Reply #63: From One Who Saw The "Birth" Of Hate Radio

[KharmaTrain]

You've hit on several very good themes...and glad others noticed it.

Here are a couple things from someone who was on the "ground" of talk radio in the late 80's and early 90's that may explain a bit more about Rushbo's "success"

He was radio's first "oursource"...stations could air Rushbo's show during middays for next to nothing rather than pay their own talent or produce their own programs. As "deregulation" got a full head of steam, downsizing was the vogue...shows like Rushbo helped prop up the bottom line as stations that used to have 5 or 6 talents now only need 2 or 3...then just one.

Things really kicked into high gear when Telcom '96 came along allowing companies like Cheap Channel, CBS, Citadel and others to control the majority of radio licenses and with it, they chose what the program. Ratings meant nothing...only "cleareance"...saturation radio. Sure, they claim Rushbo has millions of listeners, but that's based on his show being placed on hundreds of co-owned stations...and those numbers, not of one specific station, was how the show was sold...bulk rate. Again, making money but both cutting costs and talent.

The fun is trying to track down Rushbo's numbers. Today I heard he either had 6 million, 12 million or 20 million listeners (depending on the right wing hag bag talking). Now how do they come up with those numbers? Besides out of their ass? It's taking the POTENTIAL audience a station can attract...a cumulative number rather than quantitative. It's a number derived by the people who happen to tune into the station as opposed to those who are specifically tuning into his show. Thus because you're in the newspaper, it's assumed everyone in town reads about you...this same game is played in radio.

Lastly, look up a fellow by the name of Edward McLaughlin...he was the head of EFM Media...the company that "discovered" Rushbo in Sacramento and is the "EIB". It was McLaughlin that was Rushbo's meal ticket...a dieheard repugnican who had a lot of connections and used them to get the "EIB" on the air. Many of his good friends became majority owners during the 90's...one back scratching another.