HUGH HEWITT and Free Republic: How should we help him help us? [Who **IS** this guy?]

Hugh Hewitt confirms his NEW radio station list: NEW times, cities, call letters ^ | 10/20/2001 | RonDog

[RonDog]

In recent weeks, some here have expressed concern about the large number of posts on this forum aggressively promoting nationally syndicated talk radio host Hugh Hewitt, asking:

1 - Who **IS** this guy?
2 - Why is he getting so much attention here?
3 - Is this a good thing? (or proper, ethical, in our best interest, etc.?)

Since I have started (and contributed to) MANY of these threads, I now intend to address these concerns, and encourage vigorous debate among all who care to join in. ALL opinions are welcome, but INFORMED opinions are preferred.
If you do not yet know about Hugh Hewitt and his enormous positive, dynamic, long-term relationship with Free Republic, you are ignorant. This is not an insult; it is a definition:

"Everybody is ignorant. Only on different subjects." Will Rogers

Fortunately, that ignorance is 100% curable. If in the past you did NOT know about Hugh Hewitt and his relationship to Free Republic, after reading this thread you WILL. At least enough to make a constuctive contribution to the question:

What should Free Republic DO about Hugh Hewitt?

Here are the areas about which I propose to encourage SERIOUS discussion:

1 - Documented HISTORY of the relationship which has developed between Hugh Hewitt and Free Republic:

a - Hugh lurks here. He OFTEN promotes FR on his radio program, in VERY positive terms - sometimes referring to us as the "Coast-watchers over at Free Republic." Doug from Upland, ALOHA RONNIE, DLfromthedesert, PatiPie and many other FReepers are regular callers.
Hugh responds to suggestions that we make, and credits this forum as the source for MUCH of his news. He has promoted FReeper causes on MULTIPLE occasions, cited the screen names of MANY FReepers on the air, and OFTEN includes links from his "Message of the Day" page to specific threads here, in addition to maintaining a PERMANENT link to FR on his homepage.

b - He is a kindred spirit. He champions many of our core values, and wants to share the magic of Free Republic with his radio listeners and editorial readers across the USA. He is reaching out to help us achieve many of our common goals. He is a California-based (south of Los Angeles) evangelical Christian (elder in the Presbyterian church) who still teaches Constitutional Law (at Chapman College). He aggressively supports the military, vigorously defends people of faith, regularly attacks incompetance in government, and frequently exposes bias in the media.

c - He is an activist. Hugh has been a believer in the power of FReeping - even before he knew what it was! When the television networks tried to throw the Presidential election in 2000 by calling a winner before the polls closed, he set up a website (www.TheFloridaEffect.com) to document lost Republican votes. He understands the tremendous value of early financial support (even in very small amounts) for such worthy causes as the taking back the Senate in 2002.

2 - Short-term TACTICS to promote maximum exposure of "Hugh Hewitt" threads on Free Republic:

a - Search for "Hugh Hewitt": Since newbies that Hugh sends to Free Republic for the first time (and even a few old-timers here!) do not know very much about finding articles on this forum, JohnHuang2, Doug from Upland and I have been adding the name "Hugh Hewitt" to the title of articles about him that we post here, to make them easier to find. We also post his editorials in the "Editorial" sidebar, and other important information as "Extended News" for maximum exposure.

b - Search for Articles+Replies to:"Hugh Hewitt" - John Robinson's new "Bump List" Register provides an excellent PASSIVE mechanism for marking threads for easy retrieval at a later date. This new tool allows each of us to contribute to a "Hugh Hewitt clipping service" - by posting a reply to "Hugh Hewitt" on any thread which may be of interest to Hugh and his listeners. (Hugh is NOT registered to post here, but his NAME is on the "Free Republic Bump List Register".) The best part about THIS tool is that it can be used to mark MANY threads - even those which may be of only peripheral interst to Hugh and his listeners - since only those FReepers who actually search for these threads will find them. (They will NOT appear in a "Self-Search.")

