Rush Limbaugh is ailing. And so is the conservative talk-radio industry.

[UTUSN]

22. Excellent/astute observation. My local talk station went all-wingnut tracking LIMBO's climb.

Before that, their line-up was genteel - doctors and psychologists, Dr Joy BROWNE, Dr Dean EDELL, Dr David VISCOTT who were educative, polite/mostly - with the local owners doing an hour of their wingnuttiness. When LIMBO burst on the scene, the local owners took 2-3 years to go Full-Wingnut, ditching ABC for Fox, and the whole line-up being O'REILLY, LIMBO, HANNITY, Laura SCHLESSINGER, etc.

And they stayed that way, to date. Five or more years ago the locals were bought out by a family owning 15 stations, with the m. o. being CASH, meaning they left this wingnut station alone with its wingnut format while DIVERSIFYING with the other of their stations all different formats (country, ethnic, sports, easy listening) - get it? They kept this wingnut niche amid all the other different niches to rake in diversified cash.