US talk radio host Rush Limbaugh signs $400m contract

Rush Limbaugh, the conservative political commentator, has signed a record-breaking $400 million (£200m) eight-year contract to continue to present his talk show on American radio. Limbaugh, 57, told the New York Times the new contract with Clear Channel Communications will pay him about $38 million a year. He said he would also receive a $100 million signing bonus. The 20-year-old Rush Limbaugh Show reaches an audience of up to 20 million listeners a week. It is syndicated on about 600 radio stations across America. The show airs on weekdays for three hours each day. His existing deal, which was worth $285 million over nine years, was due to expire next year. Credited with pioneering talk radio and almost single-handedly saving AM radio in the US, Limbaugh was hailed by Republicans for providing a media alternative to the... [read full story]