Post New Article

Talk Radio Tuneout

Original Article

Posted By: Boomer in the Basement, 12/15/2025 11:45:08 PM

Now that we’re firmly in December, I can comfortably drive around in the truck with Jimmy Durante’s gravelly crooning of Frosty the Snowman for the eighteen-millionth time in my life, rather than tune into what passes for talk radio these days. To be sure, I’ll even turn up The Chipmunks—poor old Alvin being screamed at by Dave—before I switch over to the local AM station carrying Clay and Buck, or, God help me, Sean Hannity.

Post Reply

Reminder: “WE ARE A SALON AND NOT A SALOON”

Your thoughts, comments, and ideas are always welcome here. But we ask you to please be mindful and respectful. Threatening or crude language doesn't persuade anybody and makes the conversation less enjoyable for fellow L.Dotters.


Reply 1 - Posted by: Christopher L 12/16/2025 12:21:03 AM (No. 2041783)
I listened to the Clay & Buck Show for a while, but it didn't seem like it was really hitting the mark. I gave them a break since no one could replace El Rushbo. But they never seemed to get better. I switched over to Dan Bongino, who was great, but he went on to bigger and better things. So, now I listen to The Vince Show and he is doing a very good job. Terrible name for a show. But I've heard him say since no one could pronounce or spell his last name, Coglianese, he just went with The Vince Show.
12 people like this.

Reply 2 - Posted by: wilarrbie 12/16/2025 12:24:05 AM (No. 2041784)
Thank you, Boomer for posting, Substack for publishing, and Mr Ferris for saying. Bo Snerdley (James Golden) would have been a wonderful replacement voice for Rush. Clay & Buck, and Hannity - this guy just nails it. Siiiigh.
12 people like this.

Reply 3 - Posted by: crashnburn 12/16/2025 12:31:49 AM (No. 2041789)
I was never a big fan of Rush, even though he made talk radio talk radio. I liked his guest hosts better. I listened to Red Eye Radio for a while, but those guys are occasionally right, but never in doubt. I quit listening to them when the completely ignored Katie Lake getting shafter in AZ. I liked Dan, and his replacement, Vince, a lot.
0 people like this.

Reply 4 - Posted by: DVC 12/16/2025 12:44:00 AM (No. 2041794)
I gave up on the Sexton and Clay show very quickly. Just not interesting. Hannity, I got my fill of while Rush was still alive, always turned Hannity off after Rush was over. No national talk show hosts worth the time any more. Rush was very, very special. I miss him frequently when I'm driving and there's nothing on worth the time.
33 people like this.

Reply 5 - Posted by: john56 12/16/2025 1:05:28 AM (No. 2041802)
It's too bad Mark Steyn couldn't be convinced to take over Rush's chair at the EIB Institute for Conservative Studies.
39 people like this.

Reply 6 - Posted by: Newtsche 12/16/2025 1:08:59 AM (No. 2041803)
Jesse Kelly, give him a listen. Levin may have gone nuts.
10 people like this.

Reply 7 - Posted by: FL_Absentee_Voter 12/16/2025 1:59:09 AM (No. 2041806)
As time passes, it becomes more obvious how absolutely brilliant and astute Rush was - about everything. The only one who ever came close (although I didn't get to listen to him much) was/is Bill Cunningham. Does he still have his edge?
10 people like this.

Reply 8 - Posted by: Flyball Dogs 12/16/2025 2:49:12 AM (No. 2041814)
Hannity has been unwatchable and unlistenable for more than 15 years. I’ve decided he’s not a particularly bright bulb. But he has the gift of gab (and gab and gab and gab etc), which makes him attractive to program managers, I suppose. I miss El Rushbo so much.
25 people like this.

Reply 9 - Posted by: franq 12/16/2025 6:00:40 AM (No. 2041833)
The problem with talk radio and podcasts is that the presenters talk a lot, but say very little. At this stage of my life, time is precious.
10 people like this.

