1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,520 Speaker 1: The great Russia Limbaugh has passed on. It is a 2 00:00:02,560 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: pleasure to talk to an old friend of ours and 3 00:00:04,720 --> 00:00:07,760 Speaker 1: one of Russia's oldest and best friends, Tom Sullivan. It's 4 00:00:07,840 --> 00:00:14,120 Speaker 1: extra large because four hours simply enough, this is armstrong 5 00:00:14,160 --> 00:00:20,760 Speaker 1: and getty extra large. Well, you can hardly overstate how 6 00:00:20,800 --> 00:00:24,319 Speaker 1: big a deal Rush Limbaugh was for um. The world 7 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: of talk radio, which we make are living in and 8 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:29,680 Speaker 1: Tom Sullivan makes it was living in. Maybe you've heard 9 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:31,479 Speaker 1: Tom Sullivan over the years. I've seen him on Fox 10 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: Business or someplace like that. Tom Sullivan, welcome to the show. 11 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:37,599 Speaker 1: Thank you, guys. Hi. How good to talk to you 12 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: on a sad day, but good to talk to you. 13 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: It is sad, and it's worth mentioning that Russia Limball 14 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: was not only a colleague of years and somebody you 15 00:00:46,120 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: admired like us, but he was a good friend of 16 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: yours for a long time. I I say this too. 17 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: I told my my children, you know, if you have 18 00:00:56,280 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: you have three friends in your lifetime. I mean like 19 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: real friends. I know a lot of people, you guys 20 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,040 Speaker 1: know a lot of people, but I mean a friend 21 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 1: that you can talk to about anything and share your 22 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: deepest thoughts. Um, that was Rush, and he was one 23 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:17,840 Speaker 1: of I would count him one of three people in 24 00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 1: my lifetime that I was that close to. And we 25 00:01:23,520 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: even though we worked together many years ago, we always 26 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:31,119 Speaker 1: stayed in touch when he would be in my area, 27 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: stayed at our at Mark our home, and I would 28 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:36,120 Speaker 1: stay we would stayed at his home in Florida, and 29 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 1: he was the best man at my wedding. I mean 30 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: we we're very, very close. And um people asked, they said, oh, 31 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: you you must talk to the Rush about about politics 32 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: and about Democrats and Republicans. No, no, actually no, we 33 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 1: never ever talked about topics that we would talk about 34 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: on radio. We talked as friends about things that friends 35 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 1: talked to each other about, but we never talked about 36 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 1: you know, politics or the president or anything else like that, 37 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:17,560 Speaker 1: which is I guess why we stayed friends so unique 38 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:19,160 Speaker 1: that we get to talk to somebody who actually knew 39 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 1: Rush personally then, because um, we're on the radio business. 40 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 1: And what made him what he is? What was his 41 00:02:27,760 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: unique skill that made him maybe the biggest star in 42 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: the history of radio, certainly arguably the biggest you know 43 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,639 Speaker 1: presence in the history of radio, going all the way 44 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:39,720 Speaker 1: back to the twenties. I don't think anybody's ever been 45 00:02:39,720 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: bigger than Rush Limbaugh. Since you knew him personally and professionally, 46 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 1: what unique skill did he have that allowed him to 47 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: pull that off? Here's how I got into talk radio, 48 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: and I'll maybe try to answer that question with this. 49 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:56,520 Speaker 1: So he got his gig in New York and he 50 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: told me. He told me about his negotiations. He was 51 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: talking with this guy Ed McLoughlin and talking about New 52 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: York and he says, I'm really interested in doing it. 53 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:09,359 Speaker 1: So we were at lunch and I said to him, 54 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: after the deal was announced and he was moving to 55 00:03:11,880 --> 00:03:15,280 Speaker 1: New York, and they asked me because when he first 56 00:03:15,320 --> 00:03:18,520 Speaker 1: went to New York, his show was two hours, and 57 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,120 Speaker 1: so they asked me to fill in for that third 58 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:24,200 Speaker 1: hour and to to fill that spot. And I said 59 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 1: to him, I said, Rush, I said, at the time, 60 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:30,359 Speaker 1: I was doing business reports. I'm a financial guy. And 61 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,520 Speaker 1: I said to him, I says, so what what do 62 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: I do? What? What's what's the trick, what's the technique, 63 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 1: what's the And he he said to me, he says, listen, 64 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: he says, just be yourself. He said, just be yourself. 