c - "Hugh Hewitt PING list" - One of John Robinson's OTHER great new recent improvements to this forum is the virtually "unlimited PING list" feature which allows any registered FReeper to ACTIVELY summon all members of an certain "interest group" to a particular thread. This tool should be used sparingly - only for articles written by Hugh or specifically about Hugh - as it will force the "flagged" thread to show up in a "Self-Search" of everyone on the PING list. (In the next few days, I intend to post a RonDog's "Hugh Hewitt PING list" thread, with a complete list of all the screen names that I have gathered from the many previous Hugh Hewitt threads. After it is posted, please let me know if you want to get ON - or OFF - MY list. Thanks.)

3 - Long-term STRATEGY to plan and direct the benefits for Free Republic from this relationship:

a - Hugh is an EDITOR. In his "first anniversary" editorial for WorldNetDaily, Hugh identified "news judgment" as his primary strength. This is probably our MOST important area for influence: target selection. Assuming that we DO promote Hugh on this forum, what is our objective? What do we do with the power that we have to influence his opinions, his programming and his priorities? Personally, I like the idea of moving Hugh out of his "center-right" comfort zone - as far to the right as he can reasonably be enticed to go without losing market share. We can do this by appealling to his "Voice of Reason" - with logic, documentation, and well-reasoned argument.

He has expressed interest in the "big picture" of environmental law issues represented by the Federal government in the Klamath Basin Crisis. He has spoken on his radio show about the Second Amendment aspects of the recent Emerson decision in the Fifth District court. Other areas of possible influence are reforming immigration policy, limiting the power of the UN, protecting individual rights, restraining the growth of the federal government. What else?

b - Hugh likes "JOINT VENTURES" with Free Republic. One of the classic "combined projects" is The word 'rapist' censored from George Will's column, where Hugh found the original story on Free Republic, reported it on the air, and then asked FReepers to post side-by-side versions. Other such examples of radio-Internet synergy are HUGH HEWITT ASKS FREEPERS FOR FEINSTEIN TRANSCRIPT and Hugh Hewitt asks for Free Republic help to pressure Gore to concede. What OTHER "joint ventures" could we (or SHOULD we) attempt to do with this "good FRiend" who happens to broadcast into 40+ radio markets across the USA? Any ideas?

c - Hugh likes to INTERVIEW authorities. Like Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force, Hugh believes that "a man's got to know his limitations." He often defers to the specialized expertise of regular guests like "Fred Barnes and Morton Kondracke... ...Terry Eastland, Erwin Chemerinsky and John Eastman..." There is no good reason that MANY more FReepers could not join the team of "experts" that contribute by calling his show on a regular basis. (800) 520-1234

I intend to continue promoting Hugh's weekly WorldNetDaily column. In addition, I feel that we should expand upon Doug from Upland's HUGH HEWITT SHOW threads, and that we should maintain an active "running commentary" thread for Hugh's radio show - EVERY day.

My intention is to start this discussion with "testimonials" about Hugh that have been posted here by OTHER FReepers, then provide links to other threads about Hugh, and finally, add biographical information and personal commentary.

If your words are quoted, please feel free to modify, enhance, clarify, retract, recant or disavow anything attributed to you.
All others, chime in whenever the spirit moves you. (Regular listeners to Hugh are particularly encouraged to contribute.)

Good Morning Glory, and Evening Grace!

[RonDog]

Thank you!

You can also LISTEN LIVE over the Internet via the Hugh's "mothership station" KRLA 870-AM in Los Angeles at his NEW TIME:

3pm to 6pm - WEST coast time
6pm to 9pm - EAST coast time.

[samtheman]

I like the FR link on his website. Why doesn't Drudge have one? Drudge has Islamic Republic and New Republic, but no Free Republic!

