Lessons from Rush
Consultant, Sabo Media
A.K.A. Walter Sterling
Radio Host, Sterling on Sunday
Rush Limbaugh’s initial success spawned a nation of imitators. Throughout the country hosts and executives heard Rush and concluded that the key to success was bashing liberals for three hour – or all day!
Oddly that wasn’t Rush’s mission. When Ed McLaughlin launched Rush’s show an article appeared quoting Rush and his role.
Rush said, “I’m here to inform, inform, inform.” Ed was the founding GM of KGO, he ran the ABC Radio Networks for about 20 years. He knew how to make great radio because that’s all he knew how to do. I was in his office the day the article quoting Rush appeared.
Ed said to me, “I will have to talk to Rush about that. His job is to entertain.” Following Ed’s conversation with him, Rush carried out his mission, he entertained.
Rush did not get ratings and cash for espousing conservative views. There were other spokespeople who did that very well such as William F Buckley – an erudite conservative who never got ratings.
Listening hard to Rush airchecks, he was mostly entertaining. How did he do that? First, he never offered duplicate arguments for his opinions. Every single day he presented brand new evidence and facts and stories to support his point of view. Secondly, he riffed. There were long periods featuring funny, human stories. Cat stories! Third, Rush understood radio to a pristine point of science. When he had nothing to say, he used the medium’s most powerful tool… silence!
He understood the essential bond with the listener and therefore we never heard his producer on talkback, rarely, rarely, rarely a guest interview. Phone calls were extremely well screened, coached and ready for air. Sharp produced bits were designed to drive the conversation. The show was a show not a lecture.
Rush understood that the biggest mistake he could make would be to change his position on anything. Regardless of a caller’s absolute facts, Rush would say, “So what of it sir, I’m right.” His battle against facts made the show work. Radio wrestling.
Today’s winning hosts don’t waste time forming political opinions, they invest their time in building an entertaining show.
Walter Sabo was the youngest Executive Vice President in the history of NBC. The youngest VP in the history of ABC. He was a consultant to RKO General longer than Bill Drake. Walter was the in-house consultant to Sirius for eight years. He has never written a resume. Contact him at walter@sabomedia.com. or mobile 646-678-1110. Hear Walter Sterling at www.waltersterlingshow.com.
hosts. The ideal candidate will be able to execute either two- or four-hour air-shifts on WICC, along with booking guests, creating compelling local content, fielding listener phone calls, and pivoting subject matter as the news cycle dictates. This position will have different hours based on need. 
WBEN/Buffalo Adds the Armstrong & Getty Show. The Armstrong & Getty Show has added yet another major market – WBEN, Buffalo. The Audacy-owned outlet is one of the most respected news/talk radio stations in the country having won numerous state, regional, and national awards for its news reporting. It is also one of the country’s heritage stations, tracing its beginning to 1922. WBEN operations director/Audacy news talk format VP Tim Wenger tells TALKERS, “We’re thrilled to have Armstrong & Getty as part of the evening lineup at WBEN. Their entertaining approach to current events and politics is a refreshing way to cap off the daylong programming on the station.” In a joint statement, Jack Armstrong and Joe Getty (pictured above left) say, “We’re excited to join the list of great radio voices that have been part of Buffalo and WBEN. Now, more than ever, it’s important that folks get a perspective from outside the mainstream media. We’re here to be that honest voice.” For more information about The Armstrong & Getty Show, contact Eric Weiss at The Weiss Agency: 
Las Vegas Abuzz Over Raiders and Jimmy Garoppolo. Nationally syndicated, Las Vegas-based TALKERS Heavy Hundred host Dr. Daliah Wachs of the Genesis Communications Network met and received a jersey signed by the new Las Vegas Raider‘s quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The two are pictured (right) at an NFL “Salute To Service” event at Nellis Air Force Base. Wachs tells TALKERS, “The region is hopeful that Garoppolo will add that winning spark to the team if only he stays healthy.”
Afternoon News” program as co-host alongside John Mercure. WTMJ interim market manager Emily Dillinger states, “I am looking forward to fun and lively conversation about the news of the day, what it means and why it matters on ‘WTMJ NOW.’ Both Sandy and Steve are genuinely curious people who also have an infectious energy and the ability to relate to a variety of people, and I’m sure that will resonate with fans across Wisconsin.” Another tweak to the lineup it that “Wisconsin’s Morning News with Vince Vitrano and Erik Bilstad” will now air from 6:00 am to 9:00 am with a local news report at 5:00 am.
programming and spoken-word radio. Energy, enthusiasm, and experience within the genre is a must. You will be responsible for all aspects of programming including managing on-air staff, imaging, station strategy, developing and executing revenue generating sales & programming promotions, website & social media, digital content and have a strong understanding of the core audience(s). 