65 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: He says, if you even though you're doing at the time, 66 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:50,040 Speaker 1: I was doing a local show. He says, always do 67 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 1: things from the standpoint of a national audience, so that 68 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: you're always talking about issues that affect our country and 69 00:03:57,200 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 1: the topics of the country, and don't matter who's listening, 70 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: they will have some relationship with you. That's all he 71 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: told me. He says, he says, you're gonna have to 72 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: figure it out on your own, and I hope you do. 73 00:04:06,960 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: Good luck, and I'm out of here. And so he 74 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 1: left that I figured it out to some extent. But um, 75 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:19,479 Speaker 1: I can't answer that question because his connection with his 76 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: audience is you guys have your following. I have my following, 77 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 1: but nobody has a following like Rush. There was a connection, 78 00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:34,360 Speaker 1: a relationship with his audience that was genuine and from 79 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:39,400 Speaker 1: his heart, and he uh, it was unique. I don't 80 00:04:39,400 --> 00:04:42,800 Speaker 1: know how this is the problem. How do you find 81 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: you know? People are How about the who's the next? 82 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,159 Speaker 1: Look at? There isn't That was? That was He was 83 00:04:48,279 --> 00:04:51,159 Speaker 1: one of a kind, one of the Tom Tom. Let's 84 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:53,919 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about before he was nationally syndicated, 85 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: because he worked with him in Sacramento, California, the same 86 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 1: newsroom or our careers started. Um, he was so funny 87 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:05,159 Speaker 1: and so irreverent in the early part of his career. 88 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: I think people who have latched on the last ten 89 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:10,560 Speaker 1: fifteen years don't know that it was I don't think 90 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:14,719 Speaker 1: people understand that. I don't think he ever did politics 91 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:18,640 Speaker 1: when he was in Sacramento. Really he did a lot 92 00:05:18,680 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: of a lot of funny topics that were hilarious. And 93 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: he has a committed side to him that is unbelievable. 94 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: But he was so he was. Yes, he was extremely funny, 95 00:05:31,839 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: very entertaining. He's an entertainer first and foremost, and you 96 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:37,680 Speaker 1: and to me, I believe that you've got to entertain 97 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 1: and inform in order to succeed in this business. And 98 00:05:42,360 --> 00:05:45,200 Speaker 1: and he did. But his entertainment side, he was also, 99 00:05:45,279 --> 00:05:52,120 Speaker 1: of course massive information guy. But I mean he introduced things. Um, 100 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 1: he first started. It was October of and this new 101 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,440 Speaker 1: guy came to down He replaced more Downey Jr. Who 102 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,799 Speaker 1: had told an ethnic joke on the air and got fired. 103 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 1: And so the consultant guy by the name of Norm 104 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:14,720 Speaker 1: was the guy who brought him the Sacramento from Kansas City. 105 00:06:14,960 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: And so here's this new guy and he comes in 106 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,520 Speaker 1: and he sits down. He's doing his radio show. And 107 00:06:19,560 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 1: I gotta tell you, if you can find tapes of 108 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:25,240 Speaker 1: the first three months of Russia's radio show, it was 109 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: kind of boring. He would do things about, well, Russia 110 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: is doing this, the Soviet Union and the Chinese says, 111 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 1: and I thought, oh boy, I don't know if this 112 00:06:35,520 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: guy's gonna make it, because he was following there were 113 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,599 Speaker 1: a lot of people who were mad about Morton Downey Jr. 114 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 1: Who was outrageous getting fired, and they did not like 115 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:50,719 Speaker 1: this new guy. So along comes a little town north 116 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:57,040 Speaker 1: of Sacramento. Yuba City had some problem with people smoking 117 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: in their library, and they banned smoking in their libraries. 