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Radio’s talking heads are paid to spend hours talking each day, but how much do they really reveal about themselves? Here are a few facts you may not have known about your favorite (or least favorite) microphone-wielding chatterboxes.
1. Sean Hannity hasn’t always been a right-wing radio host. He didn’t get into the radio business until 1989, when he was working in Santa Barbara as a general contractor and started hosting a talk show on the local college station as a side gig. The show only lasted for 40 hours of air time.
2. Don Imus found himself in hot water for his comments about the Rutgers women’s basketball team in 2007, but it wasn’t the first time a slip of the tongue cost Imus. In 1969 he lost his job as a disc jockey at a small station in Stockton, CA, for saying “hell” on the air.
3. Dave Ramsey, host of The Dave Ramsey Show, knows what he’s talking about when it comes to financial success. When he was just 26 years old he’d already built up a $4 million rental real estate portfolio. Of course, things don’t always go smoothly with such fast rises to the top; tax reforms in 1986 led to Ramsey’s investors calling for quick repayment of loans, which forced him into bankruptcy.
4. Rush Limbaugh’s rhetoric may make it sound like the host knows everything, but his academic track record tells a different story. In a one-year stint at Southwest Missouri State University, Limbaugh allegedly failed every class he took, including one on ballroom dancing.
5. Alan Colmes, Sean Hannity’s longtime liberal foil/punching bag, didn’t set out to go into radio, either. He was originally a stand-up comedian in New York during the early 1980s before making the jump.
6. Howard Stern may not be as overtly political as many of the names on this list, but he made a foray into politics in 1994 when he ran for Governor of New York. Stern actually managed to secure the Libertarian Party’s support for his campaign, but he quickly dropped out because he didn’t want to go through the financial disclosure process required of all candidates.
7. Dr. Laura Schlessinger isn’t actually a medical doctor or a psychologist, but she does have a doctorate. She received her Ph.D. in physiology from Columbia University in 1974.
8. Bubba the Love Sponge, born Todd Clem, has a couple of interesting things about him. First, he legally changed his name to Bubba the Love Sponge Clem in 1999. Second, after losing his terrestrial radio gig in 2004 over a slew of indecency fines, Mr. Love Sponge ran for sheriff in Pinellas County, Florida. Although he didn’t win, Bubba did manage to rake in 30% of the vote.
9. Dr. Drew Pinsky, host of Loveline, has a main-belt asteroid named after him, 4536 Drewpinsky.
10. Michael Savage, host of The Savage Nation, once had a rather odd job: he was the gatekeeper at LSD advocate Timothy Leary’s farm for a period during the 1960s. What qualified Savage for this position? Apparently Leary liked that Savage didn’t personally use LSD.
11. Conservative radio host Laura Ingraham once served as a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. She also made possibly the most catastrophic jump from radio to TV in history. Her Fox News show Just In with Laura Ingraham lasted only three weeks during the summer of 2008. Hard to believe a show didn’t work when the host had such a pleasant rapport with the production staff.
12. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, beloved New York sports talk commentator, got his famous nickname from New York Daily News critic Bob Raissman, who dubbed Russo “Mad Dog” for the host’s excitable, rapid-fire delivery. Russo’s trademark voice wasn’t always a good thing for him, though. When he was a young broadcaster working in Florida, his thick New York accent made Russo’s rants entirely unintelligible to a good portion of the audience. The station eventually paid for him to take six months of twice-weekly speech therapy sessions to slow down his ramblings and cut through his accent.
13. Mike Francesa, Russo’s longtime partner in crime, got his start as a researcher for CBS Sports and eventually became an on-screen talent. When New York sports station WFAN launched in 1987, Francesa applied for an on-air position and was turned down due to lack of experience. After some nagging, he finally got a job with the station that led to the Mike and the Mad Dog show. It worked out pretty well; according to a 2005 New Yorker profile on the pair, Francesa and Russo had spent so much time on the air gabbing about sports that they could have read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica aloud twice.
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Comments (22)
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A surprising number of these people never graduated from college, for what its worth (but neither did Bill Gates)
posted by RobertSeattle on 7-1-2009 at 4:07 pm
When I first read the headline, I was hoping to read about popular voices on NPR. How geeky am I?
posted by Hannibal Schlechter on 7-1-2009 at 4:31 pm
To me, NPR is extremely boring for the most part. I find that the only people who listen to NPR only listen so they can say “I heard this story on NPR the other day…” for no particular reason other than to mention NPR. I am a firm believer that noone actually likes the station, they listen because for some odd reason they feel as though they should.
posted by James on 7-1-2009 at 4:38 pm
no opie and anthony?
posted by joe the teacher on 7-1-2009 at 4:58 pm
James, you are wrong.
posted by Eric on 7-1-2009 at 5:00 pm
The Tax Reform Act forced companies to do audits of loans, calling in bad and late debts and Dave Ramsey couldn’t even repay the $1 million, though “supposedly” worth $4 million. It wasn’t because of the act directly, but because his accounts weren’t being called in due (i.e. not paying them off when due date was around). Ramsey then borrowed money to make the empire now teaching not to borrow money. He’s also under investigation for taking kickbacks from people he endorses (which he’s long claimed he doesn’t do).
posted by Mary on 7-1-2009 at 5:00 pm
I’m with Hannibal Schlechter, and I guess automatically contrary to James. People who think NPR is boring or white-tower navelgazing should check out a This American Life or Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me podcast.
