# I Pit Split\_p\_j **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 7, 2021, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620 "2021-05-07T22:08:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 36
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/702 "2024-07-12T17:35:32Z")
You don’t get offered an 8 year, $400 million dollar contract unless you’re _already huge_. Limbaugh was already hugely popular by then, and had been for more than 10 years. In the mid-90s he had a multi-million dollar _necktie brand_, for God’s sake! You’re incredibly wrong on Limbaugh. He was big in the 80s, and utterly massive in the 90s. ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/703 "2024-07-12T17:35:41Z")
He didn’t rise until after 9/11 no goalposts moved. He was known in the 90’s by conservative am radio listeners and had some influence on policy then. He didn’t get huge until after 9/11, hence the 400-million-dollar contract in 2008. He wasn’t huge in the 90’s and would have not been able get a similar contract then. He used the hate from 9/11 to blow himself up and have a huge effect on policy that is still harming us today. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/704 "2024-07-12T17:37:32Z")
You’re just way, way wrong here: > **[List of most-listened-to radio programs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-listened-to_radio_programs)** > > In the United States, radio listenership is gauged by Nielsen and others for both commercial radio and public radio. Nielsen and similar services provide estimates by regional market and by standard daypart, but do not compile nationwide information by host. Because there are significant gaps in Nielsen's coverage in rural areas, and because there are only a few markets where the company's proprietary data can be compared against competing ratings tabulators, there is a great deal of estimatio > The late [Rush Limbaugh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Limbaugh)’s show was the number-one commercial talk show from 1991 until Limbaugh’s death in February 2021. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/705 "2024-07-12T17:37:43Z")
> [@split\_p\_j](#): > > He used the hate from 9/11 to blow himself up and have a huge effect on policy that is still harming us today. No, Rush used the Clinton Presidency to do that. ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/706 "2024-07-12T17:38:03Z")
Yes, he used the 7 years after 9/11/2001 to do this as I said. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/707 "2024-07-12T17:38:44Z")
He was number one _in the country_ since 1991, you idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/708 "2024-07-12T17:39:31Z")
From Wikipedia > In December 1990, journalist Lewis Grossberger wrote in _[The New York Times Magazine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Magazine)_ that Limbaugh had “more listeners than any other talk show host” and described Limbaugh’s style as “bouncing between earnest lecturer and political vaudevillian”.[[13]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Limbaugh#cite_note-NYT90-13) Limbaugh’s rising profile coincided with the [Gulf War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_War), coupled with a stalwart support for the war effort and relentless ridicule of [peace activists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_movement). The program was moved to stations with larger audiences, eventually being broadcast on over 650 radio stations nationwide. > > By the [1992 United States presidential election](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_United_States_presidential_election), Limbaugh had established himself as an influential political commentator. During the [Republican Party presidential primaries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Republican_Party_presidential_primaries), Limbaugh expressed a preference for [Pat Buchanan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Buchanan) over the incumbent [George H. W. Bush](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush), which Buchanan himself attributed to his early success in the primaries. [Bush’s campaign](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H._W._Bush_1992_presidential_campaign) subsequently worked to court Limbaugh, culminating with an invitation to stay overnight at the [White House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House)’s [Lincoln Bedroom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Bedroom). Limbaugh was also given a seat at the president’s box in the [Houston Astrodome](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrodome) during the [1992 Republican National Convention](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Republican_National_Convention), and both President Bush and Vice President [Dan Quayle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Quayle) appeared on Limbaugh’s program. He was inducted in the the national radio all of fame in 1993. By 2001, his influence was already starting to wane in an overly crowded right wing gadfly market to the point that in 2003 he took a stint as a football commentator. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/709 "2024-07-12T17:40:40Z")
[More on Limbaugh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rush_Limbaugh#Published_works): > In 1992, Limbaugh published his first book, _The Way Things Ought to Be_, followed by _See, I Told You So_, the following year. Both titles were number one on [_The New York Times_ Best Seller list](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times_Best_Seller_list) for 24 weeks ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/710 "2024-07-12T17:41:24Z")
Not really, he didn’t get huge from that, regular people didn’t care about Clinton getting a BJ in the Whitehouse. He’s not getting a 400 million contract off the back of that. It was his attacks on Bush post 9/11 that started it. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/711 "2024-07-12T17:41:39Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Is moving goalposts more of an upper or lower body workout? Can’t be a mental exercise, that’s for certain. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/712 "2024-07-12T17:42:22Z")
> [@split\_p\_j](#): > > Not really, he didn’t get huge from that, regular people didn’t care about Clinton getting a BJ in the Whitehouse. He’s not getting a 400 million contract off the back of that. > > It was his attacks on Bush post 9/11 that started it. Right, it was his attacks on Bush post 9/11 that fueled his number one radio show from 1991 until his death, and his two massive best-selling books in 1992 and 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Chisquirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Chisquirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chisquirrel)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/713 "2024-07-12T17:42:57Z")
> [@split\_p\_j](#): > > Not really, he didn’t get huge from that, regular people didn’t care about Clinton getting a BJ in the Whitehouse. He’s not getting a 400 million contract off the back of that. > > It was his attacks on Bush post 9/11 that started it. It’s impressive how you insist you know what’s true in opposition to facts, so consistently. ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/714 "2024-07-12T17:44:11Z")
Until after 9/11. He was known, but remade himself after on the back of 9/11 fear and got huge. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/715 "2024-07-12T17:44:15Z")
He’s just trolling you guys. He’s not even trying. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/716 "2024-07-12T17:45:27Z")
Yep, this is just straight trolling. ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/717 "2024-07-12T17:46:10Z")
His influence was starting to wane in 2001, he wasn’t huge. Until 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/718 "2024-07-12T17:46:43Z")
You people are just racist against trolls! AmIRight split\_p\_j? It’s that _11 days later_ thingy that gives the trolling away. ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/719 "2024-07-12T17:50:59Z")
I said he was known to am radio listeners, but that was a niche market. So he was at the top of that, but that’s not huge. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/720 "2024-07-12T17:55:19Z")
Right, the number one radio show for 3 decades is just a “niche market”. Best-selling books topping the NYT list for months are also just a “niche market”, I presume. ---
**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620/721 "2024-07-12T17:56:29Z")
He wasn’t huge outside of conservative am radio listeners in the '90’s, the general population never heard of him then. that’s not huge. I hate that everything is parsed like this. Howard Stern was huge in the 90’s, almost most everyone had heard of him Limbaugh was not but became that huge after 9/11. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-split-p-j/941620.md?page=37)