[RonDog]

I'm listening to him at the moment at WYLO in Milwaukee. What brand of Presbyterian is he?

Does WYLO have a website? Do you know the URL? Do they also broadcast him LIVE?

Not sure which "brand" - but he has mentioned something about their national leadership...

Perhaps someone else here will remember. What are the choices?

[DLfromthedesert]

Virginia Postrel is a capital "L" Libertarian. She's very bright; is the editor of "Reason" which is a really good magazine. I agree with her mainly on economic and privacy issues. She's extremely itelligent and it's always good to have a disparate opinion. That's what makes the show so interesting; the wide variety of personalities and opinions that Hugh so competently engages.

Plus he has literary segments that are quite educational.

Thanks, RonDog, for this thread. I was thrilled today when I was in my car; the radio station that carried him live in Tucson before he made the time change was playing a recent broadcast from earlier in the week.

Now I have to listen online, and I can't listen as much in the afternoon. Sorry, Hugh, but some of us have lives. :-) but I DO catch it every chance I get.

[RonDog]

I like the FR link on his website.
Why doesn't Drudge have one? Drudge has Islamic Republic and New Republic, but no Free Republic!

Not only does Hugh have a PERMANENT link to FR on his website, check out his Archives, for example:

October 10- Message of the Day

Morning Glory and Evening Grace!

The news from the war arrives at irregular intervals, so it is best to visit the Washington Post and New York Times sites throughout the day. These papers seem best equipped to relay breaking news from "official" sources. I also visit FreeRepublic hourly as this site, though it has its share of cranks, disrupters and off-the-chart whackos, also combines the editorial prowess of thousands of pairs of news hungry eyes.

He FREQUENTLY promotes Free Republic (as often as SEVERAL times a week!) on his daily "Message of the Day" posts that are then archived after the NEXT day's message is posted.

Not sure what happened between FR and Drudge. He USED to have a link to FR - in the old days, before I got here.
Matt Drudge was a VERY strong supporter of Free Republic for a LONG time, and MANY "old-timers" here found out about Free Republic through a "Whitewater" link on the DrudgeReport website.

See:
For Newbie's (and others) a little FR history in pictures.
Posted on 10/31/2000 17:12:21 PST by WH42

[Angel]

I listened to him everyday when he was on in the AM. It's harder to listen to him with his new time.

What I like the most is his regular guests. He has variety of people from military, congress, pollsters, literature, etc. He is great. Worth listening to.

[RonDog]

Thanks, RonDog, for this thread. I was thrilled today when I was in my car; the radio station that carried him live in Tucson before he made the time change was playing a recent broadcast from earlier in the week.

Now I have to listen online, and I can't listen as much in the afternoon. Sorry, Hugh, but some of us have lives. :-) but I DO catch it every chance I get.

Hi, DLfromthedesert -
I am also attempting to re-schedule my life to hear Hugh for all three hours - LIVE! - at his NEW time.
I have also not yet been fully successful. ;(

Hi, Irma -
I was GOING to ping you - eventually! - with THIS post:

From a site-specific Google search of Free Republic profile pages, here the individual profile pages of a few FReepers who have included references to "Hugh Hewitt" somewhere on their profile pages. This is particularly impressive, since MOST of these references to Hugh are in the form of "favorite threads" about articles written by Hugh within the last year or so that they have chosen to bookmark as one of their 20-40 "favorites" out of the THOUSANDS of excellent threads posted here.

Republic - Vanman - BornOnTheFourth - blackbart1 - gc4nra - Clarity - Richard Axtell - Fiddlstix

Irma - Utah Girl - Jimbaugh - GretchenEE - acnielsen guy - ricer1 - Twins613 - Reagan is King

Checkers - Benighted - bloodmeridian - kapn kuek - pax_et_bonum - Stultis - Lucky - gatorbait

IGOTMINE - Hiro Protaginast - Go Dub Go - BFO - - PatiPie - onyx - ladyinred - RonDog

[Quietly]

I don't know. WYLO seems to be pretty new in Milwaukee. It has Hugh Hewlitt, Michael Medved, and Tim Kimmel Live. It's a hard station to listen to. I know I'm not the only one here in Milwaukee who finds the radio hard to listen to, as we frequently have the radio interrupted by static every few moments, whether that station, or WTMJ or WINS. What's up with the radio? I like to have it on during the night but mostly it wakes us up with the static.