opportunity to mix and mingle not only with their peers, but with talent, managers, and executives; and to increase their awareness of the Broadcasters Foundation charitable mission.” BFoA president Tim McCarthy adds, “We’re very excited about this new initiative. It’s imperative that we reach the next generation of broadcast industry leaders with our message of help and hope, while giving them an opportunity to network with higher level professionals who they may not otherwise have an opportunity to meet.” The two-hour event is free, but space is limited, and advance registration is required. 
appointed by the company’s board of directors. This committee established the ratio on June 5. The 1-for-30 reverse stock split reduced the number of outstanding shares of the company’s Class A common stock from approximately 137.5 million shares (excluding unvested restricted stock) to approximately 4.6 million shares (excluding unvested restricted stock) and reduced the number of outstanding shares of the company’s Class B common stock from approximately 4.0 million shares to approximately 135 thousand shares. Proportional adjustments were made to the number of shares of Audacy’s Class A common stock subject to outstanding equity awards, as well as to the applicable exercise prices. Trading of Audacy’s Class A common stock was halted on May 5 on the New York Stock Exchange after the share price fell about 12% to $0.09 per share. The NYSE is moving to delist the stock but Audacy is currently appealing that determination. 
networking and mostly music. As the Latino community grows in Suffolk County, we found that they have no full-time news and information source, no outlet for them to express their thoughts or hear the talk radio that they want. We knew that we needed a sister station to ‘LaFiesta’ that was dedicated to the community and was their ‘LI News Radio’ or WINS. Ana developed the concept of live, local, community talk radio for this demo and named it ‘En Vivo’ — or ‘Live,’ now all I had to do was find an outlet for this amazing concept she developed. When WLIM 1440 and 93.3 became available we knew we had to make the move and bring them into the JVC cluster.” Carbalo adds, “Long Island ‘En Vivo’ knows today’s decisions affect our community tomorrow and the best tool to drive us to a better future is information. News, politics, finance, sports, entertainment, health & lifestyle – we cover it all. Long Island has a huge Hispanic population that continues to be underserved. That was made abundantly clear during the pandemic. Long Island needed information in Spanish… So now we have a dedicated source that will not only deliver relevant information about what happens in our area but also educates and creates opportunities for the Hispanic population to prosper by providing the tools and resources they need.”
and operations. She is a native Nebraskan who is passionate about local media and the Omaha community. Byars understands our commitment to excellence, and we are thrilled to have her join our talented team in Omaha.” Byars has served in leadership positions with Lee Enterprises, Berkshire Hathaway Media, and the Omaha World-Herald. She comments, “Radio has such a positive impact on so many of our listener’s lives, the local businesses we serve, and the community partnerships we form. Joining the team at the radio stations that I grew up listening to is such an honor to me and I am excited to build upon the stations’ legacies.”
Communications operations manager Jason Hillery states, 
“NewsTalk Radio” brand manager Greg Belfrage says, “We believe KELO’s listeners will really enjoy engaging with Clay and Buck. Their values represent the common sense, principled values found here on the Great Plains. Clay and Buck will allow people throughout the Sioux Empire to hear the news and talk about it as it happens.”
Simple question, tricky answer. Unless you are organized.
being produced by the award-winning team of Steve Gregory and Jacob Gonzalez with associate producer Nick Pagliochini. KFI says, “Parents and protesters continue to gather at school board meetings around the country to express their frustration over districts’ that try to introduce books and language which address the transgender community and other LGBTQ+ issues. Faith-based leaders have also joined the protests along with advocacy groups that represent parents of public-school students. Critics say these issues should be addressed exclusively in the home while supporters say it is critical to be inclusive of all lifestyles to better prepare children for the real world. ‘He Said, She Said, They Said…’ features multiple sides of the issue. There is also a companion podcast with extended content that will be available immediately following the broadcast on the iHeartRadio App.”
In the early 1980s, talk radio made a $4 billion mistake. Prior to then, there were approximately 50 full-time talk stations in America. They were predominantly found in major markets and had been in the format since Marconi. The original talk stations had two key traits: They were dominant in ratings and much of their popularity was driven by women hosts.
Then Mary Margaret read live copy. OR Mary Margaret had her guests read live copy. Sales for advertisers exploded. (Source: It’s One O’ Clock, Time for Mary Margaret McBride by Susan Ware 
from the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. FOX News Media president and executive editor Jay Wallace comments, “We are extremely proud to have Bret and Martha moderating the first debate of the 2024 presidential election season as Americans learn more about the candidates ahead of exercising their constitutional right to vote.”
It’s that time of year. College graduates are pushing out resumes. Are you open for entry level sellers? Any turnover on your sales team this year?