Posted on 01/31/2005 6:53:07 AM PST by Rightliner.com
Michael Savage perhaps? No, he'll never be mainstream enough. What about Glen Beck ? He's funny, witty, and doesn't get boring like Sean, or isn't crazy like Savage.
Then it came to me - the person to take over the #1 slot when Rush retires (assuming it's in the next 10 years or so, and not way, way into the future) would be Bill O'reilly! Think about it, he's number one on Cable News, and he's doing well on talk radio. He's survived a scandal - extemely well, and he draws an audience from the left and from the right? Sometimes he gets a little too friendly with libs, but he generally has a conservative way of thinking. He does need to be a little more entertaining, but he's got a legitimate shot at it I think.
What say you?
No one will take over. This should be clear to anyone now. Other talk shows have their own formats and varied personalities.
The closest one is Hannity, but his show is different from Limbaugh's.
Anything's possible. I listen to O'Reilly but don't consider him a conservative, more of a populist.
Personally, by the time Rush is ready to retire they will probably be someone we have never heard of up and coming and ready to take over.
None of the above.
How much longer will Rush do this? He does say he's a talk show host 4 Life....
O'Reilly is an idiot.
Next topic.
Me.
I bet he'll do this well into his 60s at least.
Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, while entertaining conservatives, lack the wit and intelligence of Rush.
Rush is irreplaceable. But someone will come along to take over that time slow, not to replace Limbaugh.
Limbaugh is a force of nature. The others are products.
Is a "Limabugh" a pest which preys on lima beans?
Agreed. No one will "take over" for Rush -- that's old-line MSM thinking, like Rather taking over for Cronkite.
The last conservative radio icon, Paul Harvey, was replaced by whom? Maybe Limbaugh? So maybe Limbaugh slowly fades like Harvey and is never actually replaced.
Dennis Miller would do well, imo.
As for O'Reilly, it seems like the better we get to know him, the more unworthy he becomes. I predict in 5 years or less, O'Reilly will be a has-been like Keith Olbermann.
As for someone like O'Reilly, if the next king of talk radio is to the left of Rush, conservatism is in trouble.
Roger Hedgecock
"Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity, while entertaining conservatives, lack the wit and intelligence of Rush."
I agree 100%!
"Dennis Miller would do well, imo."
Interesting.. I like him too.
Laura Ingraham.
Paul Harvey is still going
I like Hugh Hewitt. Tech savvy and al around well read. Really enjoy his show from the W coast.
He's humorless, unoriginal, boring, and incapable of winning an argument with a liberal.
3 possibilities.
A) Anne Coulter, with one hand tied behind her back
B) Laura Ingraham
C) Mark Steyn, probably the best of the lot.
Mark Levin.
Michael Medved can and does take on lefties all the time,
plus he's original and entertaining.
He has more debating ability than any host I've ever heard
(although Mark Belling comes close).
Hannity has absolutely no talent, and Beck is too nuts.
What?
O'Reilly is an idiot. Sean only less so (But at least he's an outstanding foot soilder for the Repubs), Savage is an embarrassment and probably a closet liberal/homosexual, Glen Beck is OK, but he's not Prime Time.
Someone new, I guess...But like Carson, there will never be another Rush. And certainly not O'Reilly. Besides, what makes you think he can take over for Rush? He's just as old, if not older. Rush will probably outlast him. O'Reilly is only in it for the money...Rush enjoys it!
"Why would Limbaugh retire? "
A lot will depend on how (and if ) the FL Supreme Court decides on his latest appeal, I suppose...
Although like Liddy and North, he could still stay on the air.
RUSh cannot be replaced, just like Johhny Carson.
Rush has said time-and-again, "I will not retire until everyone agrees with me." It is a promise he has made to his listeners and I believe he will endure! Like Carson, (as many of you have said), he is timeless!
Rush Forever!
I think it's because he's an independent thinker and uses reason to come to conclusions. And, of course, humor.
Paul Harvey is still going
______________________
I know that is why I said Limbaugh might fade away like Harvey rather than be replaced when retiring at the top.
No one can replace Rush
And Savage shouldn't even be in the same paragraph as him, Savage is nuts.
Has anyone heard of Andrew Wilkow? He is very very talented.
O'Reilly....no, no, no, no, no. Could never listen to that guy 3 hours a day.
Savage is one of my favorites on the radio. It will be a sad day when he goes over the line and loses his radio license.
Here is his web site for anyone interested,
www.boortz.com
How is Hannity an idiot?
I would agree that his arguments can be simplistic. However, oddly enough his books are well written and shows that he has a full length of knowledge about history, law, and other political topics.
No one can replace Limbaugh. But there will be hundreds who will try, and that I suppose is the silver lining when the time comes.
I agree with you!
Remember Johnny Carson?
When Carson was about to retire, I used to think there would be a string of people, just as good and maybe even better than he was, for sure.... sadly, I was proven wrong. It took all these years since he's been gone to realize how ordinary some of today's talk shows are. I just CAN'T BELIEVE that the networks gave up and "settled" for these bozos. O'Brien???? what an idiot this guy is!... Even Jay Leno or Letterman... hmmm.. they are 'ok,' and I can stand them from time to time.... but they are far from filling johnny's shoes.
How mediocre all these people really are, as talk show hosts go.... Maybe there are not... Maybe Johnny was just so good! they simply look so small compared to him....
I believe Rush is in the same class... If, or when he goes, I've got the feeling we will be waiting for a long long time before anyone even close shows up. Perhaps not in my life time!
As with Johnny, I can't wait to listen to El_RushBo's 'monologues.' Those first 10 o 15 minutes of the show, are so dynamic and funny! and just full of excitement (and himself :)
It's such a treat for me! - I just hope the ones who will replace him, will be better than their counterparts on the tv side :)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.