WEBVTT - Rush Limbaugh: A Kind Man, A Radio Legend. Tom Sullivan Talks To A&G

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<v Speaker 1>The great Russia Limbaugh has passed on. It is a

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<v Speaker 1>pleasure to talk to an old friend of ours and

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<v Speaker 1>one of Russia's oldest and best friends, Tom Sullivan. It's

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<v Speaker 1>extra large because four hours simply enough, this is armstrong

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<v Speaker 1>and getty extra large. Well, you can hardly overstate how

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<v Speaker 1>big a deal Rush Limbaugh was for um. The world

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<v Speaker 1>of talk radio, which we make are living in and

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<v Speaker 1>Tom Sullivan makes it was living in. Maybe you've heard

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<v Speaker 1>Tom Sullivan over the years. I've seen him on Fox

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<v Speaker 1>Business or someplace like that. Tom Sullivan, welcome to the show.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you, guys. Hi. How good to talk to you

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<v Speaker 1>on a sad day, but good to talk to you.

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<v Speaker 1>It is sad, and it's worth mentioning that Russia Limball

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<v Speaker 1>was not only a colleague of years and somebody you

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<v Speaker 1>admired like us, but he was a good friend of

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<v Speaker 1>yours for a long time. I I say this too.

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<v Speaker 1>I told my my children, you know, if you have

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<v Speaker 1>you have three friends in your lifetime. I mean like

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<v Speaker 1>real friends. I know a lot of people, you guys

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<v Speaker 1>know a lot of people, but I mean a friend

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<v Speaker 1>that you can talk to about anything and share your

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<v Speaker 1>deepest thoughts. Um, that was Rush, and he was one

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<v Speaker 1>of I would count him one of three people in

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<v Speaker 1>my lifetime that I was that close to. And we

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<v Speaker 1>even though we worked together many years ago, we always

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<v Speaker 1>stayed in touch when he would be in my area,

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<v Speaker 1>stayed at our at Mark our home, and I would

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<v Speaker 1>stay we would stayed at his home in Florida, and

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<v Speaker 1>he was the best man at my wedding. I mean

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<v Speaker 1>we we're very, very close. And um people asked, they said, oh,

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<v Speaker 1>you you must talk to the Rush about about politics

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<v Speaker 1>and about Democrats and Republicans. No, no, actually no, we

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<v Speaker 1>never ever talked about topics that we would talk about

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<v Speaker 1>on radio. We talked as friends about things that friends

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<v Speaker 1>talked to each other about, but we never talked about

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<v Speaker 1>you know, politics or the president or anything else like that,

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<v Speaker 1>which is I guess why we stayed friends so unique

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<v Speaker 1>that we get to talk to somebody who actually knew

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<v Speaker 1>Rush personally then, because um, we're on the radio business.

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<v Speaker 1>And what made him what he is? What was his

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<v Speaker 1>unique skill that made him maybe the biggest star in

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<v Speaker 1>the history of radio, certainly arguably the biggest you know

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<v Speaker 1>presence in the history of radio, going all the way

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<v Speaker 1>back to the twenties. I don't think anybody's ever been

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<v Speaker 1>bigger than Rush Limbaugh. Since you knew him personally and professionally,

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<v Speaker 1>what unique skill did he have that allowed him to

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<v Speaker 1>pull that off? Here's how I got into talk radio,

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<v Speaker 1>and I'll maybe try to answer that question with this.

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<v Speaker 1>So he got his gig in New York and he

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<v Speaker 1>told me. He told me about his negotiations. He was

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<v Speaker 1>talking with this guy Ed McLoughlin and talking about New

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<v Speaker 1>York and he says, I'm really interested in doing it.

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<v Speaker 1>So we were at lunch and I said to him,

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<v Speaker 1>after the deal was announced and he was moving to

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<v Speaker 1>New York, and they asked me because when he first

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<v Speaker 1>went to New York, his show was two hours, and

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<v Speaker 1>so they asked me to fill in for that third

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<v Speaker 1>hour and to to fill that spot. And I said

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<v Speaker 1>to him, I said, Rush, I said, at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>I was doing business reports. I'm a financial guy. And

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<v Speaker 1>I said to him, I says, so what what do

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<v Speaker 1>I do? What? What's what's the trick, what's the technique,

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<v Speaker 1>what's the And he he said to me, he says, listen,

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<v Speaker 1>he says, just be yourself. He said, just be yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>He says, if you even though you're doing at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>I was doing a local show. He says, always do

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<v Speaker 1>things from the standpoint of a national audience, so that

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<v Speaker 1>you're always talking about issues that affect our country and

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<v Speaker 1>the topics of the country, and don't matter who's listening,

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<v Speaker 1>they will have some relationship with you. That's all he

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<v Speaker 1>told me. He says, he says, you're gonna have to

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<v Speaker 1>figure it out on your own, and I hope you do.

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<v Speaker 1>Good luck, and I'm out of here. And so he

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<v Speaker 1>left that I figured it out to some extent. But um,

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<v Speaker 1>I can't answer that question because his connection with his

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<v Speaker 1>audience is you guys have your following. I have my following,

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<v Speaker 1>but nobody has a following like Rush. There was a connection,

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<v Speaker 1>a relationship with his audience that was genuine and from

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<v Speaker 1>his heart, and he uh, it was unique. I don't

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<v Speaker 1>know how this is the problem. How do you find

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<v Speaker 1>you know? People are How about the who's the next?

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<v Speaker 1>Look at? There isn't That was? That was He was

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<v Speaker 1>one of a kind, one of the Tom Tom. Let's

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<v Speaker 1>talk a little bit about before he was nationally syndicated,

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<v Speaker 1>because he worked with him in Sacramento, California, the same

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<v Speaker 1>newsroom or our careers started. Um, he was so funny

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<v Speaker 1>and so irreverent in the early part of his career.

