A freeper's observation: Westwoood One finds a talk host to compete with Premiere's Rush

E.G.C.

[E.G.C.]

HOWDY FREEPERS!!!!

Newsmax.com is reporting this morning that Westwood One has signed Bill O'Reilly to do a radio talk show.

This show would air in Noon-3 P.M. ET time slot opposite Premiere's Rush Limbaugh.

It is reported that this show could go on the air as early as March 2002.

Westwood one is in the process of lining up stations for this show. New York talk station WOR has offered to air the show on tape delay in the evening.

As I'm sure many of you are well aware Mr. O'Reilly is the author of several books, the most recent being "The No Spin Zone". His "O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel is the top rated show on cable. His most recent venue has been to check on the charities with benefited from the 9/11 telethons. This investigation has proved to be successful as many of these charities have turned around and agrred to give the victims of these events.

[E.G.C.]

Whether or not his radio show makes it is anybody's guess. IMHO, I don't see it lasting too long. Rush is a very popular radio talk host and a lot of his competitors have come and gone. We'll see what happens.

[Nitro]

How is the "Rush-man?"

Having had surgery?

[College Repub]

As one freeper put it in another thread...A LOT of Orielys charm and appeal is in his facial expressions. That can't be conveyed on the radio. On the other hand, he could do a show full of talking points on tons of issues and then take callers and that might work. A radio show like his tv show won't work, however.

[Bahbah]

I would like to see Bill O'Reilly succeed, just not at the expense of Rush who I hear is doing very well.

[Bahbah]

Doing well after his surgery, I meant to say.

[Nitro]

How is the "Rush-man?"

[Bill S]

O'Reilly is a populist with very many extreme left, liberal views. For instance, he believes doctors' income should be controlled by government, he opposes the death penalty, he favors "campaign finance reform". He is like the fabled squirrel, though and does come up with an acorn now and then. I cannot understand why Freepers think so highly of this guy. On balance he would oppose what we are for.

[randita]

O'Reilly is a populist with very many extreme left, liberal views. For instance, he believes doctors' income should be controlled by government, he opposes the death penalty, he favors "campaign finance reform".

I've also heard him rail against SUV's.

But, on a positive note, he does take on corruption--Clinton, Rev. Jackson, border issues, etc. And he tackles head on high taxes and goernment waste.

But while I find O'Reilly's hard-hitting style interesting, I do not particularly find it entertaining. He rarely displays a sense of humor.

Rush does all O'Reilly does, but much better and with a great sense of humor. What first hooked me on Rush was his sense of humor. In the past six months, since encountering his hearing loss, he has even been funnier.

BTW, this Is recycled news. Drudge first reported it at least a month ago and O'Reilly had a cow--O denied it and raked Drudge over the coals for reporting it. Now, if it proves out, O's credibility will have sunk several notches in my book.

[tallhappy]

After his incredible hissy fit tantrums against Drudge just a few weeks ago denying any of this, he doesn't have much credibility.

He's smart to strike while the iron is hot, because he is a flash in the pan.

He's alright but no Rush Limbaugh.

People jumping on the band wagon should never make the mistake they are driving it. That's O'Reilly's biggest problem.

[E.G.C.]

Thanks, everybody for your comments on this story. This story was first reported by News max.com.

Rush is doing very well from what I understand. His coclear implant deal went off without any trouble and he should be back on the air real soon.

You have a number of major National radio sydicators. Westwood One which is owned by Infinity which also carries CBS News, CNN Radio, Fox News Radio, and so on. Then there's Clear Channel which syndicates Dr. Laura, (who BTW I understand has found a new station in Dallas-Ft. Worth for her radio show. KRLD is going "all news all day starting January 7th.)Rush, Michael Reagan and they're about to launch another one, Glenn Beck. You also have ABC Radio which sydicates Sean Hannity, Bob Brinker and Mark Davis.(His show airs on Sundays) plus many other National Newstalk radio networks as well.

All of these various entities are gunning for audiences and the higher the ratings numbers are, the more happier they are. That's how the business works.

I might also put in a good word for Newsmax. They did a much better and more diginified job in breaking this story than Drudge did.
Regards.

[BufordP]

Walter Williams said Friday that his surgery was successful and he'll be back early January.

[trek]

As Rush himself said:

Come on in, the water's warm!

Limbaugh will CRUSH O'Reilly. Limbaugh is a nearly unique radio personality. Few people understand this. Radio is special and O'Reilly just doesn't have the radio gene.

