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When Rush Limbaugh joined KFBK, Sacramento in 1984, there
was no great fanfare. He had just finished a stint with the Kansas City Royals,
and was not a rising star. He couldn't even espouse his overtly Conservative
views, because of the Fairness Doctrine. Even so, he made a dent, and was
signed by Premier Radio Networks in NYC in 1988. The Fairness Doctrine had just
died, and Limbaugh was eager to dance on its tombstone.
The growth of his brand of talk radio was slow, until the
advent of the Clinton administration. His sharp criticism of the policies and
scandals during the reign of the one he called "Slick Willy" catapulted Rush
into the limelight. "Did you hear what Rush said today?" was the question
inside the Beltway, and on farms in flyover country. When Republicans took over
the House of Representatives in 1994, Rush was one of the first to get both
credit and blame. He even had a television show during that time, produced by
none other than the current head of FOX News, Roger Ailes.
The Clintons eventually ceded their power, and left office.
While the popularity of Limbaugh has waned slightly since that time, he is
still at the top of the talk show heap. The only show on the "EIB Network" is
number one in audience share, ad revenue, and online presence. His listener
loyalty is extremely high, and self-proclaimed "Ditto-Heads" of 10 years or
more frequently call the show.
So what is the secret of his success? There are other
Conservative commentators that are more visible, with more guests, that have a
larger research staff. Some argue it is because Limbaugh was first to the
party. Others say it is because his listeners are simple-minded robots who do
what they are told. The fact remains that Grey's Anatomy draws 14 million a
week, while Rush gets a million more people to tune in on a daily basis.
The easiest way to understand the success of the show, is to
listen to why Rush thinks he has been successful. The following reasons are all
gleaned from the words of the "Maha Rushie" himself.
1. The Format
Rush avoids having guests on. Limbaugh has said on his show,
and in multiple interviews, that he thinks guests are superfluous. He believes
he and his callers are entertaining enough to sustain three hours of on-air
broadcast time. Most of the time, he is right. Limbaugh controls the flow of
calls and topics on his show with a judicious hand, and very rarely allows
himself to venture down rabbit trails or entertain sob stories. Callers are
given a reprieve on what Rush calls "Open Line Friday" where any topic, from
the Pittsburgh Steelers to Madonna, will be given equal respect. If it's not
not entertaining, he shuts it down fast.
2. The Content
Rush has a voracious appetite for information. He seems to
draw much of his news from the pages of major newspapers, and supplements
heavily from the Drudge Report. Additional information is filtered by his
website staff, through the private email option that is available to premium
subscribers at his website. Additional information is gleaned from callers and
fact-checked in real-time during the show. Rush over-prepares for his show, and
many times, his "stack of stuff" hardly gets touched. He later posts the links
to these articles on his website, to give his audience a chance to read along
at their leisure.
3. The Entertainment
Unlike other hosts, Rush has realized that the goal of his
program is to entertain and inform. If it's not entertaining, people are going
somewhere else on the dial. Limbaugh keeps the political (and non-political)
parodies flowing during his show, and "Updates" are as much anticipated as
Letterman's "Will It Float?" segment. The pace is fast, the topics are there
long enough for adequate discussion, and no longer. This is the mark of an
experienced professional.
4. The Entertainer
The show is about Rush, and he knows it. With bombastic
declarations like "I am equal time." and "Talent on loan from God.", Limbaugh's
tongue-in-cheek delivery lets the audience know who is conducting the train.
His guffaws, cigar smoking, desk pounding, and paper rattling are frequent
reminders that he would do the show if there were nobody listening but Bo
Snerdley, his long-time call screener. He is sincere without being sappy,
sarcastic without being self-righteous, and audacious, with a wink that says he
might be kidding. In his own words, he is " Demonstrating absurdity, by being
absurd".
Because of these assets, Rush continues to dominate the top
spot in talk radio. To keep up with the more sophisticated listener, Rush has
expanded his online presence and content. The premium section on his website
offers podcasts, streaming audio and video, and rss feeds. While this is
standard fare in the Web 2.0 scheme of things, the fact remains that he was one
of the first to offer these features. He continually tries to stay "...On the
cutting edge of societal evolution."
To this point, Rush seems to achieved his goal. The show has
been around in it's current incarnation for over 15 years, and shows no signs
of a slowdown.
The questions remain:
Who will challenge Rush?
Why hasn't anyone taken away the top spot?
Why hasn't Liberal talk radio made greater strides?
Will talk radio eventually be irrelevant?
We will examine this and other topics in next part of our
series: "Why Rush Limbaugh Succeeds: Part 2".
Article written by Kurt Hartman
Kurt Hartman has
meandered to the beat of a different drummer his entire life. He's been a
marketer, AV Pro, and general techie for the better part of his existence. His
main goal is to share his knowledge with others. In doing so, he prays that he
has made your life a little easier, your thought process, a little richer, and
your laugh, measurably longer.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kurt_Hartman
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