[BC] Building an audience

[Rich Wood]

------ At 09:34 AM 10/14/2005, cldube wrote: -------

>Could it be safely said that if Rush didn't create the clamor, the 
>others would not have made it to where they are now?

Yes and no. Possibly maybe. The rise of Talk Radio to a dominant 
format can be linked to Limbaugh. AM may be in trouble but Talk 
isn't. However, if there hadn't been a Rush there would have been 
someone else. For all we know it could have been a raving Liberal if 
he had been entertaining. We had a Liberal well before Rush. At ABC 
we had Michael Jackson (the one with two gloves). We syndicated him 
for years before Rush. Trouble was, he was genteel. He had a South 
African accent (mistaken for British) and actually had guests and 
insulted no one. Rush came along and took the time slot just before 
Michael, banged pots and pans, did parody songs and insulted every 
minority he could find.

The show began to grow and stations moved him from weekends to 
weekdays. That was the death of Jackson. The original 2 hour Limbaugh 
show was noisy. It was followed on many stations by Jackson and all 
became quiet and polite. Like falling off a cliff. Had Jackson been 
scheduled before Limbaugh things might have been different. We'll never know.

I don't believe any of the late comers have the talent to have done 
what Rush did. Hannity is just plain dumb and pretty. Savage is just 
savage. O'Reilly is ... nobody really knows. None have the showbiz 
flair Limbaugh brought to the table.

I do believe, if Rush hadn't come on the scene, someone would have. 
God knows we were all looking.

Rich


Rich Wood
Rich Wood Multimedia
Phone: 413-303-9084
FAX: 413-480-0010