Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of conservative talk icon Rush Limbaugh, who died following a brief battle with advanced-stage lung cancer.
In the days and months after his death, program directors and operations managers had to scramble to fill a void that was once unimaginable in his former daypart.
Limbaugh is considered one of the most influential media figures in American history, playing a consequential role in conservative politics since “The Rush Limbaugh Show” began airing in 1988.
Barrett News Media sought perspective on Rush’s passing and its subsequent impact on the news/talk format from renowned programmer Tim Wenger and nationally syndicated talk show host Brian Kilmeade.
Tim Wenger – News/Talk Format Captain, AudacyOperations Manager/Brand Manager 930 WBEN, WGR SportsRadio 550 and ESPN 1520.
How has Rush’s passing impacted the world of news/talk radio?
His passing really kind of rattled the format and, to some degree, the industry. Over the course of the last year, since his passing, there’s almost been like a reorganization of the format. Internally, we sought places where we felt continuing with some sort of a syndicated political context type of programming would continue to win, and we identified those places, and then we also looked to stations where we thought some type of local content would excel.
Do you think people are less interested in the format since he passed?
I don’t want to trivialize this at all because Rush can’t be replaced. I talk to listeners all the time who are mourning, like a member of their family has passed, and there’s a void in their life because Rush was a beacon for them for three hours every weekday for decades. But people that are interested in the format are interested in the format. They want to talk; they want to hear people talk; they are interested in current events.
I think there may be less interest in spirited political debate all the time. I think we are seeing this in many markets where we are going into more generalized talk content that addresses immediate needs in communities. So, I think there may be a shift in interest level that is broader in nature.
What do you think Rush would think of his replacements? (Clay, Buck, Bongino)
I don’t know what Rush would think; it’s almost not fair of me to do that. I will say that those are people that he trusted. Those were people that he attached to and used on the show. So, one would guess that he would endorse them, so to speak.
When I say that Rush was an icon, he was just so confident. I certainly didn’t know Rush personally, but I encountered him at conferences and such. Rush just did things his way; he didn’t really worry about anybody; he just worried about his own brand and what he stood for. I think that he would hope that those guys are doing the same thing. What he would think of them, I am not quite sure. We as a company have decided to embrace Dana [Loesch] and have worked out an arrangement where we put her in multiple markets where we felt that a continuation of a syndicated show would be most beneficial to brands.
Have WBEN’s ratings suffered because of Rush’s passing?
No, it’s interesting because we switched it out. We didn’t replace the daypart with a noon-3 show. We localized the station from 10a-2p and then 2p-6p. We put two local people in there, David Bellavia in the earlier slot and Tom Bauerle in the later slot. So, the 12-3 slot has two shows across it. We did see a very initial decrease within the first quarter of 2021, and then we saw a big spike in the beginning of the summer and then late summer a wobble, and then we came back strong in the fall. So, I am confident that the local content seems to be winning for us.
Brian Kilmeade is the co-host of FOX News Channel’s FOX & Friends and the host of The Brian Kilmeade Show (weekdays 9 am – 12 pm/ET) a nationally syndicated three-hour radio program on FOX News Audio.
How has Rush’s passing impacted the world of news/talk radio?
I think the first sentiment is sadness because he was bigger than life, the best talk host ever, and his humility and class even staring at death was all inspiring. In terms of what happened to radio, it was a mad scramble to fill the slot from 12–3 pm, uprooting many lineups, but the most part, it’s been Dan Bongino, Buck & Clay who are spoiling the bulk of the affiliates. For others like me, who do not have a major syndicated company leveraging Rush to carry their other talent, it has helped us gain affiliates.
Do you think people are less interested in the format since he passed?
I would not say less people care about the format since Rush passed; it is just that no one has the impact he had for conservatives. But like a sports team, when the star goes down, it gives someone else a chance to shine, and some are really taking advantage of it. Podcasts are increasing in popularity which leads me to believe we should be talking audio, not radio, because it’s not so wide a swath.
What do you think Rush would think of his replacements? (Clay, Buck, Bongino)
Rush was remarkably supportive, and think he would appreciate their unique voices and also appreciate the fact that they are not trying to be him. Rush approached every show like his first and last, and it came through every day. As great and rich as he was, he knew what it was like to struggle, so he never took a day for granted. I think he would appreciate the same with his replacements.
