James Golden (Rush's Bo Snerdley who unfortunately never gets air anymore)ML/NJ
Bob Grant
Steve Malzberg (at least until he moved away from WABC)
Hugh Hewitt saved my sanity during the election. I rate him tops.
Of course since we are rating talk show hosts I would rate Al Franken, Jeanne Grafalo and Randi Rhodes under the floor and beneath the basement.
Rush Limbaugh...Hands down!!!
I don't mind a bit that Rush takes very few calls. I tune in to hear what HE has to say, not what "Frank from Weasel Bluff, IN" has to say.
(Apologies to all the Franks from Weasel Bluff, IN.)
In the San Francisco Bay Area (before I moved) I listened a lot to KSFO. That’s where I got burned out on Hannity because for a while they were nearly all Hannity all the time.
I like Lee Rodgers. He’s crabby and can carry a show. And has a ton of good/interesting stories. I listen to him via the web sometimes.
Geoff Metcalf always had informative (if slightly dry) shows. I think he occasionally writes for WND now or something.
Brian Wilson (“just sliding down the razor blade of life”) was witty and interesting. Sort of had a David Lee Roth motormouth-rap quality about him.
Mike Reagan can stuff more information into a single segment than anyone around, but I’ll be darned if I can stomach more than about 15 minutes of it.
At one time they had a good host named Jim Eason (Easton?). He retired or something.
KSFOs sister-station, KGO, had a guy named Ronn Owens that would occasionally have an interesting guest. Otherwise he was unlistenable. As was the rest of their line-up, IMO.
I’ve never been able to stand Savage. Well, except for his Dr. Un-Savage bit (whatever he called it) he’d do from time to time.
But for years and years I worked nights – and the night was OWNED(!!) by Art Bell. Not the goofy “Dreamland” weekend shows, but Coast to Coast. That was the best show that ever ran, IMO. Can’t stomach it with the new guy(s) or sit-in guests. I understand he still does it on occasion, but have stopped listening long ago.
The local radio in southern CA is pretty bad. I mostly tune across KFI, but John and Ken are shrill dopes, Bill Handel isn’t much to write home about. Rush follows him. The one person I enjoy occasionally is Phil Hendrie (however it’s spelled). The show itself isn’t particularly funny, but the dopes in the audience that think his scripted show is serious and call in complaining are classic fools.
Whatever. I guess I go more by enjoyable/entertaining/interesting rather than just straight info/insight.
Rush Limbaugh - Still the Babe Ruth of talk radio. He still has some incredible insights into politics that no one else can match. The downside is that sometimes I find his show to be too much toe the line and think he’s full of it. Some of it even seems hypocritical or self-serving.
Sean Hannity – Overall one of the best shows out there. He has a good personality, but sometimes he seems more message than substance.
Laura Ingraham – Very consistent and sometimes very funny show. She is too nice to liberals when they come on.
Michael Savage – At times he can be the best radio personality bar none. Other times he seems whiny, redundant, inconsistent, and reactionary. His bad spells on radio can go one for up to 2 weeks and he can alienate some listeners. Is still my favorite to listen to, because when he’s hot, he the best.
Imus – A once good show continuing to go down the tubes since they endorsed Kerry because of the parade of MSM people on his show.
Michael Medved ping
Rush has been a fairly dull cheerleader for the GOP status quo for years. It makes his program fairly difficult to listen to. He is at least quick witted and fairly intelligent & funny.
Same goes for Sean Hannity, though he isn't as quick witted as Rush. He is a good & sincere guy, though.
Probably the best conservative spokesman on the radio, in terms of intelligence, quick wit, precision of argument, and quality of contentious guests, is Mike Medved. He will also call the GOP to task when they deserve it and he is not a shill.
When it comes to unique combination of brains, savvy, cunning, street smarts, and life experience, G Gordon Liddy ranks highly, also. Again, not a GOP shill (see a pattern?)
Right behind Medved (and Liddy) in terms of natural brains, I rank Mike Savage and Laura Ingrahm.
Savage's weakness is that he clearly doesn't prep much, but gets by on natural great intelligence and quick wit. He undermines his credibility with his occasional explosions, but that's park of his marketing, I think. Savage's greatest strength is his ability to raise personal and historical anecdotes, and dovetail that day's news into the anecdotes and come to what are genuine flashes of brilliance. (I am an unusually tough critic and don't say 'brilliance' cavalierly or lightly).
