Rush Hudson Limbaugh is a conservative radio talk show host who has the most listened-to show in the United States. The audience for his national show is thought to exceed 15 million listeners per show. He is ultra-conservative, and is not shy about voicing his opinions on the air. This may be why he is so popular. Love him, or hate him, Limbaugh does not pull punches with his commentary. His favorite subjects to attack are liberals, and what he perceives as liberal bias in mainstream media.
Limbaugh was born on January 12, 1951 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri to a family of professionals. His grandfather, father, and brother were all attorneys, and his uncle served as a federal judge in his home state of Missouri. Limbaugh began broadcasting at an early age. He was an average student, and attended college for less than one full year. His mother had aspired for Rush to get a college degree, but that was not to be. She once said of her son, "He flunked everything," and "he didn't seem interested in anything but radio."
Limbaugh made the right decision. Today, he is one of the highest paid journalists in the field. His road to fortune was not an easy one, though. He used to bounce from job to job mainly at small radio stations as a music disc jockey. His first major break came in 1984 when he was a radio talk show host in Sacramento, California. It was here that President Ronald Reagan was successful in his repeal of the Fairness Doctrine. This doctrine required media outlets to give air-time to opposing viewpoints whenever the station made a controversial claim.
With this doctrine out of the way, Limbaugh was free to say whatever he wanted to, and not have to give equal time to anyone. He took full advantage of this ruling. His audience consists of a large segment of American society, especially the right-wing, conservative, Christian coalition.
