Jacor buys 'Dr. Laura'

By RAY RICHMOND

The rights to "Dr. Laura" Schlessinger's nationally syndicated daily radio therapy call-in show, which airs weekday afternoons on KFI-AM, sold Wednesday to Jacor Communications for $71.5 million in a straight cash transaction with Synergy Broadcasting Inc.

Synergy is 49% owned by Schlessinger herself. As part of the deal, Jacor also acquired Multiverse Networks, the radio sales organization that reps Schlessinger's program.

Schlessinger's show will now be syndicated by the Premiere Radio Networks, a Los Angeles-based unit of Jacor. Her show runs on more than 400 stations nationally to what is claimed to be 18 million to 20 million daily listeners, a total topped on radio only by Rush Limbaugh.

"Obviously there is a hunger for this type of discourse," said Schlessinger, "since AT&T tells us that about 60,000 people try to call into the show each day."

Schlessinger, who has written the bestsellers "Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives" and "How Could You Do That?," hit bookstores Wednesday with her third book, "Ten Stupid Things Men Do To Mess Up Their Lives."