Posted on 10/02/2012 3:21:29 PM PDT by TeaPartyJakes
(The following is the first of three excerpts from The Right Frequency: The Story of the Talk Radio Giants Who Shook Up the Political and Media Establishment, by Fred Lucas; History Publishing Company. The adapted excerpts look at talk radio rivalries.)
“One party will tax and spend; one party won’t tax but will spend: It’s both of them,” Glenn Beck said at the 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference. “All they’re talking about is we need a big tent. We need a big tent. Can we get a bigger tent? How can we get a big tent? What is this, a circus?”
The following Monday after Beck’s Saturday speech was a clear demonstration why talk radio is not an echo chamber parroting Republican talking points, as many on the left would claim. Rush Limbaugh was not happy with the content and the volume of criticism leveled against Republicans.
“I would not have said that the only people who can stop Obama —Republicans—should be excoriated for being just as bad,” Limbaugh said on his radio show. “It would never occur to me to say that. I don’t know what the objective would be.”
Different hosts take a very different approach on the spectrum of conservatism. Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin take a more traditional Reagan conservative view. Beck leans close to libertarianism, while still holding social conservative views. Michael Savage speaks loudly for the anti-war right. Hosts Bill Bennett, Michael Medved and Dennis Prager offer a reserved and analytical style absent the yelling or name calling of other programs. The bigger picture from this is that conservative talk radio has become such a large universe that different definitions of conservatism and different styles of programming can co-exist on the airwaves.
For the few times I’ve been able to get his show on the radio, Dennis Prager seems to be the smartest and most level-headed of the crowd.
But he hasn’t the personality that will generate big ratings. That’s Rush.
Beck veers close to tinfoildom from time to time. He’s entertaining as heck, and I trust him a whopping 70% of the time.
Hannity is repetitive and not deep. He does a pretty good interview from time to time.
Bill Bennett is smart, but a real bore.
Michael Medved can be a bit snarky for his own good. Brilliant man, with a photographic memory. Leans liberal within the Republican party.
Michael Savage can be good when he’s on his meds. Otherwise, clear the decks! Loose cannon.....
Just my opinions. :-) Fire away!
I agree with your analysis of some of the hosts.
I’ll add one. I have Sirius/XM so I’ve tried to listen to Mike Church on the Patriot. Unfortunately, he is just way too much of a paulbot/tin foil hatter for me to listen regularly.
Agree. He is a lightweight. Almost a Peter Principle qualifier.
He does a pretty good interview from time to time.
Disagree. Hannity is the most rude guy on the radio. He seems to think insulting his guests and talking over them is cool. When he does, I change stations.
I agree about with you. As for Hannity, you know what he is going to say before he says it, which is pretty boring. But I will say he has a crack research staff, the best out there.
I listen to Rush Limbaugh, Doc Thompson, Steve Deace, Glenn Beck, Dana Loesch, Laurie Roth, Rusty Humphries, Jay Severin, Hagmann and Hagmann, Vicki McKenna, Andy Parks and Dennis Prager among others.
Sometimes I check out Roger Hedgecock, Michael Savage, Mark Levin or Andrea Tantaros. Hardly hear Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham, but I have checked out Jerry Doyle. Sometimes I have heard Jesse Lee Peterson, Coast to Coast AM, Alex Jones and Steve Malzberg. I don’t claim to agree with everything or everyone. But talk radio has replaced cable news for me.
I have been upset more in the past two months about Fox News going to the left.
I would recommend you add Mike Rosen of Denver’s KOA radio. Very sensible guy, very intelligent.
“Different hosts take a very different approach on the spectrum of conservatism. Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin take a more traditional Reagan conservative view. Beck leans close to libertarianism, while still holding social conservative views. Michael Savage speaks loudly for the anti-war right. Hosts Bill Bennett, Michael Medved and Dennis Prager offer a reserved and analytical style absent the yelling or name calling of other programs. The bigger picture from this is that conservative talk radio has become such a large universe that different definitions of conservatism and different styles of programming can co-exist on the airwaves.”
Some of this is a bunch of Bunk. A little bit. Glenn Beck is not that libertarian. You want a libertarian then look up Republic Broadcasting Network or someone like Jack Blood, Peter Schiff, Jeff Rense, Free Talk Live, Adam Kokesh or Rolly James and Jerry Doyle. Neal Boortz was more libertarian than Glenn Beck too. Michael Savage was a bit anti-war a few years ago, but that has not been his focus in recent years.
Ah Ok.
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