[jojonomo55]

I used to listen to Hugh all the time, except when he would do the film trailers on fridays, Shakespeare, and bible hour stuff.

Unfortunately, since he made his time switch, I have not been able to catch his show.

I am wondering who screwed him out of the morning time slot? Moving to the afternoon/evening is going to be murder on his ratings. Who the hell listens to talk radio at night?

Is there anyone we can complain to to try to get him his earlier slot back?

Mike Gallagher just doesnt cut it.

[RonDog]

Indexing for the "Hugh Hewitt bump_list"
so that THIS thread will appear whenever anyone searches Free Republic for Articles+Replies to:"Hugh Hewitt".

This thread will ALSO appear in a simple Free Republic search for "Hugh Hewitt, since I included those words in my title.

(And, perhaps SOMEDAY this thread will also appear in a "Hugh Hewitt" search on Yahoo!, now that they incorporate mechanized search results from Google. Those electronic "Google-bots" LOVE the information density at Free Republic!)

Note that the FR discussion thread about Hugh's Klamath Falls editorial made Yahoo!'s "Top Ten!" of "Hugh Hewitt" urls!

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

Thanks for the ping and the nudge, onyx.

For those interested in Virginia Postrel, here she is. Has she been back on since Hugh went to evenings?

[RonDog]

"EVERYONE!!!!
Hugh Hewitt just quoted OUR LAZ !!!
From His article Last night ..!!!!
LAZ YOU MADE THE BIG TIME!!!" - Dog

From: USA vs Clinton/Gore -57 Days remain- Stay the course!
Posted on 11/24/2000 00:01:09 PST by W.
.....

To: MozartLover

EVERYONE!!!!

Hugh Hewitt just quoted OUR LAZ !!! From His article Last night ..!!!!

LAZ YOU MADE THE BIG TIME!!!

56 Posted on 11/24/2000 07:22:59 PST by Dog
.....

To: Lazamataz

LAZ!!!! HUGH Hewitt JUST QUOTED YOUR SATIRE FROM LAST NIGHT!!!! LAZ HE READ IT OVER THE AIR!!!!!

58 Posted on 11/24/2000 07:25:59 PST by Dog
.....

To: Dog, diotima, Jim Robinson

LAZ!!!! HUGH Hewitt JUST QUOTED YOUR SATIRE FROM LAST NIGHT!!!! LAZ HE READ IT OVER THE AIR!!!!!

No effing way.

A star is born.

I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille. :^)

---

Where does Hugh broadcast?

Did he GET FREE REPUBLIC A PLUG?

60 Posted on 11/24/2000 07:30:13 PST by Lazamataz
.....

To: lysander13135

LOOK AT THIS..LAZ GOES NATIONAL!!

69 Posted on 11/24/2000 08:17:55 PST by Dog
.....

[RonDog]

From:
LAZAMATAZ was Just Quoted on the Hugh Hewitt Radio Show
Posted on 11/24/2000 07:37:06 PST by Dog

A Fellow Freeper was just quoted by radio host Hugh Hewitt on his show this morning ..Laz wrote a Satire last evening LAZ GOES BIG TIME

---

Folks I thought this news..It isnt everyday a Freeper is quoted by a memeber of the media..

1 Posted on 11/24/2000 07:37:06 PST by Dog
.....

To: Lazamataz

Man it was so cool to hear it..He is reading it again NOW!!

Laz he just used your name!!!