If Savage did his homework, he would be an A+ radio guy. As it stands, he gets by on his natural brains and is at the B/B+ level (which I am simpatico with since that was my approach to studies until I hit law school!).
Laura is very good - she is bright and fairly quick witted. I enjoy her show and don't find her deficient in the braions or content department at all.
Savage and Ingrahm are not shills for the GOP either, I think.
Prager is awesome - the heart of the conservative radio. Excellent for micro-cultural analysis (while Medved is more into macro-cultural analysis). More people should listen to this guy.
My Wizard of Oz theme of the best hosts are:
Brains- Medved
Heart - Prager
Courage - Savage/Liddy
Ingrahm would be the Glenda, and probably tie with Tammy Bruce, who offers excellent insight from her background that includes being a leftist operative for years. She saw the light - she is on our side on many issues now and has a great show with a very valuable opinion. Very smart, very tough, very sincere - "The Tammy" is cool.
My #1 guy is Dennis Prager. He is thoughtful & logical without resorting to blowhard techniques.
Rush is the master. Nobody can touch him...he really DOES make it look easy. Not only is he the best broadcaster of the bunch, he's got great political insight. I do sometimes wish he still did lots of "updates" and some of his older shtick, though.
Laura Ingraham is great too. She wants me. I can tell.
Neal Boortz will either cause you to stand up and cheer or throw your radio across the room in frustration...usually about five minutes apart. He's got a distinctly different viewpoint from most other conservative talkers, because he's more libertarian than conservative. He's pro-choice (won't allow abortion to even be discussed on his show), anti-Southron (he calls Confederate-history supporters "flaggots", this despite broadcasting from Atlanta and being educated at Texas A&M), and often obnoxious, but he's entertaining as hell and thought-provoking too.
Hannity...meh. I wouldn't mind having a few beers with the guy, he seems genuinely nice, but I'm not a fan of his show. Too repetitive, too many liberals on, too much book-hawking and schmoozing. His show sounds like the RNC talking points for that day. I don't hate his guts or anything, I just think his show is not as intelligent as most others I've heard.
Glenn Beck, now there's an odd one. I like him. Funny, good production, and he's not afraid to bring his own personal demons out and confront them to make a point. He's done some stuff on the air, talking about his family and childhood, that's absolutely wrenching. He's different.
I wish G. Gordon Liddy was still around at the top of his game 15 years ago. I used to listen to him on WJFK in Washington, right after Howard Stern. His 11:00 am hour of "review and comment on the news" got me started on conservative talk radio, and then Rush during the 1991 Gulf War sealed the deal.
}:-)4
I would defend Hannity on this basis -
1) He appeals to young people and women.
2) By doing so he brings this demographic into the conservative fold.
I have no problem with that.
save for later comment :0)
Vanity in the News!
You're gonna get it!
LOL!
Is it possible that ones taste in Talk Radio depends on ones age. I would hazard a guess judging by most of the postings I have read that this discussion is dominated by forty somethings and above.
I listened to el Rushbo from about 12yrs of age to 17yrs.
From 18yrs to the present it has been all Micheal Savage.
Maybe I will enjoy Rush once again someday?
Bennett - ON at 3AM in Cal. Usually asleep.
Ingraham - Legal issues made understandable. Personality reminds me of my sister; straight forward, and no BS allowed.
Rush - His emminence, the Godfather.
Prager - Good guy, but sometimes tedious.
Medved - Has political insight, but gets culture and morality confused. e.g. Caller's college-age daughter who had her ears pierced 3 times: The earrings was of more interest to Medved (she was bad for doing that), than the fact that this girl stood upto a lefty professor, and was downgraded. No TV stand seems a little extreme. TV is bad, but one needs to be aware of what is going on in all media.
Hannity - Yeah, hot tempered and arrogant, but sometimes hits the nail squarer than anyone. More listenable than Medved because of above.
Hewitt - Excellent insight but comes off as a little smug.
Elder - Better personality than Hewitt, but I agree with Hewitt more.
Rantel - Hero of the College Republicans. Not spectacular, but has good insights. Interesting weekly conversations with Ann Coulter. Conversations feed off of one another.
New entry :
John Ziegler (KFI) - Version of Larry Elder - Libertarian leaning Republican. Usually smart.
Hugh Hewitt is #1.