Limbaugh to O'Reilly: Come and Join the Crowd

NewsMax ^ | 19 November 2001 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com

[PetroniDE]

Talk radio top dog Rush Limbaugh said Monday that he welcomes the challenge from Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly, who is reportedly shopping for a talk radio show to compete in Limbaugh's time slot.

"I think it's great. I welcome everybody into this," Limbaugh told a caller who asked about a report Sunday night that O'Reilly was planning to take him on.

Limbaugh said he saw the O'Reilly move as "a chance to even further even the balance that is the out of balance factor that exists in the media today."

The radio legend said he didn't take O'Reilly's plan to move into his territory personally.

"People treat this as though I'm the only guy on from noon to 3 (p.m.)," Limbaugh said. There are 600 radio stations I'm on. I'm directly opposed to other people."

But the conservative talker suggested that O'Reilly had a way to go before he had a shot at the top spot.

"I don't own noon to 3. Well, I do - but I had to earn it," Limbaugh said. "There are a lot of people Mr. O'Reilly, or anybody, is going to have to overcome before he even gets to me."

"(It's) just like if you're in third place in baseball trying to make first place standings. You've got to beat the second place team before you get to the first place team."

The radio talker was responding to the Drudge Report, which said the cable TV star might be taking advantage of Limbaugh's recent announcement that he was going deaf.

"The timing of O'Reilly's radio career -- and his decision to take on Limbaugh directly -- is bound to raise eyebrows," Matt Drudge said. "It is not clear if O'Reilly views the Limbaugh franchise as weakened and vulnerable since Limbaugh announced earlier this season that he has lost his hearing, or if the timing of the O'Reilly move is simply a natural progression of his media success."

Coincidently, Limbaugh announced earlier in the day's broadcast that he was now completely deaf in both ears and was ready to undergo a highly risky cochlear implant operation.

[PetroniDE]

Love the positive attitude Rush is showing. Instead of whining and crying like liberals, he is welcoming O'Reilly.

[DouglasKC]

The radio graveyward is littered with the corpses of hosts who have tried to unseat Limbaugh.

[VaBthang4]

Bad move by O'Reilly if it is so.

The King is deaf.....not dead.

[PetroniDE]

O'Reilly has a very good television show (even though he has too many liberal guests). Whether he can duplicate that on radio is another matter. I predict that many stations that carry Rush live will carry O'Reilly on a delayed basis.

Rather have O'Reilly as an occassional alternative that some liberal host.

[PetroniDE]

Is it true? Not sure. Hopefully, O'Reilly will mention something this evening.

If his show is broadcast on DB (delay broadcast), say after Rush, he has a chance. I remember that many affiliates of Dr. Laura DB her show after Rush, and she has been successful.

[GuillermoX]

Rush has never been scared of competition.

gawd, who cares what this Drudge person says...???

[Anotherpundit]

Yup. O'reilly might do well with guests, but Limbaugh is an artist -- television and radio are very different media, and doing well in one does NOT mean you can do well in the other (as Limbaugh himself has found.)

[colorado tanker]

I like O'Reilly's TV show, along with most Fox coverage. My six sense tells me, however, that he may not translate well to talk radio. The time slot thing is not so big out West because with tape delay the slots are jumbled anyway. For example, we have Hannity up against Rush in Denver.

[Revolting cat!]

Tomorrow's headline today:

Limbaugh Rocked, Really Riled by O'Reilly's Rush!

[yeswecan]

O'Reilly has occasionally done some good pieces, but seems to be a lot more of an opportunist than a serious journalist. I find people claiming to be without bias in the end merely prove to be without scruples. I don't think he will make it very far in radio for the reasons that Rush has repeated ad nauseum. TV sound bites are a different format than the more extensive analysis that goes on at EIB. The depth of O'Reilly's analysis does not seem to get very past, "No-spin zone". I don't see O'Reilly having much in the way of philosophical groundings from which to draw.

[hchutch]

What may happen is O'Reilly may find himself sliding to a different time slot, probably morning. That might be bad for Howard Stern, because I like O'Reilly, but not enough to tune out Rush at lunch.

But my morning drive time might be split between Howard and Bill.

[Slyfox]

Who knows? With both of them on at the same time it will probably be like Letterman and Leno.
They both have substantial and loyal audiences.

[Winfield]

I appreciate both Rush and O'Reilly.....but my favorite is Hannity. We need to get Hannity on nationwide, before O'Reilly. Thank God that we Conservatives have so many choices. The poor Libs just can't get a winner. BTW, wonder whatever happened to that loser, Bubba Clinton's plans for a talk show? I might have watched.....just for laughs.

[driftless]

Having O'Reilly on a delayed basis would be great. That way I could get the liberal/socialist slant from NPR in the early morning and then the conservative/capitalist view (antidote) as the day progresses.

Incidentally NPR always professes amazement that anyone would think them left of center, but you just have to hear Wisconsin Public Radio to judge for yourself. The main hosts Tom Clark and Jean Feraca are ultra-liberal with Feraca qualifying as an outright socialist.

[Bommer]

We need to get Hannity on nationwide, before O'Reilly.

Hannity IS nationwide. Went Nationwide Sept 10th. As for O'Reilly, he is becoming more and more of a pompous self glorifying snob. Half of his time will be spent pitching his own merchandise. I took him seriously once, then he started pitching simplistic common sense books as some sorta "second coming literary brilliance" and wardrobe and hats. He lost all credibility. Just imagine Peter Jennings or Dan Rather doing the same thing and you'll get my point

[paltz]

Rush may look at it this way:

1.competition is good
2.more people preaching a conservative gospel is even better