Here Today... Gone To Hell!

LIMBAUGH SIGNS THROUGH 2016; $400 MILLION DEAL SHATTERS BROADCAST RECORDS

Wed Jul 02 2008 09:02:18 ET
**Exclusive**

The American broadcast industry is rocked, realigned and blasted into a new orbit, yet again, by Rush Limbaugh, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

In what is being described as an unprecedented radio contract, Limbaugh will keep his syndicated show on-the-air and e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e through 2016 with CLEAR CHANNEL and PREMIERE RADIO.

Already host of the most lucrative hours since radio's inception, Limbaugh's total package is valued north of $400 million, according to media insiders.

The NEW YORK TIMES will claim this weekend that Limbaugh, marking 20 years this summer as a national host, has secured a 9-figure signing bonus for the new deal, newsroom sources tell DRUDGE.

In its controversial profile, the TIMES reports that Limbaugh is buying a new G550 jet and is making an estimated $38 million a year.

While newspapers and traditional broadcast media are experiencing declining revenues, Limbaugh's golden microphone has turned diamond-laced:

Earnings now pace him ahead of the annual salaries for network news anchors: Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer ? combined!

The deal represents a stunning triumph over the establishment by an outsider who connected with and captured the spirit of the nation's heartland.

Developing...

Ahhh, Limbaugh, glad to see the hypocritical scumbag hit it big.  Good for him!

If you're forced to listen to conservative talk radio, Michael Medved's a much better listen.  He's 100 times smarter than Limbaugh and actually makes points without having to talk over or talk down to callers with differing opinions.  Plitt-mania, he might not be your style after all.   ;)

How can anyone be forced to listen to any radio station? Can you not turn the channel?

You'd be surprised what some people force themselves to listen to...trust me.  Drew, do you really think Limbaugh's a fair voice?  Seriously, the poor guy is not intellectually gifted...Medved is...even if he does look like Ned Flanders.  :hihi:

I don't think anyone has to force themselves to listen to him. I'm pretty sure it's the listenser's own personal decision.

who said anything about him being a fair voice? he is a CONSERVATIVE voice who was an outsider because the mainstream media was and still is liberal....that is why he is making more money than god right now....


on a side note...this is nothing new...he has been the highest paid guy in radio for years now....now its just an obscene amount of money....

(http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/USPics40/perot2.jpg)
Now that's just sad...

Good for him.  Maybe he can celebrate with some more illegally-acquired "hillbilly heroin."  Fuckin' hypocrite.

Really?  Nobody's "forced" to listen to him?  Really?   ::)  The point was, if all the choices you have on the radio are conservative talk shows, you can do better than ass-face Limbaugh.   :)

People still listen to the radio?

Yes! Really! No one is forced to listen to him at all. Roll your eyes all you want to but it's absolutely a ridiculous statement to make.

Let me rephrase my statement then.  If you choose to listen to conservative talk radio, folks can do much better than listening to this bloated hypocrite.  Fair enough?

Limbaugh has the best scam going this side of religion. A three times divorced (yet with no kids!?) junkie who got caught with someone else's viagra coming back from a sex tourism vacation and probably had a gay affair, is a hero to conservatives and gets paid megabucks to tell them what they want to hear despite not walking the talk himself. On top of that he gets most of them to vote against their economic interest but for his economic interest.

Grudging respect  : ok:

so you're basically calling him a genius.

i wouldn't give him that much credit.

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people."

H.L. Mencken

oh yes i forgot anyoe who does not share your views is obviously a moron....well we have millions of morons in this country i guess...

he is smart....3 marriages and no kids.....genius

what planet are you on...there are a TON of liberal talk radio shows that have come and gone over the past 10 years....the problem is they get NO ratings and usually wind up going bankrupt...but if you would like a liberal point of view listen to NPR or Rachel Maddows show on Air America...i think they still have a few stations in the country somewhere...i know we have one here

59 MILLION to be exact.

Perhaps they don't have a radio where you work, but if they did, then it couldn't be on everyone's favorite stations at the same time. 


 :rofl: @ "outsider"

That's like calling the Yankees baseball outsiders because they're loud, rich, and nobody fuckin' likes them.

