dump him?”
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