Posted on 08/24/2005 5:35:23 AM PDT by PolishProud
(I am a staunch conservative converted to the right by Rush Limbaugh. I remember the exact issue of my conversion - Limbaugh pointed out that so called cuts in federal spending were actually cuts in the growth of spending. Clinton's duplicity in using the words "spending cuts" insulted my sense of what defines honesty as did Clinton in general. But over the years I have become critical of talk show hosts. )
In my opinion the best hosts are as follows; Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, Denver's Mike Rosen and Laura Ingraham. Hosts that suffer by comparison include Sean Hannity, Bill Bennett, O'Reilly (radio and TV), Michael Gallagher and Michael Savage. The worse host, by far, is Michael Savage. He gives conservative talk radio a bad name. When liberals excoriate conservative talk, they use Savage as an example and rightly so.
The most overrated talk show host has got to be Sean Hannity. His show consists of promoting his TV show (40%), and telling us what will be on in the next hour (25%). Once in a while he works in a caller, mostly women. Sean really likes women callers. His interviews with politicos are predictable. And the object of recently program content has been used to take advantage of tragedy TV ratings, i.e. the Natalee Holloway's epic.
Rush Limbaugh is very articulate and knows what turns his audience on. But at times Limbaugh takes us back to the sexual innuendoes of the 1970s. He seems to relish "dirty talk." I can remember when, for one week, he talked about women "farting" in their cars. He thought it was so clever that this double entendre could also refer to women putting on make up in their cars. The other day, he was obsessed with the word "condom," asking if anyone on his staff had a condom in his or her billfold. I kept thinking he was getting some little charge in his neither parts as he said "condom." I don't know where the condom bit was going because I turned him off - and besides the next story, was going to be about a guy who died after having sex with a horse.
People listen to Limbaugh for his political bent, but Rush thinks he's a sports talk show. I and others, judging from Rush's own comment about listener input, don't tune in to hear Rush's NFL predictions or golf scores. If you want to get on Rush's show ask him a NFL question. In talk radio there's a conundrum - news talk shows want to be sport shows, and sports shows wants to be news talk shows.
While Rush relates to his audience on most subjects, he disconnects when he talks about social security as an entitlement. He doesn't accept that the government has made a contract with taxpayers; whereby, in return for the payment of social security taxes, the government promised to provide monies for retirees.
Hugh Hewitt is radio's would be PBS talk show host - that is, when he's on the air. He takes more vacations than President Bush. I'm sure talk show listeners can't wait for Hewitt's to feature Shakespeare, religion, extreme sports or NASCAR - at times Hewitt sounds like a religious show host. Whereas Medved doesn't give much worth to single people, Hewitt doesn't take old people seriously, despite talk show listener demographics. For some reason Hewitt comes across as someone trying to make up for his 5 foot 7 inch stature although I have no idea how tall he is. His most redeeming facet, which puts him in my top five, is his recent work on judicial nominations. Plus he has finally realized that his listeners can discuss complicated issues - whereas in the past he would toss out one line questions any idiot caller could answer.
Mike Medved and Mike Rosen are the best debaters. Although recently Medved has gotten off on social rather than political issues. I mean - how many times do we need to discuss homosexuality, TV is bad, movies are good and being single is unnatural? Medved also annoys with his "conspiracy day" where he takes advantage of sickos who tell us over and over that the moon landing was staged in a Hollywood studio and that the secret Yale "Skull and Bones Society" runs the world. Still his debating skills secures the number two spot in my book.
Caustic and irreverent, Denver's Mike Rosen does not suffer fools gladly; but at times, he becomes a sport show host when he shills for the hapless Colorado Rockies - not coincidentally his station, KOA, carries Rockies games. The other day he jeopardized his top five standing when he did a segment on bad breath. I suppose, when you're on air some thirty plus days a year, some shows will stink - pun intended.
Last but least is the Laura Ingraham show, or as it should be known, Laura's musicfest. What Laura does not seem to understand is, while she may be tired of political talk, her audience isn't. Listeners want political talk not music and movie reviews. As the old saying goes "you gotta dance with the one that brung you," and Laura did not get where she is with her personal taste in music. But Laura does scores big with her attack of lefty sound bites. She and her staff must watch every political TV program aired and it pays off with an entertaining show.
The worse talk show host of a national syndicated program is Mike Gallagher. He doesn't bother with research. You will not hear anything new from Gallagher just the latest issues that gets calls. His demographics seem to be pissed off red necks.
While conservative talk appeal to millions of listeners, advertisers don't think much of its demographics as demonstrated by ads for hair growth, belly fat reduction, gold investing and dating services. Surly conservative talk show listeners aren't as dumb as advertisers think we are.
When I lived in NY, I loved listening to Bob Grant and Barry Farber. I still remember hearing Barry Farber announce that the Son of Sam killer had been aprehended.
Mark
You're a sick freak!
I'm also a big fan of Glen. And Tony Snow, someone who's something of a "velvet hammer." When you listen to him, he's a really nice guy. But he won't take stuff off of anyone, and he'll hammer away at you with the facts.
Another terrific host that I miss here in KC is Brian Wilson (not the guy on Fox News, but the Libertarian talk show host). He got a job as a fill-in host here in KC, and was on the air for about a year! I was really upset when they cut him loose. Many probably remember him as "Chicken-Man!"
Mark
Hey! Radio shows are paid for by selling commercial air time. If you don't want to listen to paid commercial messages during your radio listening, listen to Air America! Or NPR. Hey, why not? You paid for it, you might as well listen to it!
