Rush Limbaugh's sweet new $400M deal of the decade and his G550 jet

Unlike George W. Bush, who will leave the White House in January, Rush Limbaugh isn't going anywhere, no matter what the outcome of the 2008 presidential election.

According to the Drudge Report, the American broadcast industry has been "rocked, realigned and blasted into a new orbit" by the news that Limbaugh will keep his syndicated show "on-the-air and e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e through 2016 with Clear Channel and Premiere Radio."

Limbaugh, the Heartland Hero host of what Drudge calls "the most lucrative hours since radio's inception," has a total package of more $400 million, according to media insiders.

The New York Times flagged the news to Drudge that Limbaugh, marking 20 years this summer as a national host, has secured a nine-figure signing bonus for the new deal.

In a "controversial profile," the Gray Lady is reporting that Limbaugh is buying a new G550 jet and is making an estimated $38 million a year.

In an age when newspapers and traditional broadcast media revenues are plummeting, Limbaugh's loud mouth is spewing gold. Drudge says the New York Times will report that some insiders say that the big man's earnings are more than annual salaries for network news anchors Katie Couric, Brian Williams, Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer combined.

What do you think? Are you happy about Rush's new contract. Do you listen to him? Do you loathe him? Do you think he cares?

Photo: Rush Limbaugh at the premiere of HBO's "Bernard and  Doris" in New York earlier this year.
WireImage