Other names | The Rush Limbaugh Program Rush Limbaugh on the EIB Network |
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Genre | Conservative talk |
Running time | 3 hours (noon – 3 p.m. ET) |
Country of origin | United States |
Language(s) | English |
Home station |
KFBK, Sacramento (1984–88) WABC, New York City (1988–2013) WJNO, West Palm Beach (2000–present) WOR, New York City (2014–present) |
Syndicates | Premiere Networks |
TV adaptations | Rush Limbaugh (1992–96) |
Hosted by | Rush Limbaugh |
Starring | Rush Limbaugh |
Announcer | Johnny Donovan |
Created by | Rush Limbaugh |
Executive producer(s) | Cookie Gleason |
Recording studio | Palm Beach County, Florida (1996–present) |
Original release | 1984 (Sacramento) since August 1, 1988 (national) – present |
Audio format | radio |
Opening theme | "My City Was Gone" |
Website | www.rushlimbaugh.com |
The Rush Limbaugh Show (also called The Rush Limbaugh Program) is a conservative American talk radio show hosted by Rush Limbaugh on Premiere Networks. Since its nationally syndicated premiere in 1988, The Rush Limbaugh Show has become the highest-rated talk radio show in the United States.
The Rush Limbaugh Show has a format which has remained nearly unchanged since the program began. The program airs live and consists primarily of Limbaugh's monologues, based on the news of the day, interspersed with parody ads, phone calls from listeners, and a variety of running comedy bits (some live, some taped). Limbaugh also does live commercials during the show for sponsors. He sometimes promotes his own products, such as his political newsletter, The Limbaugh Letter, or his Rush Revere children's history books. Occasionally, Limbaugh features guests, such as a politician or fellow commentator. A toll-free telephone number is announced for incoming calls from listeners. However, Limbaugh generally takes far fewer calls per show than most other national talk radio programs.
The listeners to the show are referred to as "Ditto-heads". Early in the show's run, listeners began to use the variations on the expression "ditto" to speed up the beginnings of calls, which tend to open with the listener expressing his or her gratitude to the host and an appreciation of the show. Mr. Limbaugh claims the term originated with a caller who said "ditto what the previous caller said".
An edited instrumental version of The Pretenders' “My City Was Gone” has been Limbaugh's theme song since the start of his show. Briefly in 1999, Limbaugh stopped playing the song after a "cease and desist" order was issued by EMI. After the song's writer, Chrissie Hynde, said in a radio interview she did not mind the use of the song and an agreement was reached with EMI. The show airs live on weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Eastern time. A limited, and decreasing, number of stations (such as WHO in Des Moines) air it on tape delay. The program normally originates from Limbaugh's studios near his home in Palm Beach County, Florida, where Limbaugh has lived since 1996.WJNO, Limbaugh's affiliate in Palm Beach County, serves as the de facto flagship station. In the early years of the program, it normally originated from the studios of WABC in New York City (the program's original flagship station), which as of 2013 still served as the home to some of the program's staff and broadcast facilities. As of late 2013, his show is now heard in the New York market on iHeartMedia's (parent of Premiere Networks) WOR-AM. Limbaugh stated in 2009 that he avoids New York as much as possible due to that state's high taxes and that he, at the time, spent an average of 15 days in the state, usually to keep updated with his staff and as a backup in the event of a hurricane (in the latter case, he was seeking an alternative location). Despite Limbaugh's physical location in Florida, WABC introduced Limbaugh with Johnny Donovan's announcement: "Broadcasting from high atop the WABC broadcast center, overlooking Madison Square Garden in midtown Manhattan, this is New York City‘s most listened to talk radio host: Rush Limbaugh." Limbaugh announced he would officially sever his ties with WABC at the end of 2013. Limbaugh also produces a "Morning Update", a 90-second monologue recorded after the show that airs on many of Limbaugh's stations the next morning.