Conservatives own (in that slang sense) political talk radio and have for years and years and years.  And they own (in the $$$ sense) the vast majority of the media. 

he was an outsider 20 YEARS ago when he started...he was the first....thus the term outsider....now there are tons of conservative talk show hosts who enjoy fame and fortune because of him...

probably more than that....dont forget people who didnt vote... : ok:

Rush Signs a Contract for America
July 2, 2008



BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH:  No, no, no, no, just call it a contract for America.  That's how it should be viewed and how it should be seen.  No, I'm not going to talk about it, Snerdley.  No.  Greetings, my friends, and welcome.  It's the EIB Network and El -- why not?  'Cause, I'm just not.  We got other things to do here.  I am -- you know what -- well -- no, they won't be mad if I don't.  Nobody talks about -- no -- anyway, greetings, and welcome back, ladies and gentlemen.  Rush Limbaugh from behind the Golden EIB -- would you people on the staff shut up.  I am trying to open the program.  It's Rush Limbaugh behind the Golden EIB Microphone at the Limbaugh Institute for Advanced Conservative Studies.  Telephone number if you want to be on the program today, 800-282-2882.  The e-mail address is ElRushbo@eibnet.com. 

I assume by now, ladies and gentlemen, you have heard about or seen the forthcoming edition of the New York Times Magazine this Sunday with an 8,000-word profile of me.  They've already posted it on their website, and we've linked to it at RushLimbaugh.com.  Dawn is reading it, frowning over her quotes.  I said, "Get used to it, Dawn."  Anyway, Zev Chafets was the writer, spent a lot of time down here this winter and spring, and it's a nice piece.  At any rate, folks, we have lots to do here, and it's the Fourth of July weekend coming up, and I must tell you that I will be out tomorrow and we'll have a best-of show. (interruption)  That's right, sign the contract for America and then take a day off.  I mean, you gotta establish these things. You have to establish the pattern so that people are not surprised and shocked by this. 

This morning on PMSNBC, the discussion on the Scarborough show with Mika Brzezinski, Pat Buchanan, and Tucker Carlson, there was a leak of the New York Times story last night on TIME magazine in which they quoted me saying a couple things, one about McCain and one about Obama.  And basically the thing I told the writer about McCain is, look, when your team isn't in the game, you pull for the team that you hate the least.  That's McCain.  About Obama, I said, "He's a liberal.  I oppose liberals.  That's all there is to it."  Those two things spawned a massive discussion on PMSNBC this morning.  Here's the first take.

CARLSON:  It turns out that he despises everyone, but McCain less.  You know, I think there are probably a lot of conservatives who feel that way.  It's another indicator of where we are.  Take three steps back.  Here's the terrain.

BRZEZINSKI:  Here's what he said, Tucker --

CARLSON:  Yep.

BRZEZINSKI:  -- and this is in the New York Times Magazine coming out this weekend, if I could get it right.  "Rush is Just Getting Warmed Up," is what it's called.  "If your team isn't in it, you root for the team you hate less, and that's McCain."  Well, here's what he said about Obama.  "He's a liberal, I oppose liberals, and that's all that's involved here."  Okay.  Well, I --

CARLSON:  There's a man who knows what he thinks.  Not a lot of nuance there, but I know he speaks for a lot of conservatives in saying that.  But, look, the truth is, Obama really needs to foul this up in order to lose, partly because he's a very talented guy, but partly because it's just a Democratic year.  Bush is super unpopular; the Republican Party is in shambles.

RUSH:  Nuance?  They were stunned that there was no nuance?  I don't do nuance.  People ask me what I think, and I tell them.  As for Obama really needing to foul this up in order to lose, he's entirely capable of that, as we have discussed over the course of many, many previous days of broadcast excellence.  Here's the second tape, and this time Buchanan and Mike Barnicle get involved.

BRZEZINSKI:  Well, in terms of Rush Limbaugh, Pat, he could be a factor.  He takes credit with this Operation Chaos --

BUCHANAN:  Right.

BRZEZINSKI:  -- for bringing down Hillary or whatever.

BUCHANAN:  He was helping Hillary. She was doing pretty well in West Virginia and Kentucky.

BARNICLE:  Yeah, your gal.

BRZEZINSKI:  Look at that cover.