Mark
That, and he may overdo a topic, but that's the nature of midday radio with people tuning in and out throughout
the three hours.
Well, my only problem with GGL's "Stacked and Packed" calendars is that the women are wearing too much!
"Nekkid wimmin with guns is a good thing!"
Mark
He has a Lazy-Boy recliner that has a "Boot-Knock'n" position.
Of course, so when she washed his car in teh winter, she woudln't slip on the ice in the driveway.
As I said in an earlier post, Dr. Williams must have a really comfortable couch downstairs! lol
Mark
Bash Hannity
""The United States is currently borrowing 2.5 billion dollars every day""
not quite...maybe every business day M-F,
and if you dont like it may i suggest you buy some govt bonds.
Rush got his start when there was no voice for conservatives. I cant fault Rush for anything as I see him as a pioneer. He was the answer to the mainstream media before the new media came along and thank God for that.
He is human like everyone else.
You may object to the use of the word, but it was from a news article.
Politics and society are hand in glove.
His comments were about the left on college campuses trashing the culture.
I didn't take it as Rush having any pleasure in using the word, but commenting on what is passing for education on college campuses.
"Calm, Cool..." makes a valid point which should be forwarded to Sean for consideration. Actually, what H & C has done is to adopt the Left's style of "non-debate," just talk-over rhetoric, which should be anathema to people who call themselves "conservatives" of American ideals.
Real debate of principles and issues, as contrasted with the more recent style adopted by Liberal Democrats of repetition of "talking points" and over-talking opponents, should be the mark of any who wish to preserve America's founding principles.
Sean should take the high ground, stating as clearly as possible his own point, and insisting that the "mouthpieces" of liberal "gobbledegook" either respect the rules of debate or have their mikes cut off. Otherwise, as happens often now, they (the liberals) eat up time (which is their goal) and rob their opponents of ability to develop logical points.
Sean and others who represent conservatism might consider Thomas Jefferson's words:
"In stating prudential rules for our government in society, I must not omit the important one of never entering into dispute or argument with another. I never saw an instance of one of two disputants convincing the other by argument. I have seen many, on their getting warm, becoming rude, and shooting one another. Conviction is the effect of our own dispassionate reasoning, either in solitude, or weighing within ourselves, dispassionately, what we hear from others. . . . It was one of the rules which, above all others, made Dr. Franklin the most amiable of men in society, 'never to contradict anybody.' If he was urged to announce an opinion, he did it rather by asking questions, as if for information, or by suggesting doubts. When I hear another express an opinion which is not mine, I say to myself, he has a right to his opinion, as I to mine; why should I question it? His error does me no injury, and shall I become a Don Quixote, to bring all men by force of argument to one opinion?" -- TITLE: To Thomas Jefferson Randolph. EDITION: Washington ed. v, 390. EDITION: Ford ed., ix, 232. PLACE: Washington
For youth, examples of intelligent debate on enduring principles and ideas are scarce. Conservatives need to take the high ground and expose the illogical, shouting idealogues of the Left for what they are--mouthpieces who are void of ideas, just full of platitudes and ugly accusations. Stooping to their level in style results in devaluing the conservative ideas folks like Sean should be articulating.
Or just buy it at Glennbeck.com. Gloatfest 2004 is hilllarious, and so is Couple of the Year. You have to hear it to believe it. Deliciously cruel. Glenn Beck is the funniest guy in radio.
Larura Ingraham is the most knowledgeable of the them all- having clerked for Clarence Thomas and worked in the Reagan Education Dept. makes you a lot of great connections in the govt. and the media. She is an insider, unlike a lot of these hosts, and is very funny to boot.
Rush is still the best three hours on the air overall.
Can anyone post a link to national audience numbers for all these folks?
But the point is, Doctor Savage has something to say -- and he says it. And it isn't for us to be picky, picky, picky about hearing exactly what we want to hear about all the time, and complaining up and down about this one and that one because they bring in topics we don't care about: "If that guy says 'Arkancide' one more time, I'm gonna scream!" Or, "Oh, God, not another 'musical moment' -- why are we supposed to care about [fill in the blank] ?!"
I think our thread poster has the misconception that political speech exists for its entertainment value to him. That's a misconception understandable in a recovering liberal, but it's a badly-founded way to think about other people's personal liberties and the ways they exercise them, anyway.
Actually I can post the link myself, having just found it.
Turns out 1). Rush 2).Hannity 3).Savage 4). Stern 5). Schlessinger 6). Ingraham(!) Interesting who's beating who in some of this list.
http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/2005/05/annual-talk-host-rankings-revealed.html
But at times Limbaugh takes us back to the sexual innuendoes of the 1970s. He seems to relish "dirty talk." I can remember when, for one week, he talked about women "farting" in their cars. He thought it was so clever that this double entendre could also refer to women putting on make up in their cars.No, he clearly each time said 'farding'.
He also, if I recall, put it in context of an issue, but, of course, like a 'leftie' with an ax to grind you ignore that part ...
"If that guy says 'Arkancide' one more time, I'm gonna scream!
http://undercats.com/dlink.html
I'll have to give him a listen, see if he sounds more like the old days before his docs put him on, what was it, Oxycontin or Vicodin or something? for back pain or whatever he had.
As for whether Rush has still "got it," I can't wait for bat-winged Hillary and her incarnate Mephistophilis to start her 2008 campaign.
Next to Goat-boy, tricky Dickie Morris is just a little Screwtape.
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