Cumulus, Limbaugh and Hannity to Part Ways

Reports are now emerging that Cumulus and broadcasters Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity will be parting ways. Media outlets have misreported the split as a slight to Limbaugh and Hannity. That simply isn’t the case.

The Cumulus split with Limbaugh and Hannity is due to the fact that Limbaugh and Hannity are syndicated by Premiere, a division of Clear Channel, Cumulus’ top rival. Clear Channel has its own stations in major cities across the country, and Cumulus will presumably make more money by syndicating its own programming; talks reportedly broke down over cost of distribution.

In May, the New York Daily News reported that Limbaugh was interested in leaving Cumulus after Cumulus executives criticized Limbaugh’s controversial comments about Sandra Fluke. Undoubtedly, Limbaugh and Hannity will remain the numbers one and two hosts in the country on a listenership basis by a wide margin, despite the station changes.