Even tho other Cumulus "... existing talent -- which includes Mike Huckabee, Mark Levin, and Michael Savage --" is offensive, I sooooooooooooo hope Limbaugh and Hannity are cut loose ~ Sooz

Limbaugh, Hannity appear poised to lose a whole lot of listeners
By Steve Benen - Mon Jul 29, 2013 9:12 AM EDT

Given the role of conservative talk radio in rallying the Republican base and disseminating the party's message of the day, it's imperative for the right that its leading voices reach as large an audience as possible. With this in mind, Politico's Dylan Byers reported on a significant media shake-up overnight.


I'd recommend at least some caution here. For one thing, it looks as if the Politico is largely based on one source, and while I'm sure he or she is reliable enough for Byers to run with this, we don't know his or her full motivations. This may well be part of a negotiating tactic as talks continue.

That said, the same report added some strong supporting details: "[I]n recent weeks, Cumulus has been quietly reaching out to radio talent agents and political insiders about new local and regional station hosts to fill some of the airtime that will be left vacant by Limbaugh and Hannity, industry sources said. Cumulus is also expected to move some of its existing talent -- which includes Mike Huckabee, Mark Levin, and Michael Savage -- into one of the slots."

If the report proves accurate, it would have a real impact -- as Judd Legum noted, Cumulus Media is the second-biggest operator of radio stations in the nation, and if Limbaugh and Hannity are dropped from its stations, the Republican hosts will find it that much more difficult to find advertisers eager to support hosts whose audience is shrinking and who won't be aired in some of the country's largest media markets.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/07/29/19753725-limbaugh-hannity-appear-poised-to-lose-a-whole-lot-of-listeners?lite

Oh great. It's fine to get rid of Limbaugh and Hannity, but lets not have the airwaves fuller of Savage (an evil and crazy man) and Levin. Can't this radio empire company sell anything but propaganda? It's discouraging that there are enough fools to make up an audience for it.

I actually object to the term talent in describing Huckabee, Levin and Savage.

their numbers have been plummeting for something like 3 years.

Strike 2!!! ~ ~ "they say" that bad news comes in 3s ~ so who or what is next? ~ Sooz

Fox News Kicking Sean Hannity Out Of Time Slot In Favor Of Megyn Kelly
Author: Stephen D. Foster Jr. - August 9, 2013 1:14 am

Last month, it was revealed that Cumulus Media had declined to renew the contracts of right-wing radio personalities Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh. The second largest radio distributor refused to pay the high price demanded by Clear Channel for the distribution rights. As a result, the radio shows hosted by Hannity and Limbaugh will no longer being broadcast on the 40 nationwide channels that Cumulus owns. Fast forward to today and there is more bad news for Sean Hannity.

In a move that every sane person in America would like to believe means Fox News is moving away from the crazy and extreme, the conservative media television channel is reportedly yanking Hannity out of his 9pm time slot and is giving it to Megyn Kelly when she returns to work after her maternity leave.

Fox had announced earlier that Kelly was being moved to primetime, but where she would end up was a mystery until right-wing website The Drudge Report made the announcement citing “top sources” on Thursday. The change is a major demotion for Hannity, who has held the slot for a decade. So why would Fox make this move after so long? Perhaps it is because Hannity has struggled to maintain much of the audience who tunes into Bill O’ Reilly’s show. In February, it was revealed that Hannity’s program suffered a 35% ratings decline. Either viewers are just not that into Hannity or it’s their bedtime. One way or another, it’s clear that Fox News has chosen to bring a fresh and more popular face to their primetime fare in order to keep viewers glued to their television sets.

Kelly, to her credit, is far less crazy and paranoid than Sean Hannity is, and she is perhaps one of the few anchors who have at least some journalistic standards at Fox. In June, she took Fox contributor Erick Erickson and Fox host Lou Dobbs to the woodshed for sexist claims made by the pair that science supports men being the primary breadwinners in their households. And during the 2012 Election, Kelly called out Karl Rove and his faulty math regarding who Ohio would vote for on Election Day. It was a move that took real guts. While we may not always agree with Megyn Kelly (after all, she’s still on Fox) we can all agree that she is much more preferable than Sean Hannity.

But what about Hannity? Where does he end up now? He still has a long term contract with Fox News so it’s a sure bet that his show will still be on the network at some point during the day, it just won’t be during primetime, which is a good thing if we really want Fox News viewers to be less crazy and less driven by ridiculous conspiracy theories.

Still, Hannity is taking yet another major hit. First it was his radio show, now it’s his television show. He is losing his audience, his influence, and his power. Perhaps one day soon, the airwaves will be Hannity-free. It’s just a matter of time. In the meantime, the network’s primetime lineup just got a whole lot less hateful.

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/08/09/fox-news-kicking-sean-hannity-out-of-time-slot-in-favor-of-megyn-kelly/

This would have no effect on their radio reach. If Cumulus Media decides to drop Limbaugh and Hannity, then Clear Channel (which distributes the shows) would simply license the shows to other stations in those same markets.

That's true in theory, SciFi ~ but as to Limbaugh, he has proven himself toxic and most of his big advertisers have dropped him after very successful consumer boycotts ~ their problem [and bottom lines] will not follow him to a new broadcaster ~

Sooz

I'm reading the old saying about "thou dost protest too much" between the lines here ~ what reprehensible robots! ~ Sooz

TPMLIVEWIRE
Conservative Group: Replacing Hannity With Kelly A ‘Pro-Homosexual’ Move
Tom Kludt - 9:18 AM EDT, Thursday August 15, 2013

Amid speculation that Megyn Kelly will be taking over conservative pundit Sean Hannity's time slot on Fox News Channel, a conservative group has decried the potential move as further evidence of the network's "pro-homosexual" agenda and "left-ward drift."

A report last week from Matt Drudge indicated that Kelly, already slated to move from daytime to primetime, will take over Hannity's 9 p.m. ET slot. Fox News neither confirmed nor denied the move, while Hannity insisted on his radio show that he's "very happy" with the plans. No other media outlet has confirmed Drudge's report.

But America's Survival, Inc. (ASI), which bills itself as a "public policy organization," said that replacing Hannity with Kelly would be a jump-the-shark moment for the conservative cable news channel.

"Pushing Sean Hannity out of the 9:00 p.m. slot, to make way for pro-homosexual advocate Megyn Kelly, is another sign of the channel's left-ward drift and decline," ASI President Cliff Kincaid said in a press release, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

ASI will detail a study its conducted on Fox's allegedly gay-friendly drift on Aug. 20 at a National Press Club event in Washington, D.C.

The study cites remarks made by Kelly during 2012 interview with a "conservative evangelical pastor" as evidence that the anchor's pro-LGBT leanings.

In the interview, Kelly alluded to America's "long history of discrimination against certain groups" and ultimately wondered what made "gay marriage any different" from previous civil rights struggles.

ASI's report can be viewed here.

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/conservative-group-replacing-hannity-with-kelly-pro-homosexual?ref=fpb