The undisputed king of talk radio

Unless you've been living in a Taliban cave, you're heard the news today that conservative talk radio icon Rush Limbaugh has signed a contract extension through 2016, with a price tag of $400 million dollars, with $100 million of it coming upfront. This makes Rush the literal, undisputed king of talk radio. And why shouldn't he reap the rewards. He is guaranteed to have an average audience of 20 million listeners daily, and is literally the most influential pundit in America.

I bring this up for three reasons.

First, as it is noted in the New York Times Magazine interview with Zef Chafats he single-hadily revived AM radio, and set the stage for the alternative media revolution that culminated in 1999 with the emergence of the blogosphere. Before, the only outlet we had was on his show, or on the other smaller shows that he spawned. With the blogosphere, the nation found it's voice, and we haven't stopped talking since.

Second, despite what one's opinion of the man is, he is the most successful media personality ever. Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, et al, aren't even close to what he has been able to do and the influence he wields.

Third, while he scoffs at the notion that he is waning and others are catching up to him (Mr. Chafats does cite Bill O'Reilly Michael Savage, and Sean Hannity as examples), he does note that they are talented in their own right. But his mantle is safe. None of those three are even close to him. Hannity is probably the closest to him, and he still doesn't command the audience Rush does daily.

Now I'm sure readers will question why I give such laudatory comments to Rush when he isn't exactly our favorite host. It's true that Hugh Hewitt is our favorite radio host. We don't miss a single show, even if it's a repeat. (Programming note -- if you love American history as much as we do, be sure to tune into Hugh's show on Friday. He will begin each hour with a reading fo the Declaration of Independence, and then replay an interview with Harry Jaffa on the origins and impact the Declaration had.) But the recognition of Rush Limbaugh's success is no laughing matter. The Left has been seething over his existence since his radio show went national in 1988, and in August he will celebrate 20 years on the radio "having more fun than a human being should be allowed."

So we congratulate Rush on his success, on his new contract, and toast him. Here's to 20 more years on the radio Rush!

Publius II