RUSH:  They just don't know what to think of this.  What's so tough to understand about what I said?  And what is so controversial about it?  What's controversial about it is that I said it.  What do you think the controversy is?  Bringing down Hillary?  They don't know the story.  We sustained Hillary.  Operation Chaos kept Hillary in the game.  At any rate, let's take a look at the Drive-By headlines today just to see where we're headed into the weekend: "Fewer Companies Plan to Hire and Give Raises in the Next Three Months," that's USA Today.  "Stocks Off 2.1 Trillion This Year," USA Today.  "For Many, Golden Years Mean Less Travel and More Work," USA Today.  "Chrysler Closing Mini-van Plant," USA Today.  "Are Big Bets by Speculators Driving Up Oil?  Experts Disagree," USA Today.  "June Car Sales Plummet, More Declines Expected," AP.  "Starbucks to Close 600 US Stores, Rein in Growth," AP.  "Wall Street Zigzags on First Day of Third Quarter," AP.  "Blockbuster Withdraws Plan to Acquire Circuit City," AP.  "Manufacturers Struggle to Overcome Rising Prices," AP. 

Is there any good news out there?  You think you could find any good news in the Drive-By Media? (interruption) Well, no, my new deal is not in the news roster.  The Drive-Bys are ignoring it.  The TV people are all calling their agents, frantically.  There's no good news.  Here's AP making up news as they go along.  The TV people are calling their agents, frantically, exactly right.  Snerdley is getting a big kick out of that.  AP making up news as they go along.  (interruption) You people in there are making me feel real guilty trying to do the program.  I'm trying to execute broadcast excellence. I'm trying to meet and surpass the audience expectations. I am taking tomorrow off.  I just announced that I'm taking tomorrow off, but it had been long planned.  I told the audience last week.  Have you forgotten?  You guys get a day off tomorrow, you don't even know.  You've forgotten.  I told the audience rather than take two weeks of vacation in summertime when things are too hot and heavy and they're percolating and too many summer spectaculars here required, take a couple days here and there.  I'm doing this for the audience, not for me. 

No

How is that smart? Divorces cost more than kids do.

"Marriage is about raising children. That's the purpose of the institution."

I think Stern still makes more....

Rush's PR folks would quibble that Stern isn't on "real radio", because he's on Sirius....but still.

nope, Stern makes half that...which is amazing because he  has way less than half the audience Limbaugh does...I believe Sterns deal was a 10 year worth about 200 million or so....Rush's is an 8 year worth 400 million

not if you had a pre-nup...which im sure he must have had...and divorces may cost more than kids(without a prenup) but its a one time payout, whereas a kid is at least an 18 year headache....like a really long car payment, but way more expensive....money is of no object to Rush so hed probably prefer the pay out

Now it's obvious why you are so against abortion, Mr Family Values.....or not.

They both make way too much, given the quality of their programs.

That's a lot of smack.

who said anything about being against birth control though?

How many times can you be sooo fucking wrong!? 

Stern signed a $500 million deal in 2004 that will end in 2009.  That's 5 years, $500 million total. (source:  today's NY Post)  Rush makes half the clams Howie pulls in, and deserves less.  ;)

If only there was someone in the media who could voice an opposing viewpoint...

CNN
MSNBC
NPR
NY Times
Air America.......



If only there was one.

was it 500 million?  i know that that total was to also pay for his show...Robin, and the rest of his crew.....Limbaughs 400 million is right to his pocket....and why would Rush deserve less? Sterns audience is a tiny fraction of what Rush's is...

They both deserve less.  I can't believe people listen to either of them.  When was the last time Howard Stern was "shocking"?  Why pay $400 million to have some blowhard echo chamber your beliefs (or, more likely, tell you what they are)?

Wastes of money. 

it's difficult to compare Rush's deal with Stern's. Stern's contract includes the production costs and salaries associated with running his show. Rush's does not. he keeps the full $400M.

are they worth it? well, it's simple business...

Stern clearly isn't worth it and as a result will be taking a paycut in 2010. Rush apparently IS worth it. I haven't analyzed Clear Channel's financials, but they have made huge profits from Rush in recent years and are projecting huge benefits from him in the future as well.   

When I worked construction, my boss listened to him.. Thus I was forced... There ya go

I heard on the radio that he now has access to his own private Gulfstream G550!!! Whoooaaaa baby!!! What a smooth ride!!!  :yes: : ok:

I officially dub it "Douchebag One".

I detect a bit of jealousy.  :rofl:

You've got to be kidding.

^^^Well I am jealous. I'd love to have a nice contract like his and sweet jet to go with it.

I'd feel saddened with the state of society more than anything, when $400 million goes to Rush Limbaugh instead of charity, health care, education, road repairs, infrastructure, etc.

I'm sure he'll donate a good bit to charity as he always does.

