too many things I could title this (RIP Rush)

Short post here:
I had a blog ready to publish on Sunday evening while watching NXT Takeover.  It was related to my general apathy about "Valentine's Day" and a few random jokes about wishing folks "Happy VD" and leaving them wonder if I was meaning Valentine's Day or something else.  Alas... I got extremely drunk that night and wound up deleting the blog.

Today is a different matter.

Rush Limbaugh died today.

For those unaware of who Rush Limbaugh was, and I doubt there are many who have not at least heard of him, he was a very well known American radio talk show host, one-time TV talk show host, and political commentator.   And rather or not you agree with the man, he can easily be seen as both a pioneer and an icon of the talk radio genre and of radio in general.  Anyone who chooses to argue with this is either an idiot or a fool.  Or both.  I am too well aware of how many hate filled idiots and fools are out there on Twitter and other places relating to social media.  

Understand this first: talk radio has been around for about a century.  In the 1960s, both KMOX, 1120 AM in St. Louis, Missouri, and KABC, 790 AM in Los Angeles claim to have been the first stations to adopt an all talk radio format.  And talk radio benefitted in the 1990s with the 1987 repeal of something called "The Fairness Doctrine of 1949" (which was hardly 'fair' by the time of the repeal despite the allegedly intent).  

So... why do I make the argument of Rush Limbaugh as both a pioneer and an icon in talk radio? 
Simple.  1) Ratings. and 2) Creation of opportunities in the field

1) Ratings.  
The "Rush Limbaugh Show" has consistently been one of the highest rated, if not the highest rated show of its kind for at least a decade (and I am playing it safe there).   That said, most of the folks under him that do "political talk shows" are where they are because he paved the way for their shows to exist as they do today.  Additionally, he did this without the benefit of other outlets in which to bolster and advertise his show.  For example, he doesn't have a nightly TV show to advertise his radio show like Sean Hannity.  (Not a slight against Hannity just a fact.)

2) Creation of opportunities in the field
As I said,  most of the folks under him that do "political talk shows" are where they are because he paved the way for their shows to exist as they do today.  Guys like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin have their shows and the success with those shows because of Limbaugh's success with his show being syndicated.  

 Let me put it this way...

I minored in radio production at West Georgia in the late 1990s. (I'd intended to double major but that is another story for another time.) This was in the days before podcasts were a thing and I was actively looking at "who had successful radio shows that were syndicated nationally.  The first two names that came up when I stared looking were Rush Limbaugh (on AM radio) and Howard Stern (on FM radio).  (Side note: this was also how I discovered the existence of Neil Boortz much to my faculty's advisor's chagrin.  Hey, he was the guy who brought Neil up.  I merely investigated for myself.)

I consider both Limbaugh and Stern to be icons and pioneers to the "talk radio" genre.

Also note: I am not saying that I am an ardent fan of them.  I had my agreements and disagreements with Limbaugh.  And Stern... eh, about the same though I am pretty sure that I have a few more disagreements with Stern than Limbaugh.  (though not by much!)

What I do not agree with is the amount of unbridled hate that I have seen in regards to the report of Limbaugh's death.  An unbridled and accepted hate.  
Orwell would be proud...?