Rush Limbaugh

Rush Hudson Limbaugh III (born January 12, 1951) is an American conservative radio and television talk show host whose shows are discussions primarily of politics from a conservative point of view. Limbaugh's commentary is intended to expose what he perceives as liberal fallacies and bias, report news that is underreported elsewhere, and support conservative principles in an entertaining manner. He does not claim to give an unbiased view of the facts; rather, his shows are presented as conservative political commentary on the news, though much news is presented along with the commentary.

Limbaugh began his syndicated program in the early 1980s. As the program grew in popularity, it became carried on stations with larger and larger audiences. The Rush Limbaugh Show, was responsible for the shift in AM broadcasting to a news-talk format after a decline in listenership in the 1970s. The program has for years been one of the most popular in the United States; none the less Limbaugh repeatedly refers to "the media" as being a clique that does not include him.

Many progressive and liberal critics decry the lack of a balance between liberal and conservative viewpoints on Limbaugh's shows. Limbaugh's response to this accusation is to assert that most news reporting is liberally biased; as he says, "I am equal time." He also does not claim to be a neutral reporter, and contrasts his stance with the news media's claims of objectivity. On the other hand, he has excused himself on occasion as being an entertainer, not a reporter.

Limbaugh's satire is very sharp, and has been criticized for its unkindness. News about the homeless is always preceded with the Clarence "Frogman" Henry[?] rock song Ain't Got No Home. His humor also includes self-inflation, in the style of Davy Crockett and American bluesmen.

Rush Limbaugh is as much a political symbol as he is a broadcaster, comedian, and political satirist. Shortly after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, President Bill Clinton blamed Limbaugh for fostering a "climate of hate", which conservative commentators gleefully derided. Liberals enjoy trying to expose Limbaugh's own fallacies, misstatements, and biases. Comedian and political satirist Al Franken released a book and CD titled Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations[?] (ISBN 0440508649) which, among other political humor from a liberal perspective, included harsh criticism of Limbaugh and his allegedly meager fact-finding efforts.

The liberal media watchdog group, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) released a report on October 17, 1994 exposing forty-three errors Limbaugh made during various shows. Limbaugh then responded to about half of the original claims; FAIR then rebutted his rebuttal, claiming his rebuttal did nothing of the sort. For the full text of the original, the rebuttal and the rebuttal of the rebuttal, see FAIR.org (http://www.fair.org/press-releases/fair-limbaugh-rebuttal) (external link).

Table of contents 1 Biography 2 Books 3 Jargon 4 External Links

Biography

Rush Limbaugh started out in radio as a teenager in the late 1960s in his home town of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, using the name Rusty Limbaugh. His father, a conservative judge whose wealth and power gave him considerable influence in Southeastern Missouri, had once owned the radio station where Limbaugh started his career.

Limbaugh achieved his first taste of radio success in Pittsburgh, as host of a Top 40 music radio show on station KQV, using the name "Jeff Christie". It was in Pittsburgh that many of Limbaugh's trademarks developed, including a character named "Snerdley" and his claim to use a "golden microphone".

After several years in music radio, Limbaugh accepted a position as director of promotions with the Kansas City Royals baseball team. In 1988, Limbaugh returned to radio as a talk show host in Sacramento, California. After achieving some local success, he moved to New York City in the early 1990s and eventually became syndicated via a company called Premiere Broadcasting. Limbaugh refers on-air to the "Excellence In Broadcasting Network", or "E-I-B", however there is no such actual organization.

He has a dynamic voice and dramatic presentation. His harshest critics can see that he is an excellent broadcaster. He attracted widespread support in 1998 when he complained that some radio stations were shortening his programs by cutting out the dramatic pauses to make room for more commercials.

In September 2001, Limbaugh denied suggestions that his voice and diction seemed to have changed. However, in October of 2001, he admitted that the changes in his sound were due to an almost total hearing loss. In December 2001, Limbaugh underwent cochlear implant surgery, which restored a measure of hearing in one ear.

Limbaugh was the 1992, 1995, and 2000 recipient of the Marconi Radio Award[?] for Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year, given by the National Association of Broadcasters[?]. He was inducted into Broadcasting's Hall of Fame in 1993.

Books

• The Way Things Ought to Be, 1992 (ISBN 067175145X)
• See, I Told You So, 1993 (ISBN 067187120X)

Jargon

Rush Limbaugh uses his own jargon, which is explained here:

• Dittoheads
• EIB
• Emotional punditry
• Environmental wacko
• Feminazi
• "Updates" on everything from the Kennedys to homelessness.
• Stack of stuff

External Links

• http://www.rushlimbaugh.com
• http://www.reelradio.com/jay/index#kqv74jc (an aircheck of Rush as "Jeff Christie" on KQV-AM)