Last week, radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh passed at age 70 from lung cancer.
President Ronald Reagan said that Rush “was the voice for conservatism and he should not worry that liberals call you the most dangerous man in America.” President Trump felt so supportive of Limbaugh’s rhetoric that upon learning of his imminent demise, he awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom before he passed. Trump said of Limbaugh, “He was a fantastic man, a fantastic talent. and people, whether they loved him or not, they respected him, they really did.”
Others weren’t quite so supportive. The Washington Post said, “He was the alpha and omega of modern conservatism creating the rise of outrage entertainment.” The Wall Street Journal called him “A right-wing radio host.” People Magazine said, “He was wildly controversial and wildly popular.” Fox News called him “A monumentally influential conservative talk radio pioneer who helped shape the modern-day Republican Party.” Politico tried to be balanced and said that his followers called themselves “ditto heads” because they agreed with everything he said.
His detractors said he was incendiary, ridiculous or just plain mean. The point is that wherever you are on the right/left scale, you knew who he was and definitely did not react blandly.
So, what made Limbaugh what he became over his career? There once was in a world that believed in regulation and equal treatment for all, something called the Fairness Doctrine.
Introduced by the FCC in 1949, the requirement for all broadcasters with licenses issued by the FCC was to both present controversial issues and to do so in a manner that was honest, equitable and balanced.
The Fairness Doctrine required broadcasters to allocate a portion of their airtime to matters of public interest and to air contrasting views. The Supreme Court upheld the Fairness Doctrine in Red Lion Broadcasting Co v. FCC in 1969.
The FCC eliminated the Fairness Doctrine in 1987 when Ronald Reagan was President. Some people consider this action by a federal regulatory agency to be the beginning of political polarization in our country and the end of bi-partisanship in law-making.
Limbaugh was just beginning his radio career and seized on the new freedom. He tapped into a deep-seated frustration on the part of conservatives and grew his audience to nearly 27 million listeners. Today, social media journalists get paid in part by eyeballs and clicks. Back then, the number of listeners Rush attracted on 600 stations that carried his program created an advertising revenue bonanza. Forbes listed his annual salary as $84.5 million in 2018. His net worth was $600 million.
Not bad for a guy who talked three hours per day, five days per week.
Roger Carlton writes a bi-weekly column for The Graham Star.