Rush Limbaugh launched his phenomenally successful
radio broadcast into national syndication on August 1, 1988, with 56 radio stations. Twenty years later it is heard on nearly 600
stations by up to 20 million people each week and is the highest rated national
radio talk show in America.
Known as the media pundit who reshaped the political
landscape with his entertaining and informative brand of conservatism, Mr.
Limbaugh is also widely credited with resuscitating AM radio by many industry
experts.
In addition to his radio program, broadcast weekdays
from noon to 3 p.m. ET, Mr. Limbaugh hosts “The
Rush Limbaugh Morning Update,” a 90-second commentary which debuted in March
1992 and airs Monday through Friday.“The Rush Limbaugh Show” and “The Rush Limbaugh Morning Update” are
produced and distributed by Premiere Radio Networks.
With
his diverse media background, Mr. Limbaugh is also the author of “The Limbaugh
Letter,” the most widely read political newsletter in the country, as well as
two best-selling books, The Way Things
Ought to Be and See, I Told You So, which
have sold more than 8.9 million copies. The
sales of See, I Told You So set an
American publishing record.
In 2000, Mr. Limbaugh tackled the Internet,
expanding his media dominance with the launch of RushLimbaugh.com.Employing cutting edge technology, it is one
of the most popular radio broadcasting websites.It offers subscribers the opportunity to
experience his show via video and audio Podcasting as well as live streaming
audio.
Mr. Limbaugh has been profiled on CBS’s “60
Minutes,” ABC’s “20/20,” and in
numerous publications including US News and World Report, National
Review, Time Magazine, New York Times Magazine and USA
Weekend.Other guest television
appearances include “Nightline” with Ted Koppel, “Crossfire,” “Good Morning
America,” “CBS This Morning,” “The Today Show,” “The Phil Donahue Show,” “The
Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show,” “This Week,” with David
Brinkley, and “Meet the Press” with Tim Russert.
Recognized for his achievements, Mr. Limbaugh
received the Marconi Award for Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year given
by the National Association of Broadcasters in 1992, 1995, 2000 and 2005.In 1993, he was inducted into the Radio Hall
of Fame and in 1998, into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of
Fame.
Born Rush Hudson Limbaugh III in Jan. 1951 in Cape
Girardeau, Missouri, to a family with generations of attorneys, he chose to
explore his passion for broadcasting at age 16 by working on-air as a disc
jockey for a radio station in his hometown.After four years, he left for Pittsburgh
to work at the former ABC owned
and operated KQV.He later moved to Kansas City where he
eventually tired of disc jockey life and left broadcasting for business.He joined the Kansas City Royals as director
of group sales in Feb. 1979 and later served as director of sales and special
events.
By 1983, Mr. Limbaugh got the broadcasting bug back
and re-entered radio as a political commentator for KMBZ in Kansas City.A year later, he was the host of a daytime talk show on
KFBK in Sacramento, Calif.,
where he nearly tripled the program’s ratings in four years.From there, he went to New York in 1988 where his record-breaking
national show was born.