Although I'm not a big fan of Rush, I do believe he created the EIB network (which is Private), it's studios and the employees who work there get paid from EIB, so in essence he does pay for staffing etc...Is it too much to be paid?  Yeah to me... but I guess if he earned it, he will be taxed on it as well.  If I made that much I'd be happy with it so fuck it let him live it up.  It doesn't bother me who makes what, unless their interested in what I make and pay in taxes.  I've have no jealousy in what people earn because it doesn't matter to me.  As a matter of fact I'm happy for anyone who does well for themselves in a "honest" fashion.  Your meaning of honest and mine may differ but whatever.  I know plumbers and fence company installers who are very wealthy too...Who cares?

Good Lord I'm going to put the hat back on.......

Nope.

5 year, 100  million per year.

Now, the 100 million ALSO includes some production costs, and other funding for other positions.  I think, ultimately, it's working out to about 75 to 80 million per year for him.

But most of it goes to Stern.  At least that's the report.

NOT the whole show.

Robin, Artie, Gary, Fred, etc are all Sirius employees....they have their own deals....Howard's deal does NOT cover their $$$.

What the money DOES cover is people like Howard Assistant Laura, Ronnie the Limo Driver, Ralph....people who work DIRECTLY for Howard.

It also covers SOME of the production costs, outside the "day to day operations", but not much of it.

From the reports I've seen, he's pocketing around 75 to 80 million of the 100 million.  More than Rush.

I can't speak for Rush....

but for Sirrius, Stern was worth every penny.  You can debate quality til the cows come home.  You can't really debate what Stern has done for Sirius' subscription numbers, and their revenue generation.  I think he's MORE than paid for himself.....

The merger with XM, with Sirius being the "lead dog" (if you'll excuse the pun) is largely due to Stern.  He not only brought in a TON of subs, himself, he indirectly kept Sirius in the news, which helped raise their Q rating substantially, and made them a much more attractive choice for consumers.

Again, SOME costs associated with running his show...not all of them.

Is Stern taking a paycut in 2010?  News to me! I didn't realilze he'd signed a new deal......The last thing I read on the subject was on July 1, and he hadn't signed (or has even talked about signing) anything.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/26/technology/moritz_sirius.fortune/index.htm

Financial speculation is he MIGHT take a paycut.

Stern keeps saying he's gonna retire, so.....

In fairness, hasnt he been saying that since 1992 or so?

Yup.

And I guess he was pretty much ready to do that when his terrestrial deal ended....because of the censorship and the way the company had treated him.  Then the sat companies came in and offered him creative freedom (within reason) and a much more uncensored platform....along with a buttload of money and "rockstar" treatment.  Sirius, apparently, offered a "better deal" while XM's board was futzing around on approval of their preliminary offer to Stern.  But since his deal started, and to this day, he's said he's done at the end of the 5 years.   Whether he's serious or not?  Who knows.....

Karmazin has said, in the past, he'd sign Howard, tomorrow, to another 5 years....same terms as this deal....if Howard would sign the contract...but Howard has refused.

Really, though, the point is that I'm not sure I'd take financiers speculating that Stern is going to take a pay cut any more seriously than I would Stern saying he's going to retire at the end of his deal.   I think to convince Stern to NOT retire would pretty much necessitate they DON'T cut his pay.

This thread has acquired an odd kind of 'my dad can kick your dad's ass' vibe to it.

how about we address the fact that as much as alot of you think everyone in America agrees with your way of thinking...that might not be the case considering Rush Limbaugh is being paid a fortune to speak out against what you most of you believe AND he has a huge national audience to justify every penny....

How about we address the fact that you totally make stuff up to suit your point du jour. (<- French not Spanish) Also, whatever his audience is, it's far, far from being a majority of US voters.

Here's an interesting poll from last year. Rush totally wins the unfavourable category

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/general_current_events/media/politicians_earn_higher_favorable_ratings_than_journalists

Really? Well I thnk 59 million people who voted in 2004 might disagree with you...AND what did I make up?

He's being paid a fortune because the NeoCons know that the next president is going to be Obama.

I always wondered on Terrestrial radio how they determine ratings etc..........


I remember watching Rush Limbaugh on TV when i was a teenager................ Weird shit

My penis is larger than yours.

well my penis................. :nervous:


Anyway, how bout that Rush Limbaugh! :hihi:

LULZ d00d!