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<v Speaker 1>I think people who have latched on the last ten

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen years don't know that it was I don't think

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<v Speaker 1>people understand that. I don't think he ever did politics

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<v Speaker 1>when he was in Sacramento. Really he did a lot

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<v Speaker 1>of a lot of funny topics that were hilarious. And

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<v Speaker 1>he has a committed side to him that is unbelievable.

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<v Speaker 1>But he was so he was. Yes, he was extremely funny,

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<v Speaker 1>very entertaining. He's an entertainer first and foremost, and you

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<v Speaker 1>and to me, I believe that you've got to entertain

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<v Speaker 1>and inform in order to succeed in this business. And

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<v Speaker 1>and he did. But his entertainment side, he was also,

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<v Speaker 1>of course massive information guy. But I mean he introduced things. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>he first started. It was October of and this new

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<v Speaker 1>guy came to down He replaced more Downey Jr. Who

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<v Speaker 1>had told an ethnic joke on the air and got fired.

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<v Speaker 1>And so the consultant guy by the name of Norm

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<v Speaker 1>was the guy who brought him the Sacramento from Kansas City.

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<v Speaker 1>And so here's this new guy and he comes in

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<v Speaker 1>and he sits down. He's doing his radio show. And

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<v Speaker 1>I gotta tell you, if you can find tapes of

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<v Speaker 1>the first three months of Russia's radio show, it was

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<v Speaker 1>kind of boring. He would do things about, well, Russia

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<v Speaker 1>is doing this, the Soviet Union and the Chinese says,

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<v Speaker 1>and I thought, oh boy, I don't know if this

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<v Speaker 1>guy's gonna make it, because he was following there were

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of people who were mad about Morton Downey Jr.

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<v Speaker 1>Who was outrageous getting fired, and they did not like

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<v Speaker 1>this new guy. So along comes a little town north

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<v Speaker 1>of Sacramento. Yuba City had some problem with people smoking

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<v Speaker 1>in their library, and they banned smoking in their libraries.

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<v Speaker 1>This one smoking was let hit and so he came

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<v Speaker 1>on and started having a show, and he said, I

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<v Speaker 1>have to tell you there's we are having a no

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<v Speaker 1>smoking section here and we are banning anybody from Uba

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<v Speaker 1>City that is a smoker. You cannot call this program.

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<v Speaker 1>It was hilarious the way he was able to deliver

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<v Speaker 1>that thing. And from there on end came the sticks

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<v Speaker 1>that he did that were Slim Whitman records playing backwards

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<v Speaker 1>where the devil was in them, and he it was

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<v Speaker 1>it was be on he was so creative and so funny,

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<v Speaker 1>So he really did not do politics until he got

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<v Speaker 1>on the national stage. That's really interesting. I didn't know that.

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<v Speaker 1>I knew he did more you know, bits and irreverence

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<v Speaker 1>stuff early on when he was a local host, but

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<v Speaker 1>I assumed he was still politically driven to start with,

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<v Speaker 1>but not at all. So what made him decide to

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<v Speaker 1>make the switch. Did this station he went to New

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<v Speaker 1>York so they know we want more politics? Or did

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<v Speaker 1>he just since that was The Times or something? I

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<v Speaker 1>think it was The Times, and he was He was

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<v Speaker 1>a massive hit instantly in New York, and there were

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<v Speaker 1>people like Bill Buckley, Uh, there was Henry Kissinger, other

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<v Speaker 1>people that were big deals in New York at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>embraced him, and he kind of got introduced on a

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<v Speaker 1>first hand basis to some of the big political leaders

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<v Speaker 1>uh in New York and in our country. I think

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<v Speaker 1>that was all it was. He the talent was always there.

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<v Speaker 1>He just it wasn't really something that came up in

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<v Speaker 1>local conversation, but it did on a national basis, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>Tom last question from me, anyway, we all try to

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<v Speaker 1>be ourselves. I think anybody who's ever been successful in

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<v Speaker 1>this business is to a large measure themselves on the

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<v Speaker 1>air because you have to, and people smell jive from

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<v Speaker 1>a million miles away. On the other hand, there's there's

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<v Speaker 1>part of you that maybe doesn't come out on the air.

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<v Speaker 1>How would you describe Russia Limball the human being to

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<v Speaker 1>listeners who just know him through the air? Um, I've

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<v Speaker 1>told people this and they look at me like I'm crazy.

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<v Speaker 1>Um Rush was I can't believe I'm saying. Was Um

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<v Speaker 1>a extremely polite Midwest son of the Midwest, son of

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<v Speaker 1>Missouri Cape Girardo, over overly polite and also very generous,

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<v Speaker 1>just a kind man that Um. The bravado on the

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<v Speaker 1>air was bravado, but his beliefs were I mean, he

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<v Speaker 1>didn't make up his beliefs. He believed everything he said,

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<v Speaker 1>but he said it with more bravado. I think for

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<v Speaker 1>production values more than anything else. But what a kind,

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<v Speaker 1>polite man he was, and anybody who ever really got

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<v Speaker 1>to meet him off the air saw it instantly. It's

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<v Speaker 1>just over the top politeness and kind and generous, a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of friends and non friends, and amazing what he had. Well, Tom,

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<v Speaker 1>we we appreciate you coming on because you know we

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<v Speaker 1>realize it's a it's a personal loss for you. It's

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<v Speaker 1>not just talking about a celebrity like it is for

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of us talking heads. But appreciate you taking

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<v Speaker 1>the time today, Jack, good to talk to you. Likewise,

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<v Speaker 1>extra large