If you were n’t listening to your radio on Aug. 1, 1988, then you missed something revolutionary.  ,
It’s impossible to exaggerate the effects of this because it was so revolutionary and huge. It changed all. The seismic shift in its wake – in news media, political journalism, grassroots activism, and pop culture itself – transformed America so profoundly that it’s impossible to imagine our modern world without his larger-than-life imprint ( from his “formerly nicotine-stained fingers” ).
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Aug. 1, 1988, was the day Rush Limbaugh’s television present was syndicated.
Rush Limbaugh did n’t invent talk radio. Loud, loud talk-show guests were an American cornerstone almost from the beginning. In the 1930s, Father Charles Coughlin was a regular hawthorn in FDR’s area and commanded tens of millions of radio listeners. Paul Harvey left a sizable voice trail (voiceprint ). on the talk-radio business, originating his” The Rest of the Story” logo way back in 1946. One of the longest and most prosperous presidencies in broadcasting always was over in 2008.
but in terms of the total impact of culture? There was only one Rush Limbaugh.
Nobody would ever believe that he had n’t existed because of how absurdly absurd his accomplishments are. Picture a single person talking impromptu about the issues and happenings of the day all by himself! He often took telephone calls and sometimes had guests – it was just one person, talking into his golden Bank camera, riffing about existence, country, family, and politics! And for DECADES, three days every week, more people would talk to this gentleman than anyone else!
It was ludicrous. It was amazing. And it’ll not arise again.
Cherish your reminiscences because there’ll always get another Rush Limbaugh.
Generally, the key to having a powerful talk display is booking great guests. A skilled radio host like Sean Hannity is excellent when he has an intriguing guest. And when he has a horrible host, the opposite is true. The same goes for most of today’s leading radio guests, including Joe Rogan. That’s the way it often works.
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Some television discuss displays have tried to solve this problem by creating a team of ordinary visitors, usually in the form of a Morning Zoo, a Wack Pack, or another “personalities” that join the network on the radio. Howard Stern, for instance, relied on cohost Robin Quivers, along with an entire group of on-air participants ( both paid and unpaid ). But even with big, revolving groups of different voices and on-air contributors, most shows also relied on booking big-name guests – the obscure A-list” get” meeting – to drink ratings.
But no Rush Limbaugh.
When Limbaugh started talking about himself, he made it abundantly clear that when he started airing calls, he was doing it to promote himself. You were present to hear him talk about the topics he wanted to discuss. And he almost always avoided getting a Democratic presidential candidate’s tooth (occasionally, just before the election time ). ” The Rush Limbaugh Show” was about Rush Limbaugh. Period.  ,
This was what he was born to do – with talent … on loan … from God.
If Limbaugh had been a leftwinger ( or even apolitical ), Hollywood would’ve made a dozen movies about him by now. It does n’t take much imagination to imagine the accolades the Hollywood Elites would have bestowed upon a liberal version of Limbaugh ( and when the mainstream media favors Jon Stewart’s return to” The Daily Show,” a program with only a small portion of Rush’s audience and/or impact ). But because he was a conservative, they tried to pretend he did n’t exist.
One small problem: You could n’t ignore Rush Limbaugh.
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Eateries across the nation started opening” Rush Rooms” for midday in the 1990s, where customers could sit and listen to Rush Limbaugh. His show aired from noon to 3 p. m. Eastern, and millions of fans hung on his every term. And not just eateries: An L. A. According to a 1993 Times article, the Green Bay Packers ‘ locker room had an “unofficial” Rush Room thanks to an unpleasant defender’s boom box, and related Rush Apartments were popping up in electronics stores and dentist agencies as well.
The Democrats were unsure of their course of action.
When ignoring him did n’t work, they tried counterprogramming, but no liberal host was ever able to replicate his success. They then organized boycotts, but Limbaugh’s fans were just too large – and too devoted. When everything else failed, they tried the oldest trick in the Democrat’s playbook: They attempted to change the law and ban him from the airwaves!
When the liberals in Congress started pushing the” Hush Rush” bill, Limbaugh’s show had only been widely known for a short while. It was an effort to revive the poorly named Fairness Doctrine, which limited a station’s ability to air political programming.  ,
Even if” The Rush Limbaugh Show” was n’t well-known and the station could n’t get paid to air it, stations that aired it for three hours would still be legally required to do so. The Fairness Doctrine, which was established by President Reagan in 1987, became the inspiration for Limbaugh’s nationalization in 1988.
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By 1993, the Democrats cried” Mercy”! and tried to push through” Hush Rush” legislation.
El Rushbo, quite naturally, fought back – and he fought back hard.
It all culminated on Nov. 8, 1994, when the Democrats were absolutely, completely, unilaterally obliterated.
For the first time since 1955, the Republicans have retake control of Congress, bringing it to 54 new House of Representatives seats. They also won eight new senate seats and 10 new governorships. The Democrats went from controlling both houses … to losing both houses. For the first time in a generation, the Republicans have dominated the legislature in all 50 states. Tom Foley, the Democratic House speaker, lost reelection for the first time since 1863 when he was voted out of office.
Historians quickly dubbed it the Republican Revolution. And the newly elected Republican congressmen adored Limbaugh to the point where they elected him as an honorary member of the 104th Congress.
” I do n’t think we would have won control of the House that year without Rush’s support”, acknowledged new House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
It’s difficult to remember how revolutionary Rush Limbaugh’s ideal communication style was when it was copied, copied, and parodied so many times. At the time, it was such a jarring break from the medium’s status quo, some journalists even tried to lump Limbaugh into the” Shock Jock” category. And in a way, it was understandable. What the liberal elites heard was truly shocking. However, Limbaugh’s genius was in capturing audiences ‘ attention with his ideas rather than his vulgarities.
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Every talk show host on the radio’s dial has a formula that matches his or hers since the 1990s. And today, when you watch the cable news hosts on the left and the right, Limbaugh’s long shadow is obvious.
In 1988, the year Rush Limbaugh’s show was syndicated, there were less than 200 news-talk radio stations nationwide. By the time Limbaugh was done, there were over 4, 000.
This “harmless, loveable, little fuzzball” changed EVERYTHING.
” He revolutionized radio”, noted Sean Hannity. ” He single-handedly saved the AM band and later, even the FM brand in radio”.
And to make matters fair, he used half of his brain to restrain himself.
Happy anniversary. ( And mega-dittos! )
