The race to find Rush Limbaugh's replacement(s) has been ongoing for most of the year. But in the last several days, the options have materialized, the speculation is over, and there is one thing I guarantee: this is a win for the format.

At first glance, that might seem insane. How can losing the best to ever do it be good for the format?

That's because I'm not looking at this through the prism of replacing Rush. I'm looking at it through the prism of what is a combination of new and emerging voices to the format who will help form the next generation of talk show hosts.

The options are now clear: Cumulus/Westwood One is offering Dan Bongino. Premier rolled out the Buck Sexton and Clay Travis duo. Audacy is picking up Radio One's Dana Loesch in many markets. And Cox is pushing Erick Erickson out of Atlanta. 

The first thing that excites me is that the average age of these hosts is 42 years old. Bongino and Erickson are the "old heads" of the bunch and they're only in their mid 40's. For a platform (radio) and a format (news talk) that we've been told by many in media would die with Rush Limbaugh, this must have them scratching their heads (and probably very upset). 

The companies offering these options deserve credit for not going with what might have been the cheapest and easiest option. They each put together powerhouse talent options that proves they believe in the future of the format from a ratings and revenue perspective. For anyone in the business on the programming or sales side, that should be exciting, along with being a breath of fresh air. 

Now are any of these shows going to replace Rush from an influence, affiliate number, or pure talent perspective? No. As everyone, including each of these hosts, would admit, there's no replacing Rush. But this gives the listener an impressive bevy of options that while each may not be on the airwaves in their local market, they will be able to sample through podcasts and other digital outlets.

And that leads to the next reason as to why I'm excited by what's to come in the news talk space: Each of these hosts bring large social and digital media platforms to the game, which for all of Rush's abilities, he didn't do until his final weeks and months. 

As I noted in an article last month, hosts aren't just "on the radio" in 2021, they're content creators and opinion makers on all platforms. As much as Rush loved to talk technology, that was one part of the business he didn't show interest in during his final years and it meant his message didn't get out to the millions of more he could have reached (many in the coveted 25-54 demo) on a weekly basis. 

That won't be an issue with this next wave, which actually may result in a cross promotion of traditional radio listening in a way many may not be expecting.

And when you combine all these voices, from second amendment gurus like Dana Loesch, to evangelical Christians in Erick Erickson, add former secret service agent Dan Bongino and CIA officer Buck Sexton, plus a sports-talk-turned-political-talk host in Clay Travis, who didn't vote for a Republican for President until 2020, and you have an incredible mixture of backgrounds and perspectives to choose from. 

Legacy media spent the last 30 years fearing Rush Limbaugh. They knew he cut through their monopoly on the news cycle and they were counting down the days until he was gone and the format would die with him. 

Unfortunately for them, as it turns out, it isn't dying, and much to their chagrin, it might just be hitting the reset button and becoming just as strong as ever.