Limbaugh, Rush (1951—)

Rush Limbaugh is a conservative radio talk show host often ascribed with regenerating interest in AM radio when his program, The Rush Limbaugh Show, became nationally syndicated in 1988. By the mid-1990s, his program was attracting more than 11 million weekly [Page 407]listeners and still holds steady today, with roughly 14 million listeners each week. For most of the past 2 decades, the show has been ranked by the media research group Arbitron as the most popular radio talk show in the United States. Limbaugh is compensated handsomely for his success; in 2001, he agreed to an 8-year contract in the amount of $285 million, a salary unprecedented in American radio.

For regularly reaching and captivating such a large portion of the electorate, Limbaugh is credited ...