I was hoping to see something here about Ira Glass, Peter Segal, Carl Kasell, Diane Rehm, or even Click and Clack. :(
posted by Katie on 7-1-2009 at 6:05 pm
I ALSO thought (hoped) this was going to be about NPR personalities. Why don’t you guys do a story on them?
posted by Pink Coat on 7-1-2009 at 6:13 pm
Dr. Drew aside, I wouldn’t give up one minute of my day to listen to any of these wankers.
If you’re interested in high-quality talk radio with some seriously invested listeners, check out 106.7 WJFK in Washtington. You can stream them at http://www.wjfk.com or download their free podcasts in iTunes. Shows of note: the Big O and Dukes Show and The Mike O’Meara Show!
posted by Meg on 7-1-2009 at 6:15 pm
I hate hosts like these that will invite someone on their show that they don’t agree with and then shout them down when they try to answer questions. I’ve always believed if you have to shout, you don’t have much to say.
(unless you’re shouting “LOOK OUT FOR THAT BUS!!!)
posted by Sheldon on 7-1-2009 at 6:44 pm
Coming from a college grad college is overrated and is not for the majority of people who actually do attend. I find those that went straight into the workforce are harder workers (for the most part) and don’t complain as much.
Click and Clack is the only worthwhile show on NPR unless you need your fill of Bush bashing then they all are good.
posted by Hurricane on 7-1-2009 at 7:03 pm
Bubba? Really? This list lost all credibility with that addition.
And Hoo Hoo Howie? Isn’t he on vacation the rest of the summer? Money well spent Mel.
posted by Conner Peterson on 7-1-2009 at 7:52 pm
Didn’t mention Hannity’s brief foray into divinity school or Rush’s history as a disc jockey. Seems like the author’s dislike of some personalities colored what got mentioned, too. Maybe Ethan just doesn’t like talk radio.
I like mental_floss, lots of cool articles and interesting stuff, but this one kind of misses the mark. Seems like just an excuse to bash.
posted by El Zarcho on 7-1-2009 at 8:36 pm
Seems like the author’s dislike of some personalities colored what got mentioned, too.
No, really? If the only thing you can come up with on Rush Limbaugh is that he “allegedly” failed every class he took at college, you’re a) not trying hard and b) not even regurgitating the best rumor.
Since I am a conservative and do listen to talk radio frequently, the info on Rush, Sean, Dr Laura, & Dave Ramsey weren’t news to me (Sean Hannity in particular has mentioned his history in construction more than once on air). I somehow doubt the people who are fans of the others learned anything new, either.
Maybe the article should have been on NPR personalities. Maybe there’s something to learn there.
posted by Sabra on 7-2-2009 at 1:38 am
I don’t understand how this article can be titled “Getting to Know…”. I found out basically nothing.
posted by Mike on 7-2-2009 at 7:06 am
Where are O&A (and Lil’ Jimmy Norton)? Hoo Hoo Howie and Bubba are hacks.
posted by Frrunkis on 7-2-2009 at 9:07 am
@Hurricane
You obviously don’t listen to NPR, as it is not full of Bush bashing. It’s the audio equivalent of The Christian Science Monitor. Many of of us enjoy it’s news programs because they simply read the stories without commentary. Also, the weekend humor shows are without par.
And just a little tidbit about Laura Ingraham. She once dated Keith Olbermann. Talk about an odd couple!
posted by alice on 7-2-2009 at 10:29 am
Rush went to SouthEAST Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau, MO, his hometown. I don’t know if he failed everything, but I do know he failed the political science class he took.
As an alum and current employee of the institution, it drives me crazy when people confuse it with the now non-existent Southwest Missouri State University (they dropped the Southwest and are now just Missouri State University).
posted by Dustin Fritsche on 7-2-2009 at 10:59 am
I don’t listen to NPR just because I think I should. I like “This American Life”, “Fresh Air” “All Things Considered”, “Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me” and “Car Talk”. Although having moved to Louisiana, for some reason I can’t seem to catch those shows much.
posted by Hannibal Schlechter on 7-2-2009 at 12:22 pm
@Hannibal
You can get their podcasts the NPR website, and you can live stream.
posted by alice on 7-2-2009 at 12:34 pm
Don’t forget the Great Mike O’Meara syndicated out of WJFK
posted by drHoward on 7-2-2009 at 9:26 pm
Hi! Dr. Laura Schlessinger here. Thank you for the mention. I have a post-doctoral certification in Marriage and Family Therapy from USC and am licensed in the State of California as a Marriage and Family Therapist. I have been on radio a span of over three decades and am proud to have been of service to millions of folks struggling to make themselves and their families better… by doing the right thing!
posted by Dr. Laura Schlessinger on 7-6-2009 at 10:00 am