Ah...that sweet, sweet hand of the free market is coming down on those kings of hate radio: Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.
In a major shakeup for the radio industry, Cumulus Media, the second-biggest broadcaster in the country, is planning to drop both Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity from its stations at the end of the year, an industry source told POLITICO on Sunday.
Cumulus has decided that it will not renew its contracts with either host, the source said, a move that would remove the two most highly-rated conservative talk personalities from more than 40 Cumulus channels in major markets.
The decision comes after negotiations between Cumulus and Premiere Networks, the division of Clear Channel that distributes Limbaugh and Hannity's shows, broke down due to disagreements over the cost of the distribution rights, the source said. Cumulus is known to drive a hard bargain on costs, and Clear Channel is known to seek top dollar for big names.
Perhaps seeing the writing on the wall with the dozens of sponsors who have dropped their advertising, Limbaugh made a big show of saying that he was considering ending his affiliation with Cumulus last year.
