[Speed Gibson,
Sunday November 28, 2004 at 2:40pm]
History of Talk Radio
As noted in the third NARN hour this week, many left of center think Rush Limbaugh, talk radio in general for that matter, was a creation of the Republican Party. We all know that's false, but I decided to re-read Rush's own account in his first book, The Way Things Ought to Be.
Rush had wanted to be in radio since he was 12, but had been fired repeatedly for "excessive creativity" beyond the program format. After a few years with the Kansas City Royals, he wanted to try one more time. He got that chance at KFBK in Sacramento, California.
After three successful years, Ed McLaughlin, retired head of ABC Radio turned entrepreneur took him national. The details are in the book, including this key point.
Nowhere in this biographical sketch is any mention of any political party or any politician. You can even hear today that Rush is not driven by political ambition or recognition. He has his heroes and villains, as do we all, but his goal is entertainment. And in my opinion, nobody does it better.
Many of those who built upon Limbaugh's work are clearly very political, such as Sean Hannity and Hugh Hewitt. But they operate by the same free market rules: no audience, no show. Only in a dictatorship can this be forced. Mad Magazine's parody of the Soviet TV Guide had this entry:
Rush had wanted to be in radio since he was 12, but had been fired repeatedly for "excessive creativity" beyond the program format. After a few years with the Kansas City Royals, he wanted to try one more time. He got that chance at KFBK in Sacramento, California.
After three successful years, Ed McLaughlin, retired head of ABC Radio turned entrepreneur took him national. The details are in the book, including this key point.
I never imagined my show would prosper in large part because I was a conservative. ... I just thought I had to do great shows, and I never associated political views with greatness in show business.
I was terribly, terribly wrong. From [day one] it was obvious ... that something we hadn't anticipated was going on. People were going crazy over this show, primarily because of my political point of view. ... Here, finally, was someone on the radio saying what they felt, what they said to their friends and family.
So, there it was, this unique blend of humor, irreverence, and the serious discussion of events with a conservative slant. ... I would love to tell you this was the result of a brilliantly conceived and flawlessly executed strategy, but it wasn't. It was just me being myself.
Nowhere in this biographical sketch is any mention of any political party or any politician. You can even hear today that Rush is not driven by political ambition or recognition. He has his heroes and villains, as do we all, but his goal is entertainment. And in my opinion, nobody does it better.
Many of those who built upon Limbaugh's work are clearly very political, such as Sean Hannity and Hugh Hewitt. But they operate by the same free market rules: no audience, no show. Only in a dictatorship can this be forced. Mad Magazine's parody of the Soviet TV Guide had this entry:
11 pm: Leonid Brezhnev Speaks. Watch this program. You may be asked about it later.