The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Other namesClay Travis and Buck Sexton on the EIB Network
"Inspired by Rush" (No longer used)
Clay and Buck
GenreConservative talk
Running timeWeekdays: 3 hours (ET) (12:00 pm – 3:00 pm)
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English
Home stationWLAC (Nashville) and WOR (New York City)
SyndicatesPremiere Networks
Hosted byClay Travis
Buck Sexton
Recording studioNashville, Tennessee and New York City
Original releaseJune 21, 2021
Opening theme"My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit (2022–present)
"My City Was Gone" by the Pretenders (2021–2022)
Websiteclayandbuck.com

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show is an American radio program hosted by former Fox Sports Radio personality Clay Travis and former America Now/The Buck Sexton Show host Buck Sexton. It is broadcast on over 400 talk radio stations nationwide through syndication by Premiere Networks, and is considered the direct successor of The Rush Limbaugh Show.[1][2][3][4]

History

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The Rush Limbaugh Show had originally aired nationwide beginning in 1988, first in syndication, then on network radio beginning in 1997 when his syndicator was absorbed into Premiere Networks. Eponymous host Rush Limbaugh died on February 17, 2021, following a one-year bout with advanced lung cancer, hosting his show sporadically in his last year of life (his last broadcast was February 2). At the time of his death, he had three remaining years left on a contract he had signed shortly before his diagnosis.[5]

As transitional programming after Limbaugh's death, The Rush Limbaugh Show aired curated compilations of segments from past episodes, presented by guest hosts.[6] On May 27, 2021, Premiere Networks announced that its evening host Buck Sexton and Fox Sports Radio personality Clay Travis would take over Limbaugh's time slot as The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show beginning June 21, 2021.[7][8]

Along with Limbaugh's longtime time slot, Sexton and Travis also inherited his "EIB" (Excellence in Broadcasting) brand and "Rush 24/7" subscriber base, which was rebranded as "EIB 24/7" and includes the archives to both shows, as well as the show's video simulcast live or archived. To further reinforce the connection to Limbaugh, Travis and Sexton also promote their show as being "Inspired by Rush", and use clips from Limbaugh (in segments billed as "Rush's Timeless Wisdom") to emphasize points made on the show. Limbaugh's opening music "My City Was Gone" by The Pretenders was used as the opening music on Clay & Buck, until May 23, 2022 when it was replaced with "My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit.[9] James "Bo Snerdly" Golden, who was Limbaugh's call screener and producer, also makes frequent appearances. In 2022, the use of the "EIB Network" moniker was retired, and EIB 24/7 was changed to C&B 24/7.

Distribution

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The show airs on over 400 stations - most of which being owned by Premiere's parent company iHeartMedia, including WLAC in Nashville and WOR in New York City, locations where Travis and Sexton are based.[10][11] However, Clay & Buck was not universally picked up to fill Limbaugh's slot throughout his affiliate base. Other stations (mostly non-iHeart) shifted to other programs such as Westwood One/Cumulus Media's Dan Bongino,[12] Radio America and Audacy's Dana Loesch, Salem Radio Network hosts Dennis Prager or Charlie Kirk, Compass Media Networks' Markley, Van Camp and Robbins, and Fox News Talk's Fox Across America. Other stations chose to take back local control of the three hours in full or in part for locally-originated shows or noontime newscasts.[13]

Talkers, a trade publication that periodically issues an estimate of talk radio audiences, estimated that Travis and Sexton's show was, by a small margin, the most-listened-to of the numerous efforts to replace Limbaugh. As of May 2024, it estimated the show's listenership is 9.75 million compared to Bongino's 8.5 million and Loesch's 8 million, with the other shows showing no substantial changes from before Limbaugh's death. This number reflects a substantial decline of several million listeners from what Limbaugh had drawn most of his run.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "'The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show' Launches Monday On More Than 400 Stations". InsideRadio.com. June 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Fox News Regulars Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Tapped as Rush Limbaugh Replacements". The Hollywood Reporter. June 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Graham, Jennifer (June 25, 2021). "Clay and Buck took over for Rush Limbaugh this week. Here's how it went". Deseret News. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  4. ^ Haneline, Amy (May 27, 2021). "Clay Travis and Buck Sexton to fill Rush Limbaugh's radio slot". USA Today.
  5. ^ Stelter, Brian (January 5, 2020). "Rush Limbaugh renews radio show contract in a 'long-term' deal". CNN. Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  6. ^ "Premiere sets short-term plans for Rush Limbaugh timeslot". RadioInsight. February 17, 2021. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  7. ^ Steele, Anne (May 27, 2021). "Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show to Be Taken Over by Clay Travis and Buck Sexton". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Venta, Lance (June 10, 2021). "Jesse Kelly Show To Join Premiere Networks To Fill Buck Sexton's Slot". RadioInsight. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  9. ^ Sexton, Buck (host); Travis, Clay (host) (May 19, 2022). New Theme Debuts as We Lovingly Retire Rush's My City Was Gone. The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (Radio broadcast).
  10. ^ Robinson, Carole (August 25, 2021). "How local radio host Clay Travis went from sports talk to political talk". Williamson Herald. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  11. ^ ""The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show" Launches on More Than 400 Stations Nationwide". Premiere Networks. June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 11, 2024.
  12. ^ Venta, Lance (March 17, 2021). "Cumulus/Westwood One To Move Dan Bongino Into Rush Limbaugh Timeslot". Radio Insight. Archived from the original on March 17, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  13. ^ "Number of Rush Limbaugh affiliates decide on replacement shows". RadioInsight. June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  14. ^ "Top Talk Audiences". Talkers. May 2024. Archived from the original on June 24, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
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