8 Posted on 11/24/2000 07:43:54 PST by Dog
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To: Lazamataz

Laz....he told his audience to go to FR and read your article..BUMP!!!!

9 Posted on 11/24/2000 07:44:50 PST by Dog
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To: Dog

Hugh was quite gracious to quote anything I wrote. I thank him very much, and hope to aid in the fight against liberalism in any way I can -- especially with satire and as biting a humor as I can muster.

11 Posted on 11/24/2000 07:45:59 PST by Lazamataz
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To: Dog

What part of the article did Hewitt quote and did he use LAZAMATAZ' name? Details please.

12 Posted on 11/24/2000 07:46:05 PST by rainingred
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To: Dog

Hey! You're famous Laz...but what's all this talk about some of the stuff on FR being wacky???? (US???? WACKY????)

23 Posted on 11/24/2000 07:52:10 PST by Lizzie
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To: Lazamataz

Great job Laz!

24 Posted on 11/24/2000 07:52:59 PST by Registered
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To: rainingred

Yes! He hesitatingly pronounced Laz's name, but he did it correctly!

I love Hugh, and this week he is hitting hard on those disqualified Military ballots.

g

25 Posted on 11/24/2000 07:53:31 PST by Geezerette
.....

To: Lazamataz

Congrtulations, Laz. Hope FR doesn't crash with the surge from Hugh's listeners! This is an important weekend for FR all across the country. We must rally and phone and fax and get on as many talk shows as possible. Gore's OUTRAGEOUS effot to steal this election and the complicity of the democrats in Palm Beach and Broward Counties must be exposed for all to see. The only chad that counts is the one that the voter, himself or herself, punched out completely when he/she made his/her decision on election day.

53 Posted on 11/24/2000 08:18:45 PST by Angelwood
.....

And finally, here is a link to the original article by Laz that Hugh read on the air 11/24/2001:

Gore To Sue Any American Who Failed To Vote For Him (Humor)
Posted on 11/23/2000 15:45:58 PST by Lazamataz

[RonDog]

"Hugh Hewitt spent a good 15-20 minutes today discussing
the F.R. hit piece in the DMN" - hole_n_one

From:
DALLAS MORNING NEWS FREE REPUBLIC HIT PIECE ***UPDATE***
Posted on 02/05/2001 16:37:51 PST by Clinton's a liar
.....

To: Clinton's a liar

Hugh Hewitt spent a good 15-20 minutes today discussing the F.R. hit piece in the DMN.......your documented statements in defense of FreeRepublic.com were also made known.

You're the greatest, Cal!

23 Posted on 02/05/2001 16:48:17 PST by hole_n_one
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To: Clinton's a liar

As the saying goes,

"Good PR, bad PR, as long as they spell the name right..."

24 Posted on 02/05/2001 16:48:21 PST by zoyd
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To: hole_n_one

I'm so glad Hugh Hewitt took up the subject this morning! I didn't get a chance to listen today! Thanks for the info, hole_n_one!

40 Posted on 02/05/2001 17:00:28 PST by Clinton's a liar
.....

[RonDog]

"Professor Hewitt mentioned freerepublic.com favorably" - VOA

From:
Los Angeles Rally at the Federal Building - Thread Three
Posted on 11/24/2000 05:12:11 PST by DoughtyOne

To: DoughtyOne

Great Job of keeping this line of information going...and it's incredible to see all the
other rallies popping up around the country.

I heard a caller on the Hugh Hewitt show this morning (Fri.; via internet at www.kiev870.com)--
enthusiatically announced the rally to start at 1 PM...I can only guess that
this is likely one of the Republican folks associated with Tod, last weekend's manager.
So, if folks can get there and get the demonstration going at 10 AM...everyone should "hold on"
and reinforcements should start appearing around 12:30 to 1 PM as our
friends who don't know about www.freerepublic.com or don't have internet access might be
following the lead of what they hear on radio.

