Limbaugh Threatens to Bolt Network Over Ad Slump

Was the advertiser boycott over Rush Limbaugh's "slut" comment last year behind a slump in ad sales at the broadcaster that carries his show? The host is so outraged by the mere suggestion that he's threatening to leave flagship station WABC and its parent company Cumulus Media, sources tell Politico. If Limbaugh does leave Cumulus, 40 stations in 36 markets would lose the rights to his show, creating a huge talk-radio shakeup as he seeks replacements.

In an earnings call this March, Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey said the company was still losing money because of Limbaugh's comments. "There has been residual hangover ... in terms of advertisers sitting out," he said. "That’s something that we are dealing with on an ongoing basis." A source close to the Rush Limbaugh Program, however, says Dickey is trying to blame Limbaugh for his own revenue problems. "It’s not a single show issue ... it’s a failure of the entire station," the source says. "And trying to blame Rush for that is not much of a business partnership." (More Rush Limbaugh stories.)