It's not that everyone is cynical, it's just that all media are big business... Rush, Sean, Bill, Ann and, yes, even Jeanne are not paid to be political analysts, pundits, etc. They are paid to be entertainers. That's what sells soap. Even Randi Rhodes gets on some Clear channel stations outside of AAR, because she apparently did well enough on her Palm Beach radio show. Guess she got the "Howard Stern" crowd.
So yes, years before I was born, maybe Jack Parr routinely interviewed poets, captains of industry, labor leaders, statesmen and such in a thought-provoking way - back when things didn't have to fit into 15 sec. soundbites, and one could relax with a cigarette on the air. But, that isnt' today...