118 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 1: This one smoking was let hit and so he came 119 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,840 Speaker 1: on and started having a show, and he said, I 120 00:07:08,240 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: have to tell you there's we are having a no 121 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:15,280 Speaker 1: smoking section here and we are banning anybody from Uba 122 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: City that is a smoker. You cannot call this program. 123 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:22,160 Speaker 1: It was hilarious the way he was able to deliver 124 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:26,000 Speaker 1: that thing. And from there on end came the sticks 125 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: that he did that were Slim Whitman records playing backwards 126 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,360 Speaker 1: where the devil was in them, and he it was 127 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: it was be on he was so creative and so funny, 128 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,320 Speaker 1: So he really did not do politics until he got 129 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: on the national stage. That's really interesting. I didn't know that. 130 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 1: I knew he did more you know, bits and irreverence 131 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: stuff early on when he was a local host, but 132 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: I assumed he was still politically driven to start with, 133 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:53,560 Speaker 1: but not at all. So what made him decide to 134 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: make the switch. Did this station he went to New 135 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 1: York so they know we want more politics? Or did 136 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,120 Speaker 1: he just since that was The Times or something? I 137 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:03,440 Speaker 1: think it was The Times, and he was He was 138 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 1: a massive hit instantly in New York, and there were 139 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:13,840 Speaker 1: people like Bill Buckley, Uh, there was Henry Kissinger, other 140 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: people that were big deals in New York at the time, 141 00:08:16,880 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: embraced him, and he kind of got introduced on a 142 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:24,480 Speaker 1: first hand basis to some of the big political leaders 143 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:27,320 Speaker 1: uh in New York and in our country. I think 144 00:08:27,360 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 1: that was all it was. He the talent was always there. 145 00:08:30,920 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: He just it wasn't really something that came up in 146 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: local conversation, but it did on a national basis, you know, 147 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:44,680 Speaker 1: Tom last question from me, anyway, we all try to 148 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: be ourselves. I think anybody who's ever been successful in 149 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:50,560 Speaker 1: this business is to a large measure themselves on the 150 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 1: air because you have to, and people smell jive from 151 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,280 Speaker 1: a million miles away. On the other hand, there's there's 152 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 1: part of you that maybe doesn't come out on the air. 153 00:09:00,520 --> 00:09:04,120 Speaker 1: How would you describe Russia Limball the human being to 154 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:08,680 Speaker 1: listeners who just know him through the air? Um, I've 155 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:11,440 Speaker 1: told people this and they look at me like I'm crazy. 156 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:19,680 Speaker 1: Um Rush was I can't believe I'm saying. Was Um 157 00:09:20,559 --> 00:09:28,560 Speaker 1: a extremely polite Midwest son of the Midwest, son of 158 00:09:28,600 --> 00:09:36,360 Speaker 1: Missouri Cape Girardo, over overly polite and also very generous, 159 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:41,720 Speaker 1: just a kind man that Um. The bravado on the 160 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:46,679 Speaker 1: air was bravado, but his beliefs were I mean, he 161 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:49,320 Speaker 1: didn't make up his beliefs. He believed everything he said, 162 00:09:49,640 --> 00:09:52,080 Speaker 1: but he said it with more bravado. I think for 163 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: production values more than anything else. But what a kind, 164 00:09:57,880 --> 00:10:02,600 Speaker 1: polite man he was, and anybody who ever really got 165 00:10:02,640 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 1: to meet him off the air saw it instantly. It's 166 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: just over the top politeness and kind and generous, a 167 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: lot of friends and non friends, and amazing what he had. Well, Tom, 168 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:19,880 Speaker 1: we we appreciate you coming on because you know we 169 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:22,120 Speaker 1: realize it's a it's a personal loss for you. It's 170 00:10:22,120 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 1: not just talking about a celebrity like it is for 171 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: a lot of us talking heads. But appreciate you taking 172 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:31,880 Speaker 1: the time today, Jack, good to talk to you. Likewise, 173 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:33,520 Speaker 1: extra large