Clear Channel Shifting Limbaugh in Major Markets

On Thursday, Clear Channel started announcing major lineup shifts in three of its biggest markets. In Los Angeles, Limbaugh will be moving from the top talk station in the market, KFI, to its sister station, KTLK, which will be flipped from a liberal talk station to a primarily conservative talker anchored by Limbaugh. Breitbart News has learned that Clear Channel will soon be announcing a similar change in San Francisco, as well as confirming the long expected move in New York from Cumulus-owned WABC to WOR, which was purchased by Clear Channel last year. 

These moves are not unexpected from Clear Channel, which has repeatedly used Limbaugh’s monster program to tentpole relaunches of particular underdeveloped stations. Over the past several years, Clear Channel has moved Limbaugh from higher-rated stations to lower-rated stations in an attempt to give those stations a shot in the arm – and those moves have been highly successful in markets including Houston, New Orleans, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Boston, Portland, Raleigh, Greensboro, Fresno, and others.

“Rush Limbaugh has built the ratings and revenue of hundreds of America’s most successful radio stations, and is looking forward to doing the same at these new Clear Channel homes,” said Brian Glicklich, a spokesman for Limbaugh.

Clear Channel’s signing of mega-talker Sean Hannity will give these new stations a massive boost in the arm as well,  setting up leap-ahead ratings potential for the underdeveloped signals by placing Limbaugh and Hannity back-to-back.

Ben Shapiro is Editor-At-Large of Breitbart News and author of the New York Times bestseller “Bullies: How the Left’s Culture of Fear and Intimidation Silences America” (Threshold Editions, January 8, 2013). He is also Editor-in-Chief of TruthRevolt.org. Follow Ben Shapiro on Twitter @benshapiro.