talk radio - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

MikeWaters · 01-22-2010, 03:02 AM

past couple of days I have tuned in a bit to AM talk radio.

Glenn Beck. Mark Levine. Michael Savage. A tiny bit of Laura Ingraham.

Haven't been able to catch any Rush.

Beck, Levine and Savage are kinda similar. They are in some ways spell-binding, trance-inducing, as their voices resonate in the mic, carrying them from one thought to another, crescendo, decrescendo, then rising again almost to a fever, then slowing suddenly...commercial break. They actually remind me of the very most talented televangelists. Except of course, the content is different. There is anger and indignation and self-righteousness, and passion, and an appeal to justice and power. It is a way of speaking that normal people do not engage in, and certainly almost no one can cover the material in a way that they do in regular life. It's kind of like a message board in that way--things that are taboo in real life can be discussed passionately there.

Rush is a different creature. He is not one of these conservative old-time preacher evangelists like these other 3. If you have never heard an indignant Mark Levine rant, you should. It's a work of art. You will find yourself chuckling.

Over time, however, it gets boring. Once you have observed the style and the moves and the rules over and over. It doesn't change. Sort of like me on CG. Same old stuff, repeated same old way, over and over. You can practically write my posts before I do, after a while.

Perhaps in some way it is a fantasy, that in our most indignant rages, that we could be someone admired and followed. These dudes must pinch themselves everyday that they get paid huge sums for this kind of crap. Just like the televangelists pinch themselves as well.

By the way, I estimate that Cougarguard will get it first google ads payout in about 8 years (you need to earn a minimum amount to qualify for the first check). At that point, I will give myself the luxury of pinching myself. Before I likely donate it.

Tex · 01-22-2010, 02:21 PM

Limbaugh is a unique animal in that industry. He almost never has guests, while almost all of the others do. (Actually, I've never listened to Beck, so I can't speak for him.) He commands a special relationship with his audience that is pretty amazing. And he's very much a pragmatist.

I think your characterization of the others as evangelists is pretty good. I listen to Hannity on occasion, and he's all right, but he does tend to get very religious (politically speaking) on the issues.

One of my favorites is Hugh Hewitt. I've followed him from before his radio days back in the 90s. He's an exceptionally bright lawyer, and offers top notch legal and political analysis without getting too ... evangelistic. And he's a big fan of Mormons, mostly due to a very positive relationship with the late Neal Maxwell.

It's an interesting medium, talk radio. Especially with the death of Air America. I saw a quote from Sam Seder, one of the hosts that I actually listened to when AA was on local radio ... he said that radio was a "dying industry." Ha! That's some sour grapes.

MikeWaters · 01-22-2010, 04:04 PM

Rush is different than the other three. He is more cerebral, more into the nitty gritty of the daily political grind. He is less grand in his themes, less apocalyptical.

He doesn't have the same preacher style of oration.

Levin (the proper spelling) takes a few calls, but most of the show from what I can tell is him soloing. Same for Savage.

I'm not sure if Beck is taking calls. I haven't heard a caller.

I have never listened to Hewitt.

Here's an example of Levin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxllL...eature=related

01-22-2010, 03:02 AM	#1
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	talk radio past couple of days I have tuned in a bit to AM talk radio. Glenn Beck. Mark Levine. Michael Savage. A tiny bit of Laura Ingraham. Haven't been able to catch any Rush. Beck, Levine and Savage are kinda similar. They are in some ways spell-binding, trance-inducing, as their voices resonate in the mic, carrying them from one thought to another, crescendo, decrescendo, then rising again almost to a fever, then slowing suddenly...commercial break. They actually remind me of the very most talented televangelists. Except of course, the content is different. There is anger and indignation and self-righteousness, and passion, and an appeal to justice and power. It is a way of speaking that normal people do not engage in, and certainly almost no one can cover the material in a way that they do in regular life. It's kind of like a message board in that way--things that are taboo in real life can be discussed passionately there. Rush is a different creature. He is not one of these conservative old-time preacher evangelists like these other 3. If you have never heard an indignant Mark Levine rant, you should. It's a work of art. You will find yourself chuckling. Over time, however, it gets boring. Once you have observed the style and the moves and the rules over and over. It doesn't change. Sort of like me on CG. Same old stuff, repeated same old way, over and over. You can practically write my posts before I do, after a while. Perhaps in some way it is a fantasy, that in our most indignant rages, that we could be someone admired and followed. These dudes must pinch themselves everyday that they get paid huge sums for this kind of crap. Just like the televangelists pinch themselves as well. By the way, I estimate that Cougarguard will get it first google ads payout in about 8 years (you need to earn a minimum amount to qualify for the first check). At that point, I will give myself the luxury of pinching myself. Before I likely donate it.

01-22-2010, 02:21 PM	#2
Tex Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 8,596	Limbaugh is a unique animal in that industry. He almost never has guests, while almost all of the others do. (Actually, I've never listened to Beck, so I can't speak for him.) He commands a special relationship with his audience that is pretty amazing. And he's very much a pragmatist. I think your characterization of the others as evangelists is pretty good. I listen to Hannity on occasion, and he's all right, but he does tend to get very religious (politically speaking) on the issues. One of my favorites is Hugh Hewitt. I've followed him from before his radio days back in the 90s. He's an exceptionally bright lawyer, and offers top notch legal and political analysis without getting too ... evangelistic. And he's a big fan of Mormons, mostly due to a very positive relationship with the late Neal Maxwell. It's an interesting medium, talk radio. Especially with the death of Air America. I saw a quote from Sam Seder, one of the hosts that I actually listened to when AA was on local radio ... he said that radio was a "dying industry." Ha! That's some sour grapes. __________________ "Have we been commanded not to call a prophet an insular racist? Link?" "And yes, [2010] is a very good year to be a Democrat. Perhaps the best year in decades ..." - Cali Coug "Oh dear, granny, what a long tail our puss has got." - Brigham Young

01-22-2010, 04:04 PM	#3
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	Rush is different than the other three. He is more cerebral, more into the nitty gritty of the daily political grind. He is less grand in his themes, less apocalyptical. He doesn't have the same preacher style of oration. Levin (the proper spelling) takes a few calls, but most of the show from what I can tell is him soloing. Same for Savage. I'm not sure if Beck is taking calls. I haven't heard a caller. I have never listened to Hewitt. Here's an example of Levin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxllL...eature=related