In 1988, desperate for content to save AM radio, top media executives stumbled on a new format that would turn the political world upside down. They little imagined that in the coming years their brainchild would polarize the country and make it nearly impossible to govern.
In his book, Talk Radio’s America, Brian Rosenwald gives an up-close look at the rise of Rush Limbaugh, an enormously talented former disc jockey—opinionated, brash, and unapologetically conservative—pioneered a pathbreaking infotainment program. Within a decade, this format would grow from fifty-nine stations to over one thousand, keeping millions of Americans company as they commuted, worked, and shouted back at their radios.
Brian Rosenwald is Co-editor-in-Chief of “Made by History,” a daily Washington Post history section, and a historical consultant for the Slate podcast Whistlestop. His work has appeared in Washington Post, Politico, and The Week, among many other outlets.