UHhh, about Rush Limbaugh...I don't care how much he gets paid or anything like that, but what he did to my man Michael J. Fox was sooooo low.  I hate him for that.

Yeah I dont see how anyone listens to Rush


I liked O Reilly for about a year and he got on my nerves.............

Talk radio is a waste of time anyway.

See, for me...it's the only radio I listen to.

Because....I mean....what's the point of listening to MUSIC on the radio.  Quality is crap, 1/2 the playlist is crap, on terrestrial radio, the annoying amount of commercials are crap.

I occasionally venture into the music channels on Sirius, but not too often.  If I want music, I either use my Car CD Changer, or I plug in my MP3 player and let it run through my play lists. 

The only reason I listen to the radio is for the talk...it's content I can't generate myself.  CNN, ESPN Radio, Stern, and a bunch of other primarly talk radio stations.....that's primarily what's in my preprogrammed "bands".  I think I have ONE music "band" of the possible 3.

Why listen to radio at all.

Dumbed down sensationalism.

There are exceptions, but a man needs principles.

Eh hem...

And what about in 2006?  For the mid-terms?

And do you really think every one of those 59 million voters listens to Rush?

C'mon now.....

Because when you've got a 2.5 hour round trip commute to work just about ever day, pretty much everyone would get bored of music, eventually. :)

And as long as you REALIZE it's dumbed down sensationalism and entertainment......eh, I don't see any big deal.

MOSTLY I listen to ESPN Radio, with some CNN thrown in here and there.  Occasionally I flip on Stern in the AM if I need some comic relief with my coffee.  I flip through some of the other talk in the afternoon (even The Patriot Channel...the right wing talk channel), and sometimes settle on...I can't remember what the station si called....the station that plays all the old classic radio plays.    That will usually keep me entertained for awhile.

:)

Fair enough.

Rush was being paid a fortune way before anyone knew who B.O. was.

I have a problem with listening to other peoples' agendas, especially when they are being paid millions to influence others.

I would probably get worked up about something and have a fit of road rage, and we don't want that!

The sports guys are the worst.  They don't know what they're talking about!  >:(

I have no problem listening to other people's agendas...as long as I'm aware that's what I'm listening to, and place everything they say in that context.  I mean...they're all talking heads making a buck.  And everything has to be the immediate latest, greatest, and most urgent thing on the planet when they're talking about it......that's the evolution of our 24 hour news cycle driven media.

And I don't "do" road rage....

I guess I have alternate coping methods.  :hihi:

Seriously, though, I don't get mad....I do sometimes "talk back", which probably means I'm a closet (or not so closet) nut job.

But usually, when they say something unusually stupid or inane (which is at least daily), I laugh my ass off.  It's unintentional comedy at it's finest.  It's GREAT entertainment...and maybe that's the difference.  I view the talking heads as just that: entertainment.  The subjects might sometimes be serious, the discussion sometimes interesting....but the talkers are just entertainers.

Prime example on the sports front was the short lived (and relatively recently cancelled..no matter WHAT Stephen A wants to spin it as.) Stephen A. Smith show on ESPN radio in the afternoons.  They guy was a quack.  He was energetic and entertaining...but he was a quack.  And man, you wanna talk flip floppers?  This guy would have gotten torn apart in our politics threads if he was a politician.    The guy had me in stitches, repeatedly.  Not because he was trying to be funny...but because he would completely contradict something he'd said the previous day...or even the previous segment...on his show.  He could interview (re: kiss ass) with the best of them, but the minute he was on his own to generate "content" for the show......I'm not sure I've ever witnessed anything so unintentionally funny in talk radio, EVER...not just SPORTS talk radio (which has more than it's fair share of "unintentionally funny"), but in ALL of talk radio.  Maybe some Dr. Laura moments would be close.....

Besides, as I said, when you're captive in your car for 2.5 hours a day....you gotta do something.  I can only do so much music.  I think it might be a bad idea to whip out a Nintendo DS, or put a movie on a portable DVD player.  I've tried books on tape but, honestly...I prefer just to read them (even the unabridged stuff).  Which doesn't leave much for options, ya know?  At least talk radio changes every day...more or less.  :)

Oh God, SAS...I've been watching him since he was on FSN's Best Damn Sports Show.

It's people like him that turn me off to talk radio.

Maybe when I get older, I'll understand the "entertainment" value of talk radio.  :)

But as of now, I'm young and I have a relatively short fuse!   :hihi: