Since the 1990s, conservative talk radio has been America’s alternative media universe, providing listeners with a much-needed counterpoint to the liberal establishment mainstream media.
AM radio was dying when the FCC abolished the Fairness Doctrine during the Reagan administration. The well intentioned Fairness Doctrine was unworkable in practice; rather than abide by FCC requirements that any liberal commentator’s opinions be matched by “equal time” for conservatives, and vice versa, radio stations found it easier to simply cancel their talk shows altogether.
With the death of the Fairness Doctrine, one man saw his opportunity and took it…
Rush Limbaugh has held the #1 spot in radio ratings for years. In fact, at over 20-million daily listeners, his show is more popular than the traditional network evening news shows.
Those who dismiss Limbaugh’s show without having heard it – and they are legion – are often pleasantly surprised by Limbaugh’s humor and self-deprecation, and his undisguised disdain for his party’s presidential nominee, John McCain. Impressionist Paul Shanklin’s pitch perfect, laugh out loud parodies satirize pompous politicos on both sides.
Recently, Pew reported that, on a series of “news knowledge questions,” Limbaugh’s “Dittoheads” — the defiantly self-mocking term for his faithful, supposedly brainwashed, audience — scored higher than NPR listeners. The study found that “readers of newsmagazines, political magazines and business magazines, listeners of Rush Limbaugh and NPR and viewers of the Daily Show and C-SPAN are also much more likely than the average person to have a college degree.”
A recent New York Times Magazine profile of Rush Limbaugh was generally fair, and provides insights into the ambitious, hard working – and yes, profoundly deaf – “$400-million Man”
Sean Hannity and Michael Savage follow just behind Limbaugh in the ratings, but they are not universally loved by conservatives, who’ve at times bemoaned both men’s belligerent on-air personas and unorthodox opinions.
Glenn Beck is a rising star in right wing radio, but while his listenership is large (and his latest contract reflects that) he suffered a frankly bizarre health crisis last year that turned off many audience members. Beck seems to be back to his normal self -- "a Mormon recovering alcoholic ex-rodeo clown" -- but will his career bounce back, too?
Unfortunately, too many conservative talk radio hosts live up to the stereotype of the madman blowhard. My favorites are the ones who defy that stereotype:
Hugh Hewitt is an attorney and it shows; on the rare occasions that he sics himself on a troublesome guest, his barrage of questions are designed to beat them down. At times he's been far too deep in the tank about certain issues -- his credibility really suffered due to his stalwart support for the Harriet Myers' SCOTUS nomination, and he was roundly mocked for his over the top fandom for GOP candidate Mitt Romney. However, Hewitt is enthusiastic, a generous supporter of bloggers, knowledgeable, an excellent interviewer, lots of (goofy) fun, and features incredible must-hear guests.
Dennis Prager, on the other hand, is a soft spoken, low key radio veteran with a big heart who inspires great affection and loyalty in his listeners and callers. A religious Jew, Prager brings a thought provoking spiritual point of view to the news of the day. It's not all politics -- Prager devotes weekly segments to tackling relationship problems and even the meaning of life. I get a little edgy if I miss his show a few days in a row!
I subscribe to plenty of free and premium conservative talk radio podcasts. The best indication of who my favorite happens to be is: whose show I click on first and look forward to most. That makes my favorite "right wing" talk show host...
Who could have imagined, when he started out on Saturday Night Live as a young, long haired, pseudo-hipster smart ass, that Dennis Miller would one day become the up and coming star of conservative talk radio?
He's still low-ish in the ratings, but the show just started up last year and he's gaining affiliates and podcast subscribers all the time. Why?
Because Dennis Miller really is a fresh, different voice.
When he doesn't know or understand something, he says so -- and asks callers to help him out. He's changed his mind about issues -- like gun control -- practically right on the air.
Miller is still socially liberal on issues like gay marriage, and conflicted about abortion. But he's an incredible patriot, whose affection for the troops sometimes chokes him up on air. When he talks about his wife and children, you can feel his love through the radio speakers, and not in a phony or weird way.
Rather than yell at contrarian callers, Dennis Miller often gets very Zen and disarms them with kindness. It's something other hosts could learn from. He rarely goes ballistic, and when he does, you usually can't blame him.
In an original touch, Miller has a sidekick: his long time comedy writing partner "Sal". Sal is more or less your typical Hollywood liberal, and you can practically hear him fuming every time Miller praises President Bush. However, Sal provides Miller with a terrific foil, and can be wickedly funny.
Dennis Miller's guest list in incredible. Even in his first week, Miller had big time guests from the worlds of show biz and politics. He also loves giving air time to lesser known authors, performers, charities and even budding entrepreneurs he thinks deserve a helping hand.
Miller's unabashed, "fan boy" enthusiasm for great guests and callers is contagious. (Loyal listeners will fondly recall Miller's delightful interviews with two people he'd always admired from afar: Ted "Jesus Christ, Superstar" Neely, and Andy Robinson, whose indelible performance as the Dirty Harry villain destroyed his career before it began.)
And to top it all off: Miller takes the day's musical "themes" very seriously, serving up sensational tunes.
If I could only listen to one show, I'd have to choose Dennis Miller's.
As he's said himself, he wishes he'd had his own radio show years ago, and fans have told him the same thing. Dennis Miller is a complete talk radio natural who has finally found his niche in life, at age 53. And his gratitude is palpable.
It sounds corny, but if you want to be truly entertained and informed, the Dennis Miller Show is the one to check out first.
Comments
Great post Kathy. I've been hoping you'd do a post like this ever since I got one of those fancy-schmancy iPods. Podcasting has to be one of the best inventions ever.
Thanks! My iPod is overloaded with these talk shows too. I actually don't have time to listen to them all day.
Anyone who commutes, works out or needs to block out office noise should consider downloading these shows to an iPod.
They're also great -- as i discovered -- if you're recuperating from surgery and or just sick, and are tired of TV. Also if you're having trouble sleeping.
With iPod downloads, you can listen when it is convenient for you AND the commercials are all edited out!
Some are free from Townhall, others are premium like Rush. They're all good in their own way.
They've come close to saving my sanity on many occasions, esp. Prager and Miller, for very different reasons.
Kathy, I have a question for you that I've been meaning to ask you for so long. How is it that you manage to look rodential even though you are quite hefty? Usually people who look like rodents are frail, tiny things, but you have a majestically rodential face despite your girth. Congratulations! Love your column.
I admire Dennis Miller enormously but I get testy if I am not caught up on my Hugh Hewitt listening. Though I expect he is tired of my ethnomusicology related emails...
Ya know I like Miller too but Prager is great as well. We do have Rob Breakenridge in Canada.
Prager. The smartest and most insiteful of the bunch by far.
The other day a woman called Miller and thanked him for being the first person to make her laugh after she had her stroke.
It is that kind of show.
Flea, I hear ya, but with me it is Prager. Just hearing the theme music makes me go "ahhhhhh..." I should hook myself up to a blood pressure monitor to see if there's a difference :-)
Did he call you after your doctor broke the news to you that you're a tumor?
You forgot to mention "The Great One," Mark Levin. He probably is the smartest talk show host, a constitution lawyer, and a devoted patriot. Listeners are educated in conservatism. He is bellicose at times, but it comes from his passion for the country and conservatism.
Another star that is moving swiftly up the ratings chart is Mark Levin, an constitutional lawyer who served in the Reagan administration. Talk about a riot! I remember when he made his debut on Sirius Patriot Ch. 144. Michael Reagan (who is also great!) had been on in the 6-9 pm slot when suddenly the first two hours of Michael's program were replaced with The Mark Levin Show. The first night I discovered this, I thought, "What the hell is this? You gotta be kidding me." Here was this soft spoken guy who, at least that evening, sounded boring as hell. I decided though to listen again and give the guy a chance. The very next time I listened, my whole opinion changed. He got on a subject that I felt strongly about. He started out in a normal conversational tone. As he continued however, his mood began to change, and eventually, it turned into an all out rant. At that point, he was saying exactly what I was thinking and expressing it in exactly the way I felt about it. I've been hooked ever since. For those who haven't heard Mark yet, you gotta check out his show. If you don't get a kick out of it, and learn a lot of good information in the process, you can't be a conservative.
Put off by Glenn Beck's surgery? Come on. Anyone who doesn't listen to Glenn Beck because the show's too weird wasn't paying much attention in the first place. Glenn Beck is the best host out there. Like Rush Limbaugh, Beck is funny, smart, and most importantly upbeat. Given a choice between the best two talk show hosts today, I'll listen to Beck, because (1) his show is more modern, and (2) Limbaugh's humor is sometimes off key.
On the other hosts I've listened to enough to form an opinion about:
Sean Hannity does a fantastic radio show. I can't put my finger on why, but it always grabs my attention.
Mark Levin is good, but I wouldn't listen to him before any of the top three.
I miss listening to Laura Ingraham.
Bill O'Reilly isn't as good on the radio as he is on tv. Too coarse.
Michael Savage is barely tolerable. The man is P'd off at everything! I think he's fit in better as an eccentric DJ on a classical music station. Give him the morning show so he can talk a lot.
I haven't had a chance to listen to Dennis Miller.
Quinn and Rose best of all mentioned, take it from someone who works nights. Free ipod clips on www.640whlo.com, homesite www.warroom.com
Quinn and Rose best of all mentioned, take it from someone who works nights. Free ipod clips on www.640whlo.com, homesite www.warroom.com
I have to agree with you about Dennis Miller , he is all that and more but I can only get him at home online. He is not yet on my XM in the truck and I am there most of the time.
You left off your list what I think are 2 more of the best shows on radio , John Gibson and Brian & the Judge which are on fox news talk, online,XM ,Sirius
as well as broadcast stations. They both are mostly 2 man shows and very funny as well as informative. (you gotta hear Gibson's friday show when he does his Hip-Hop week in review)
John Oakley, 640 AM in Toronto. He is conservative without being partisan.
Conspicuous by his absence on this list is Mark Davis on WBAP in Dallas. He may not be national, but I can't think of anyone I'd rather listen to if I could.
Anyone here aware that Shaidle routinely writes racist stuff against black people, Chinese people and Middle Eastern people on her website?
Rbux you are a typical left wing idiot, move on no one is interested in your lies. Great post Kathy.
Rbux you are a typical left wing idiot, move on no one is interested in your lies. Great post Kathy.
A plug for my favorite:
The "Howie Carr Show" WRKO Boston 3-7pm EDT.
(It's on the internet:
http://www.howiecarr.com/
)
It's got to be the funniest talk show in America
and it's not just the host
he's got the funniest callers as well.
The show almost never fails to crack me up
and it is an eye-opener to anyone
who thinks of Boston as the bastion of liberalism.
Here's a better link for the Howie Carr Show:
http://wrko.com/pages/681308.php
Incidentally, his show can be heard in Montreal
via a Vermont outlet.
He gets frequent Canadian callers.
What about Phil Valentine, you forgot Phil!!!
What about Phil Valentine, you forgot Phil!!!
<b>Anyone here aware that Shaidle routinely writes racist stuff against black people, Chinese people and Middle Eastern people on her website?</b>
That's why we love her! She's so dreamy.
:)
What, doesn't G.Gordon Liddy have a show anymore?
'A racist is a conservative winning an argument with a liberal...'
- Peter Brimlow
:-)
Let me second Howie Carr (see below). Kathy had me dead to rights with Rush--I dismissed him w/o ever listening to him. Same with Carr. Then I tried. Wow. I'm kind of addicted now.
Some of his talk is local to Boston, but we are the same people who brought you Mike Dukakis, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry and Barney Frank: our gifts to the nation. He's got ALL the dirt on them.
Hey. How about Michael Medved too Kathy.
My favs in order(always try to listen).
#1 Laura Ingraham (is she really gone
from radio now)
#2 Dennis Prager
#3 Michael Medved (also Jewish)
#4 Hugh Hewitt
Rush, Hanity, O'Riely and Savage, are just too high an octane for regular use in my engine.
I hadn't realized that racism was a right-left issue.
Rest assured, though, that someone who writes, as Shaidle has, that:
Jamaicans are "filthy"
Muslims are "ungrateful belligerent foreign savages" and "parasites"
Pakistanis are "illiterate violent tribal peasants"
and that Native Canadians are "parasites"
is indeed a racist. That might be, as one poster here has said, the reason that some conservatives love Shaidle. But it is no 'lie', as another poster here has claimed, to say that Shaidle has written racist statements.
I would have thought that the good editors of the Conservative Examiner would be interested in escaping the stigma of racism which unfortunately clings to many aspects of conservative thought.
Guess not!
"I hadn't realized that racism was a right-left issue."
You haven't been listening to the lefts name-calling then hve you rbux? Heck, you're not even listening to yourself for heavesake.
Btw, Jamaicans and Pakistanies are nationalities and Muslim is a faith. And Kathy said leftist are 'parasites', silly. Probably because they leach on other people money.
"I hadn't realized that racism was a right-left issue."
You haven't been listening to the lefts name-calling then hve you rbux? Heck, you're not even listening to yourself for heavesake.
Btw, Jamaicans and Pakistanies are nationalities and Muslim is a faith. And Kathy said leftist are 'parasites', silly. Probably because they leach on other people money.
I have to say that Limbaugh was the original and paved the way for the Hannitys,Savages,Coulters etc.He was willing at the time to take a stand when the media was probably 98% liberal versus 85% today.However I feel that Sean Hannity brings integrity, honesty, courage and morality to the table where as Rush-Savage-Miller seem to be a little more concerned with celebrity status.I definitely feel Hannity's stance is more from the gut and heart.
A friend of mine was on the way home from work this afternoon and heard on the Mike Medved radio talk show Mr. Jack Cashill, giving a very believable argument as to why he bleieves Sen. Obama did not personally write 'Dreams From My Father", on his own as he claims. The article can be located on www.americanthinker.com, labeled; Who Wrote Dreams From My Father; Is there anything that Sen. Obama hasn't lied about. I am a MSW and do family and individual counseling and recognize him as a pathological liar with anti social tendencies. Of cousre this part of my comments can not be used because of legal liabilities but this is what I have determined from analizing his statements and life over the last 3 months. He is a very dangerous man who will stop at nothing to bring about a socialistic government. If you were to trace his connections with the Saudians you will discover that he is backed by them. These are the same people who helped him get into Columbia and Harvard.
A frequent viewer, Jim
I believe that Sean Hannity is not belligerent, whereas Mr. Savage definitely is. Sean Hannity is very kind and considerate with his callers and the consumate professional. Please don't lump the two together.
1. Why can't Obama provide an AUTHENTIC Birth Certificate? IS HE A CITIZEN OF THE USA? The Birth Certificate provided on the internet is considered altered.....He’s in Hawaii NOW ‘c o r r e c t I n g’ his Birth Certificate to make it look genuine!
If he is NOT a Citizen, he CAN'T be President.
2. Why isn't anyone asking for his Baptismal Certificate? None has ever been provided. Is he actually a Christian ~ or ~ is he truly a Muslim?
If he is NOT a Christian, he WON'T be President.
3. What about the 70% of Military Votes NOT being counted?
Who’s ‘tending the store?’ This MUST be looked into and resolved.
Fox News and the more rational talk radio shows are our only hope from preventing a far left socialist takeover of our country. The handwriting is clear as a bell, yet is being ignored by the media that is supposed to be one of our country's safeguards under the First Amendment to the Constitution. For several years now the far left has been slowly taking over the Democratic Party. Big money from radical left wing sources such as George Soros and others has been pumped into both propaganda and election campaigns in order to get the more left wing people elected. If it were fully investigated, there is little doubt that some of this money has been illegally filtered and laundered. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being used at present in support of democratic congressional candidates in the current election. The massive amounts of money behind Kay Hagan in North Carolina in attempting to unseat Elizabeth Dole, and similar money behind attempts to unseat Senator John Sunnunu in New Hampshire are just two of the recent examples. The huge amount of money behind Barack Obama for president is even a bigger example. They make it appear that the money is coming from many individual donors, but all of it is not. We should never lose site of what George Soros represents...he wants to undo the sovereignty of the United Sates and favors a one world government among other very far left and radical objectives. We are at the turning point in the history of our nation.
The bias of the main stream media to the left and toward Democratic candidates has been clear and even getting stronger and more blatantly overt in recent years. This represents about 80 to 90% of all the information that the American public receives. They make communist cold war propaganda seem like child's play. Over recent years there has been a seeding process taking place. The far left has already been seeded in congress and other political positions throughout the country, the judicial, education, labor unions, all avenues of the media, and many other influential organizations. Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman of California recently blamed "free markets" for our nations current financial crisis to show the type of thinking that now exists. . The election of Barack Obama would represent the coup de grâce in order to finalize this takeover. There are just too many facts about Obama's history and associations with radical people and organizations that are clear indicators on what to expect if he becomes president.
Just think about an Obama presidency with an overwhelming Democratic congress and the full support of the media in order to support and propagandize their efforts, combined with the seeding that has already taken place. It would not only be a one party nation, but represent a far left socialist takeover of our country from which we may never recover. They would be able to act at will in a dictatorial fashion with no checks and balances in place. People like George Soros would have a major influence on the direction of our country.
There are just a few short days left before election time. The plea to you is to look at the facts, investigate and expose this before it is too late. You are our only remaining hope to save our country.
The topic is quite curious, i must say http://reviewedmovies.com/sql/blowjob/
uh neil boortz. how could you forget one of the most famous conservatives??
Wow, I couldn't agree more about Dennis Miller's show. I listen to all 3 hours every day, and in fact, pay to get the podcast (since my local station only carries two of the three hours). The show truly IS a breath of fresh air when stacked up against Limbaugh, Savage, Levin, Hannity and the rest. I'm so tired of people who "know everything" and push it in your face. Dennis comes off like a regular guy...albeit an extremely well-read, ridiculously articulate, really funny regular guy. But he doesn't have an axe to grind like most talk hosts do...and he's got great guests to boot.
