Following Limbaugh's death last month, Bongino said 'every conservative I know, everyone has had that Rush Limbaugh moment where they were listening and heard an idea for the first time ever'
Editor's note: While Dan Bongino's new radio show will run in the same time slot as Rush Limbaugh's well-known afternoon program — noon to 3 p.m. ET — it will not replace Limbaugh's program, which runs through Premier Networks. Bongino's show will run through Westwood One — a competitor of Premier, which hasn't yet announced plans for Limbaugh's program. We've updated this story to reflect those details.
Conservative commentator Dan Bongino will launch a new radio show to run in the same time slot as Rush Limbaugh's well-known afternoon show, the Associated Press reported — but through a different network.
Starting May 24, "The Dan Bongino Show" will broadcast from noon to 3 p.m. ET in markets around the country, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., Fox News reported, citing a Wednesday announcement from Cumulus Media's Westwood One.
Limbaugh's show is syndicated to more than 600 markets through Premiere Networks, which has not announced future plans for Limbaugh's program, the AP said.
Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers magazine, told the AP that the Bongino show announcement is launching a race for similar shows in that time slot — with other conservative figures such as Dana Loesch and Erick Erickson being discussed.
"There is no clear-cut favorite at this time," Harrison told the AP. "It is generally accepted that no one can replace Rush Limbaugh, even Rush Limbaugh as a posthumous performer."
"The Dan Bongino Show will tackle the hot political issues, debunking both liberal and Republican establishment rhetoric," a press release noted, Fox News said. "As a former Secret Service agent and NYPD officer, Bongino is uniquely positioned to provide commentary and analysis that directly questions the philosophical underpinnings of both the Left and Big Government Republicans."
Bongino is a Fox News contributor and has his own daily podcast, which has become wildly popular. He said he is "excited to embrace the immense power of radio to connect with my listeners live for three hours every day. This is an incredible privilege, and I pledge to honor the trailblazing work of those who came before me," the cable network said.
"Dan is passionate and relatable, with a natural ability to connect with his audience," Westwood One President Suzanne Grimes said in a statement, according to Fox News. "Dan has been on a meteoric rise since his podcast launched in 2019, and we look forward to watching his star continue to soar."
Limbaugh, the iconic voice of the conservative movement, lost his battle with lung cancer in February at the age of 70 after receiving a Stage 4 diagnosis in January 2020.
Bongino was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in September, Fox News said. But he announced last week that he completed his treatments and has been given a clean bill of health.
Following Limbaugh's passing, Bongino appeared on "Fox & Friends" and praised the conservative radio icon: "Every conservative I know, everyone has had that Rush Limbaugh moment where they were listening and heard an idea for the first time ever."
This story has been updated