Rightwing radio talker Rush Limbaugh has signed a $38m (£19m) a year contract to continue with his vitriolic brand of conservative politics, making him one of the highest-paid media figures in the US.
The contract - said to run for eight years -with Premiere Radio Networks and Clear Channel Radio ensures Limbaugh will remain a force in US politics for years to come. The figure was reported yesterday on the New York Times website.
Limbaugh is one of the most popular radio talk show hosts in the country: an estimated 20 million listeners tune in to roughly 600 stations nationwide to hear him mock liberal politicians and denounce political correctness and feminism.
A scourge to Democrats, he has a following among conservative Americans and has also acquired a measure of political power himself. During this year's Democratic primary campaign he urged Republicans to switch party affiliation and support Hillary Clinton as a way of sabotaging frontrunner Barack Obama's nomination bid, then took credit for the drawn-out battle.
As a nominally independent radio voice, Limbaugh is said to play a vital role in US politics because he can attack Democrats in ways mainstream Republicans are afraid to.
Recently he said of the Democratic nominee: "We know damn well it's Obama who would seek to appease our enemies. We know damn well it's McCain who won't put up with another attack."