How about "The Great One" Mark Levin. The undisclosed source of all these backbenchers material
I can't believe Bill Bennett didn't even get mentioned in this thread. I know he comes on very early (4 to 7 a.m. in my area) but well worth getting up for. He's extremely intelligent, has a great sense of humor and is a real hoot to listen to!
Here is a relatively new talker to the national stage - Jason Lewis. Very intelligent and constitutionally knowledgeable.
I wish that conservative talk show hosts would bring this to America's attention. All Americans should agree that this must be stopped.
www.silverbearcafe dot com/private/10.09/warnning.html
If you want a copy of that email send me an email address to send it to.
Senator Robert Casey shocked me with his recent e-mail trying to justify mandatory health insurance by stating that our government already has the right to inject every US Citizen with any vaccine they chose to inject us with! Apparently Casey, Arlen Specter and Rep. Chris Carney enjoy playing God over our Constitutional rights. Casey was not even apologetic about the Government forcing you and your children to be injected against their will with what ever the government deems appropriate! So this is no RUMOR!
Such a power to inject us against our will raises the specter of having a entire generation exterminated by a tainted vaccine from let's say China or even the Taliban. Far fetched? What about just a little MAD COW contaminant? Remember this letter when they hold you down kicking and screaming in the future. It is just a matter of time.
I'll give you a few conservative guys on the radio left off this article that I enjoy a lot. Roger Hedgecock a real conservative who used to be mayor of San Diego. His website allows downloading of mp3 podcasts of his shows. He is worth a listen. Then there is Bill Cunningham who basically replaced Matt Drudge nationally on Sunday nights, but he also does a local Ohio show. Both Bill and Roger are very powerful speakers.
Also like Monica Crowley who does a Nationally syndicated show on Saturdays and goes on Fox News and PBS' John McLaughlin Group.
She is very good. Her site allows streaming of some previous shows and a best of podcast on Itunes for free. She is one of the best women out there. Another woman I listen to if I can is Laura Ingraham. She also fills in for Bill O'Reilly on Fox News. She is quiet good.
Then there is Chris Stigall in Kansas City who is the best conservative on locally in KC. Likewise Herman Cain in Atlanta is very good. Should listen to him.
Before I forget Jerry Doyle, Jesse Lee Peterson and Glenn Beck are others I've heard before. The only person I listen to on the left just to laugh is Leslie Marshall who is a guest on Fox News. She is a nut as they all are on the left. Alan Colmes sucks as well. Honestly in my home city, I get Savage, Beck, Hannity, Ingraham, Rush and Levin as well as Rusty Humphries. Not a bad lineup. Savage is good. Hannity is ok. Levin is not too bad, but he bashed Savage and Beck before. Beck is different. His tv show is better, his radio show is not as good depending on what is on, but he is still good. He uses sidekicks. Some people get annoyed. Hie is a hybrid of Libertarian-conservative which make the show interesting, plus he is mormon which can drive some conservative wrong. But he is informative.
Lastly if you listen to Fox news radio streaming off the Fox News website both Business guy Tom Sullivan and former anchor John Gibson are excellent. Gibson is also on nationally across the country on radio stations.
my favorite talk show host is MICHAEL DEL GIORNO. this guy really has a great grasp of what average people are upset with - in this national philosophy of OBAMA-SOCIALISM. he,and his co-host are a breath of FRESH-AIR, in NASHVILLE area in morning. call him, I have and enjoyed his viewpoints and commitment to taking his stand against ultra-liberals. 99.7 fm ..
To beat Obama ... we've got to have a TEAM who can beat Obama and his "foot-in-mouth VP" (Joe Bidden).
Herman Cain has excellent business credentials, understanding how to create jobs )having been CEO of Godfather's Pizza and having created thousands of jobs) ... but has no political experience. He's best qualified to recover America from the precipice of destruction to which Obama has plunged this country. He can capture much of the "African-American" vote and thereby neutralize Obama's "blind hold" on this portion of the electorate. This time, we can offer them a black man with intelligence and not someone who's in "over his head" ... someone who had not even run a "hot dog cart".
Many African-Americans blindly voted for Obama. They didn't properly research that this guy was, or what he meant when he said he was going to "fundamentally transform America". They didn't take into account that he is a socialist.
Newt Gingrich, as VP, has excellent experience in the political sector and has a proven track record in getting things done in Washington. He'd be a valuable asset to President Cain, and to America in that capacity!!!
Newt is probably the BEST political mind in America.
Newt would become the best-qualified VP in the history of America!!! Imminently qualified to take over the helm, should something happen to the President.
The Cain/Gingrich TEAM would be unbeatable!!! It's not about vanity ... it's about "SAVING AMERICA".
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