Though they have not achieved Limbaugh's fame, Bob Brinker and Bruce Williams also have the radio gene. Their shows have the same format as Rush and they have been on the air even longer than Rush. Brinker does finance and Williams does an eclectic mix of finance and general commercial/legal advice. These topics don't excite like politics since there is no main stream media to be the counterpoint to. But both Brinker and Williams attract and retain an audience in a format that has no guests, only callers and the radio personality of the host. For my money, Brinker is the best after Rush. I give him higher marks because of the "degree of difficulty" of his task. Brinker holds an audience talking about FINANCE! I swear, the guy could read from the phone book and people would still listen.

trek

[E.G.C.]

Thanks, Trek for the post. I understand the Newsmax article has now been posted so in the interest of bandwidth and space, I'm going to defer all further comments to that thread. Thanks everybody for the posts and comments on this subject.
Regards.

[Mike Darancette]

As a "politically neutral" journalist O'Reilly doesn't have 20 hours a week worth of material (including Fox show).

[churchillbuff]

I agree that OReilly may simply not have enough to say to fill up the hours in an interesting way. He can interview people doggedly - but are his own thoughts worth listening to? Rush, in contrast, has a highly developed outlook on the world which is philosophically consistent and challenging. He doesn't have to manufacture opinions.

[Bernard Marx]

I cannot understand why Freepers think so highly of this guy. On balance he would oppose what we are for.

Congratulations! Someone's finally been able to figure out what Freepers are "for." After three years of mostly lurking here it certainly escapes me. But it's a lively and interesting place and I learn a lot so I keep coming back, despite serious anger about some of the censorship I see here. But I'm a guest after all.

As for O'Reilly, he does something no one else is doing. He's a muckraker. He attacks the entrenched and powerful, especially in government that no one else seems motivated to (or able) to take on. He clearly is protected by Roger Ailes and perhaps even Murdoch so he doesn't have to worry about his back.

Unlike the original muckrackers, mostly socialists like Lincoln Steffens and Upton Sinclair who targeted the excesses of Big Business, O'Reilly goes after targets on the Left that have been mostly untouched by post-Watergate so-called "investigative" reporting. That is a very good thing. He also seems to be the only major figure in America other than David Horowitz who is really going after the mavens of Political Correctness. Who could not love someone who goes after the likes of Jesse Jackson, the N.O.W. Gang and countless others among the powerful, and actually gets results? As a former journalist myself, I love it! I certainly don't agree with O'Reilly all the time but I appreciate the fact that someone is bringing these stories to the public's attention and laying out the issues. This type of investigative reporting died a politically-correct death after Watergate when all the new hires wanted to "change the world" by distorting the news instead of reporting it. O'Reilly makes me crazy sometimes, especially on the issue of "global warming," but he's doing an important service.

As for him taking on Rush, especially now, that's a tough one. Rush has done a lot for the conservative cause but has made himself vulnerable to competition by concentrating on becoming rich and social-climbing instead of fighting the good fight. I've been having trouble staying interested in his show for several years now. He has occasional important things to say but his ego has become insufferable even to allies like me. But he is the consummate "radio guy" and there's a big question in my mind if O'Reilly will have the same appeal.

[E.G.C.]

Thanks Mike for your post. Bumping for more comments.

[Mike Darancette]

Unlike the original muckrackers, mostly socialists like Lincoln Steffens and Upton Sinclair who targeted the excesses of Big Business,...

O'Reilly seems to have a bit of the "Big Business Bad" knee jerk in him too. Witness his piling on the Oil and Power companies earlier this year without any proffer of evidence that they had done anything illegal or even un-ethical.

I like O'Reilly but still don't think that he has 20 hours/week worth of material (Rush didn't)-- Talk Radio IS entertainment.

[Bernard Marx]

Mike, I meant to say: "who ONLY targeted Big Business, etc." I have no problem with a reporter ferreting out corruption and abuse of power wherever it's to be found. As a conservative I find plenty of business tactics that are very quesionable, starting with the credit card companies. Another is AT&T: I have serious issues with those folks and with plenty of other businesses that use bullying tactics to steamroll the competition and overcharge their customers.

The refreshing thing about O'Reilly is that he's an "equal opportunity" muckraker, following his own perceptions of where problems lie (although my perceptions don't always agree with his). At least he gets issues into the open and lets "the folks" decide. That kind of reporting has been AWOL in the U.S. for far too long.

I agree O'Reilly may be trying to push his skills too far. If he does an interview show where he tangles-ass with the right opponents I might listen. If I have to listen to him pontificate for several hours a day, no way. Where Rush had problems with TV, O'Reilly may have problems with radio.