You Could Be A Talk Show Host!

Maybe you already are!

Back in the Golden Age of Talk Radio (1980 – 2021), a Talk Show Host with the required brains and talent worth a decent paycheck had one job requirement: Show Prep. Simply put, this was 24/7/52 reading, listening, observing, researching, cross referencing and consideration of current events and issues plus everything else likely to impact the lives and grab the attention of the audience. Once organized to inform and entertain, he spent 3-4 hours on the air with these collected pearls as well as his accumulated life experience that would shape his perspective, season his performance in relating to the audience. That’s the  Talent part.  

Hopefully, Dear Reader, you do not aspire to become the next Brian Wils...Rush Limbaugh. The Golden Age of Talk died with Rush and the subsequent co-opting (see: castration) of Upper Management in Corporate Media (Salem, Cumulus, Saga, iHeart, Sirius, and a dozen others). Our litigious society, combined with the spreading infestation of PC hyper-sensitivities, put owners, stations and some excellent hosts in the cross-hairs of failed ambulance chasers looking for a ballsy reputation and bigger paychecks. The Snowflakes, Pussy Hats, Man Buns, Karens and other narcissists were all too happy to ventilate their prejudiced ignorance for the Cause du Jour. Other issues – COVID-impacted small businesses, for one – put a serious dent in station ad revenue making a snarky lawsuit triggered over “Pronoun Offense” or the latest Cancel Culture effort too costly. Orders went out to tamp down only the Biggest Dudes whose ratings sustained their economic value. Talk Radio replaced the Snooze button.

But that doesn’t mean Talk Show Hosts have become extinct. Well, actually they have pretty much. With Rush gone, it didn’t take long before the Also Rans could no  longer bask in the reflected glow of his enormous ratings, maybe finding a gig on the back burner or none at all. A few, like Glen Beck, had the horsepower to self-syndicate eliminating censoring static from the Board Room. Streaming has become the Latest and Greatest for (formerly) radio formats.

However, opportunities still abound! In fact, the need has never been greater! So how and where do you get in on the action of being a Talk Show Host? Much the same way illustrated a couple articles ago that “We are all Paul Revere now”. Nothing more needs be said to disparage the “Evening Distortions” called “News” from Corporate Media (ABCCBSNBCFOXCNNMSNBCNPR). False News, mis- and disinformation, massaging stories by innuendo, omission and commission should be obvious to all but the most apathetic, ‘low information’ citizen of voting age. But you can’t get the job and do it well with “The British are coming!” One-liners aren’t gonna cut it anymore. Revere’s audience was so well informed about what was happening, 4 words yelled from a galloping horse in the middle of the night was less “Disturbing the Peace” and more “Bulletin News”! Today’s mission requires more information to inform effectively. You have to do your “show prep” to get and keep the attention of your Low Info neighbor or inform the Dances With Stars fan about serious issues with the distinct potential to “fundamentally change America “ – and our lives – in the coming months.

If you’re inclined to accept the challenge and the mission, here’s what I’m offering to help based on most of the 50+ years spent “in the biz”.

You must have reliable sources for reliable Show Prep. There are too many “professionals” getting mega-bux to lie to us every day and evening; print media is no different. The resulting ignorance created a steep learning curve. Over the years, I culled and curated a list of Go-To places, people, and resources you’ll find below, available to most anyone interested. Those now behind paywalls were not included

Even if you’re not up for engaging anyone in compelling conversation about the history we’re living right now, you owe it to yourself to be at the top of your game, confident and comfortable in your own skin when you learn the Next Big Thing has just materialized and what are you gonna do?

The list is not exhaustive but it will get you started. You may know some not listed. Good! No worries. One or one hundred, the integrity of the source is the top priority. Copy. Paste. Save. Share with like-mined friends. Use it to ‘fact check’. Maintain a fully-stocked armory of accurate intel. The facts you share may save the face – or life – of someone who might otherwise get caught in the information quicksand of the Seriously Ignorant!

Not in any particular order….

Zero Hedge – Best “news aggregator” out there. Comments Section rules!

X (Twitter) – Everything that counts first or eventually. Caution suggested.

Tucker Carlson – Tucker’s new thing

Matt Taibbi

Glenn Greenwald

LRC.com – Lew Rockwell, The Mises Institute. Award winning writers daily.

Rutherford Institute

Facebook – Likeminded Politics. Join the group. Lots of well-informed contributors

Coffee and Covid (Substack)

CJ Hopkins (Substack)      

Welcome to Absurdistan (Substack)

Future of Freedom Foundation – Jacob Hornberger and friends. DC veterans.

Survival Blog – James Wesley Rowles Anything about prepping, Anything!

The Burning Platform – Provocative. Compelling. Insightful.

Drudge Report – Not what it once was…but grabs some big crumbs occasionally

NY Post – the headlines alone are worth a visit. Friend Jim Bovard on the Opinion Page.

WaPo, NYT, ABC, NBC, CBS – always good to see what the enemy is up to…

Thanks for reading this far! Here’s hoping Life and the Weather are treating you better than just ‘fairly’ this far into the new year! Please remember to make use of those cute little buttons below. Shirley you know someone who hasn’t the the pleasure (?) of reading Brianwilsonwrites!