LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Premiere Networks, the number one audio network in the U.S., is proud to announce that today, August 1, marks the 25th anniversary of The Rush Limbaugh Show in national syndication. Heard on nearly 600 stations by nearly 20 million people each week, it is the highest-rated national radio talk show in America. Celebrating 25 years of Excellence in Broadcasting, Mr. Limbaugh has spent 788,918,000 seconds, 13,148,640 minutes, 219,144 hours, 9,131 days and 1,304 weeks serving as “America’s Anchorman.”
“The relationship we’ve established here – between the audience and myself – is everything,” stated Mr. Limbaugh. “It’s meant more to me than I’ll ever be able to fully describe. It's the best three hours of the day! We’re going to do this for a long time to come.”
Known as the media pundit who reshaped the political landscape with his entertaining and informative brand of conservatism, Mr. Limbaugh is widely credited by many industry experts with resuscitating AM radio. In 1988, Mr. Limbaugh and his partners founded EIB, the Excellence In Broadcasting network, and he launched his phenomenally successful radio broadcast into national syndication on August 1 of that year with 56 radio stations. Adding 100 affiliates in just a few months, Mr. Limbaugh set a rapid pace for growth and paved the way for the expansion of the Talk radio format. Here’s a snapshot of the Talk radio format 25 years ago: In 1987, the year before his emergence, there were approximately 150 traditional News/Talk radio stations in America. Today, there are more than 2,000 News/Talk/Information stations (Source: Arbitron “Radio Today” report, 2013).
Mr. Limbaugh also pioneered an entirely new model for Talk radio. Defying industry convention, he does not book guests on his program. Centered on the news of the day, he describes his unique approach as “a serious discussion of issues, combined with irreverent humor.” He has enjoyed uninterrupted status since the early 1990s as the leading Talk radio host in the U.S., and the program continues to expand its reach. In the past year alone, The Rush Limbaugh Show has experienced an 11% audience increase (Source: Arbitron, Nationwide, FA’11 to FA’12, Exact Times, AQH, P 12+). Mr. Limbaugh has also been recognized with Marconi Awards for “Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year” in 1992, 1995, 2000 and 2005 from the National Association of Broadcasters. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1993, the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Hall of Famous Missourians in 2012.
Today, Mr. Limbaugh is dedicated to revolutionizing how he connects with and engages his loyal audience beyond the airwaves. The Limbaugh Letter, a subscription-based monthly print companion to the radio broadcast, recently surpassed the 20-year milestone with the launch of a digital version of the publication, which is available via desktop and on mobile devices including Amazon Kindle and the iOS and Android operating systems for smartphones and tablets. The Limbaugh eLetter now offers subscribers additional audio and video content, exclusive interviews, as well as incisive analysis and hilarious comments on news and politics. In addition, RushLimbaugh.com, which includes the popular Rush 24/7 subscription service, recently launched mobile applications for iPhone and Android devices.
“Few broadcasters have achieved the same level of success as Rush Limbaugh, and to sustain it for 25 years while delivering positive results for our partners is truly remarkable,” stated Julie Talbott, President of Content and Affiliate Services for National Media Groups, Clear Channel Media and Entertainment. “We congratulate Rush on this tremendous milestone and we look forward to celebrating many more together.”
For more information, please visit www.RushLimbaugh.com.
About Rush Limbaugh
Born Rush Hudson Limbaugh III in Jan. 1951 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to a family with generations of attorneys, he chose to explore his passion for broadcasting at age 16 by working on-air as a disc jockey for a radio station in his hometown. After four years, he left for Pittsburgh to work at the former ABC owned and operated KQV. He later moved to Kansas City where he eventually tired of disc jockey life and left broadcasting for business. He joined the Kansas City Royals as director of group sales in Feb. 1979 and later served as director of sales and special events.
By 1983, Mr. Limbaugh got the broadcasting bug back and re-entered radio as a political commentator for KMBZ in Kansas City. A year later, he was the host of a daytime talk show on KFBK in Sacramento, Calif., where he nearly tripled the program’s ratings in four years. From there, he went to New York in 1988 where his record-breaking national show was born.
In addition to his radio program, broadcast weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. ET, Mr. Limbaugh hosts “The Rush Limbaugh Morning Update,” a 90-second commentary which debuted in March 1992 and airs Monday through Friday. “The Rush Limbaugh Show” and “The Rush Limbaugh Morning Update” are produced and distributed by Premiere Networks.
With his diverse media background, Mr. Limbaugh is also the author two best-selling books, The Way Things Ought to Be and See, I Told You So, which have sold more than 8.9 million copies. The sales of See, I Told You So set an American publishing record.
In June 2011, Mr. Limbaugh introduced America's largest radio audience to his new iced tea brand Two if By Tea™. A modern twist on the famous line "one if by land, and two if by sea" in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," the brand of tea was created by Mr. Limbaugh, his wife Kathryn, and a loyal core team. To date, Two If By Tea™ has donated more than $1,000,000 to charitable causes including The Marine Corps – Law Enforcement Foundation. Two If By Tea™ is available to consumers nationwide via www.TwoIfByTea.com, as well as in select stores.
About Premiere Networks
Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, syndicates 90 radio programs and services to more than 5,000 radio affiliations and reaches over 190 million listeners weekly. Premiere is the number one audio content provider in the country and features the following personalities: Rush Limbaugh, Ryan Seacrest, Glenn Beck, Bob & Tom, Delilah, Steve Harvey, George Noory, John Boy and Billy, Sean Hannity, Elvis Duran, Randi Rhodes, Nikki Sixx, Kane, Andy Dean, Mario Lopez, Bobby Bones and others. For more information, please visit http://www.premiereradio.com/ or www.facebook.com/PremiereRadio.