Also, Professor Hewitt mentioned freerepublic.com favorably (with a caveat that a few
of us go "over the top" occassionally...Jim Robinson would concur with that!).
But Hewitt's favorable mention of this site is a good step forward...he is a very visible
Republican of the moderate conservative type. Even if I disagree with some of his stances,
I respect his intellectual firepower and am happy that he has essentially "shaken our hands".

Great job...keep up the good work!

12 Posted on 11/24/2000 18:45:57 PST by VOA
.....

[RonDog]

Dissenting opinions are welcome.

[RonDog]

Has she been back on since Hugh went to evenings?

Hi, SMEDLEYBUTLER - Not sure, but I think that she made the move.

Can you guys watch over this thread for a while?
I will be posting a few more replies, and then I am out of here for a while. Thanks!

[RonDog]

He was very gracious and said next time they'd help promote our rallies so we get more people out. - Saundra Duffy

From:
REPORT - Gray Davis protest and flashlight vigil - Sacramento 6/8/01
Posted on 06/09/2001 14:05:53 PDT by CounterCounterCulture

To: CounterCounterCulture

Re news coverage - I was on the air live the night of the rally on KTKZ radio AM 1380, Hugh Hewitt (sp?) show. He was very gracious and said next time they'd help promote our rallies so we get more people out. And I was interviewed on the phone (recorded) by KMJ-580, Fresno, on Friday afternoon. I always plug FreeRepublic.com. I'm absolutely thrilled with our media coverage. It's been great! For victory & freedom!!!

40 Posted on 06/10/2001 12:38:15 PDT by Saundra Duffy
.....

[RonDog]

He acknowledges FreeRepublic all the time;
calls us the "coast watchers." - looscannon

From:
Crawford, Authenticity-Envy, and the Newest Politics of Class [Hugh Hewitt on Texas]
Posted on 08/22/2001 15:13:01 PDT by RonDog

To: RonDog, Hugh Hewitt

Hugh da man! Great article (another one!), Hugh.Thanks for the flag, RonDog. Boy, I wish Hugh's morning radio show could be heard Everywhere. He acknowledges FreeRepublic all the time; calls us the "coast watchers."

21 Posted on 08/22/2001 17:09:47 PDT by looscannon
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To: RonDog

Hugh Hewitt is great. One of the best.

55 Posted on 08/22/2001 20:49:07 PDT by willyone
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To: Lady In Blue

Aloha Ronnie and Doug From Upland are on as callers fairly often. Also Hugh mentions Freepers in general.

56 Posted on 08/22/2001 20:55:57 PDT by willyone
.....

[RonDog]

"Hugh Hewitt just plugged his 'wonderful friends on FreeRepublic' on national radio" - Ron C.

From:
CALL NOW!!!!!!!!! THE FL LEGISLATION IS READY TO ACT!!! (THREAD THREE)
Posted on 11/22/2000 07:09:50 PST by Clinton's a liar

The battle lines have been drawn. It should be clear to every FReeper what we must do now. The Florida Supreme Court has legislated from the bench and interpreted those laws and in doing so they have told a member of the Executive Branch (the Secretary of State) HOW she must do her discretionary job. This is a CLEAR violation of the constitutional separation of powers in both areas.

---

If you've called, please call again. If you've e-mailed, please e-mail again. If you've faxed, please fax again. If you haven't done all three, WHY NOT???

This is the end game, folks. Just do it, and do it again!

THANK YOU!

1 Posted on 11/22/2000 07:09:50 PST by Clinton's a liar
.....

To: Clinton's a liar

Hugh Hewitt just plugged his "wonderful friends on FreeRepublic" on national radio... and told everyone to "get over there on the site" and "get busy!"

Wooo Hooo... here comes a bunch of new FReepers.

4 Posted on 11/22/2000 07:14:42 PST by Ron C.
.....