Rush Limbaugh is widely credited with reviving AM radio with the debut and ensuing massive popularity of his nationally syndicated, self-titled program. Limbaugh and his partners launched The Rush Limbaugh Show on August 1, 1988, with 56 radio stations, and in just a few months, an additional 100 affiliates were added, thus paving the way for the expansion of the Talk radio format. The show continued to grow nationwide without the help of a major syndicator, so when listeners inquired about his network affiliation, Limbaugh began referring to his team as the Excellence in Broadcasting network, later dubbed the EIB. More than three decades later, The Rush Limbaugh Show continues to be the most-listened-to national radio talk show in America. Today, the program is syndicated by Premiere Networks on more than 650 stations nationwide, reaching more than 25 million listeners.
In addition to his radio program, broadcast weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. ET, Mr. Limbaugh hosts “The Rush Limbaugh Morning Update,” a 90-second commentary which debuted in March 1992 and airs Monday through Friday. “The Rush Limbaugh Show” and “The Rush Limbaugh Morning Update” are produced and distributed by Premiere Networks.
Limbaugh continues to engage millions of loyal fans via The Limbaugh Letter, a subscription-based monthly print and digital companion to the radio broadcast now in its 27th year, as well as the popular Rush 24/7 subscription service, an extension of www.RushLimbaugh.com which is available on mobile applications for iPhone and Android devices. His decades-long career inspired the development of alternative media across multiple platforms, which had previously been nonexistent. A new Rush Limbaugh app was launched in January 2018, which debuted at #2 among free apps in the iTunes store (ranking behind only Twitter).
Limbaugh, the best-selling author of The Way Things Ought To Be and See, I Told You So – which have sold nearly 10 million copies to date – recently expanded his readership to a younger demographic. Realizing there was a real void for non-political, accurate, patriotic American history, Limbaugh and his wife Kathryn co-wrote five #1 New York Times Bestselling time-travel adventures geared toward 8 to 12-year-olds. Upon debut, this series instantly became hugely popular and Limbaugh was awarded “Author of the Year” at the Children’s Choice Book Awards in 2014. The Adventures of Rush Revere Series uses the magic of time travel to take the reader back in time to experience key events and meet Exceptional Americans, such as Ben Franklin and George Washington. Students, teachers, and parents worldwide, from all backgrounds, ages, and demographics, send in thousands of emails and photos praising the series and how their children have a newfound love for American history and reading. The books have received five stars across the board in many mainstream reviews and are approved on the Accelerated Reader List. Thousands of copies of the books are donated to libraries, schools, homeschool conferences, and other initiatives each year, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, benefitting the surviving families of our fallen soldiers and first responders.
Mr. Limbaugh has been profiled on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” ABC’s “20/20,” and in numerous publications including US News and World Report, National Review, Time Magazine, New York Times Magazine and USA Weekend. Other guest television appearances include “Nightline,” “Good Morning America,” “CBS This Morning,” “The Today Show,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “The Tonight Show,” and “Meet the Press.”
Recognized for his achievements, Mr. Limbaugh received the Marconi Award for Syndicated Radio Personality of the Year given by the National Association of Broadcasters in 1992, 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2014. He’s tied for the most wins ever in the category. Mr. Limbaugh was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1993, the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Hall of Famous Missourians in 2012. In 2020, President Donald Trump presented Limbaugh with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
In April of 2016, The Rush Limbaugh Show held its 26th and final annual on-air Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Cure-A-Thon. Over the course of 26 years, Mr. Limbaugh and his audience collectively raised more than $47 million dollars for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, helping provide much-needed research and support for individuals and families affected by blood cancer diseases.
Most recently, Limbaugh created a “Stand Up For Betsy Ross!” line of merchandise with proceeds benefitting The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which provides financial assistance to military heroes and their families, as well as first responders. Since launching in July 2019, sales of the merchandise available at https://rushlimbaughshowstore.com/ have generated a charitable donation of $5 million dollars
Born Rush Hudson Limbaugh III in Jan. 1951 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to a family with generations of attorneys, he chose to explore his passion for broadcasting at age 16 by working on-air as a disc jockey for a radio station in his hometown. After four years, he left for Pittsburgh to work at the former ABC owned and operated KQV. He later moved to Kansas City where he eventually tired of disc jockey life and left broadcasting for business. He joined the Kansas City Royals as director of group sales in Feb. 1979 and later served as director of sales and special events.
By 1983, Mr. Limbaugh got the broadcasting bug back and re-entered radio as a political commentator for KMBZ in Kansas City. A year later, he was the host of a daytime talk show on
KFBK in Sacramento, Calif., where he nearly tripled the program’s ratings in four years. From there, he went to New York in 1988 where his record-breaking national show was born.