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Rush Limbaugh Renews Contract w/Premiere and CC Radio

Hyper-conservative Rush Limbaugh - heard weekly by nearly 20 million listeners on about 600 radio stations nationwide - renewed his contract with Premiere Radio Networks and Clear Channel Radio, continuing syndication of The Rush Limbaugh Show.

The deal also includes continued syndication of The Rush Limbaugh Morning Update, a 90-second commentary that airs Monday through Friday. Furthermore, Premiere Radio, in partnership with Limbaugh, will continue to oversee The Limbaugh Letter, a monthly newsletter with a subscriber base in the hundreds of thousands, as well as RushLimbaugh.com, a popular broadcast media website which incorporates subscription service Rush247.com.

The Wall Street Journal pegs the contract at $400 million for eight years. The show is the highest rated radio talk show in the country, followed by Sean Hannity’s show, distributed by ABC Radio Networks. Premiere is in talks with Hannity in the hopes of wooing him away for a sum in the $200 million range over eight years, said a person familiar with the situation.

Advertiser and affiliate demand is at an all-time high for the show, according to a release. President of Premiere Radio Networks Charlie Rahilly stated, “The Rush Limbaugh Show enjoys an unprecedented platform of radio affiliates. Plus, advertisers harness the intensity of listener engagement – no one’s ‘word of mouth’ about a product or service delivers more impact than Mr. Limbaugh’s. The Premiere team is proud to partner with Mr. Limbaugh deep into the next decade.”

“This is exactly where I want to be, doing what I was born to do, with an amazing audience and phenomenal support from affiliate stations and sponsors. I’m having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have. There’s a relationship between the audience and the host here that is second to none,” Limbaugh says.

This August marks the 20th anniversary of The Rush Limbaugh Show.