Conservative talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh’s replacements have finally been announced, and are being dubbed, “an evolution of the show with fresh voices.”
Clay Travis, a 42-year-old sports commentator and analyst with Fox Sports, and Buck Sexton, a 39-year-old political commentator and former CIA officer, will come together to host “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show” from noon to 3 p.m. EST on weekdays, distributor Premiere Networks confirmed Thursday.
“We’re not going to replace Rush Limbaugh, we’re going to have an evolution of the show with fresh voices — those that grew up on Rush and admired him,” Premiere Networks president Julie Talbott said in a statement.
News of the new program, which will begin airing June 21, was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Speaking about the program, and the big shoes Limbaugh left to fill, Travis and Sexton both said in statements that they would usher in the next generation of talk radio.
“Rush’s connection with his audience is one of the primary legacies of his show,” Travis said. “I also think Buck and I have the unique ability to offer a perspective that many people in their 20s and 30s are desperate to hear.”
“The most dominant talk radio hosts have been from one generation; Clay and I represent the next phase. We’re going to bring the perspective of two guys who see a country they’re deeply worried about, and a massive audience that needs people who will speak for them,” Sexton added.
Limbaugh passed at age 70 from lung cancer in February, was still being listened to on a daily basis by his listeners after his passing.
Over his decades on the airwaves, Limbaugh galvanized listeners with his blunt assessments of the social and political landscape and his penchant for sarcasm.
His work influenced the likes of Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Bill O’Reilly and countless other conservative commentators.
After his passing, Premiere, which is owned by iHeartMedia Inc., had continued airing archived segments of Limbaugh’s program.
Guest hosts have been used by the network to fill in between clips, usually chosen based on relevance to the day’s news.
The program was attracting between 75 to 80 percent of its regular audience, The Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the matter.
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