Reply 10 - Posted by: joew9 12/16/2025 7:09:21 AM (No. 2041863)
Over the time Rush was on I would estimate I listened to greater than 95% of his shows. Before streaming I setup a tape recorder at home. The next day I would bring that tape into work. At another workplace I discovered I could pick up the station way at the other end of the building. I put a radio above the ceiling tiles and ran an ethernet cable all the way over to my desk. But it didn't really have ethernet, it just had audio. The IT people just thought it was ethernet and left it alone. Then I discovered a Biloxi station was streaming so I listened to that every day and got used to the ads for their restaurants. Then another fellow at work began bringing in CDs of previous day's broadcast and set them up as Windows shares. There were several other tricks I did to not miss Rush. Just the other day while cleaning out my car I pulled a list I had made of all the Rush stations from Atlanta to South Florida. As one faded out I would consult my list for the next one.
8 people like this.

Reply 11 - Posted by: RussZilla 12/16/2025 7:22:49 AM (No. 2041870)
Boston radio has good locals, like Howie Carr. Good show, WRKO. A newspaper reporter at the start of his career, he came up on radio following Rush’s show. He does a lot of local stuff and does very well with the national news. Hes on in the late afternoons against Hannity, and beats him every time with with and insight and sharp detail. hannity was always Rush lite, and his bumper music has always sucked.
5 people like this.

Reply 12 - Posted by: Mr. Know-It-All 12/16/2025 7:34:25 AM (No. 2041878)
Agree 100% with poster 5. I loved when Steyn subbed for Rush.
9 people like this.

Reply 13 - Posted by: Namma 12/16/2025 7:35:19 AM (No. 2041881)
O’Connor and Company and Chris Plante are great. News right out of Washington. Both on in the early hours of the morning until noon. I don’t miss their broadcasts. Give these shows a listen. They are much better then the chipmunks getting screamed at by Dave!
2 people like this.

Reply 14 - Posted by: Sorosisbehindit 12/16/2025 7:45:59 AM (No. 2041892)
Ferris speaks for me! Anyone who ever listened to Rush cannot settle for these pathetic posers. I have been turning Sean off for many years, due to his constant interrupting of guests and his boring drivel about his life and that of his sidekick, which is nothing but filler. Rush always had more than enough researched material to fill his show. If anyone could see inside my car they would hear me pushing the button to turn Sean off and yelling, "I can't stand you!" Clay and Buck are not as annoying, but are equally dull. Their filler is things like what food do you like at Thanksgiving, or sports talk. I guess they think we find them fascinating. I hope Rush is not watching what happened to his legacy EIB network.
6 people like this.

Reply 15 - Posted by: Sanddollar 12/16/2025 7:47:45 AM (No. 2041895)
I agree with what was said about the dim bulb of Hannity and the boring show of Clay and Buck. Rush was a natural for radio. I remember how funny he was during Clinton and Monica uproar. The parodies on his show were hilarious. Rush also knew so many people. He had excellent political analysis. I doubt someone like him will come along again. I listen to music instead of talk radio like the writer of this piece.
9 people like this.

Reply 16 - Posted by: chumley 12/16/2025 7:47:45 AM (No. 2041896)
I liked Rush and G. Gordon, and Hannity for his first few years. Then it just got old. Hannity and Ingram had a very annoying interview style wherein they would keep asking a guest the same question over and over, browbeating, until they got the answer they wanted. If Hannity didnt ever get the answer he wanted he would end it with a disappointed "yowl", which I took to mean "yeah". I used to like Levin but he lost his temper and ranted like a petulant little kid one too many times. And the endless commercials. It seemed like half of every show was commercials. I dont listen to anyone anymore.
5 people like this.

Reply 17 - Posted by: cgood 12/16/2025 8:10:32 AM (No. 2041917)
Can't help but miss Rush. Clay and Buck lack historical context. They are certainly not as intelligent as they think they are. Sean doesn't listen to callers or guests because he is only focused on what he plans to say. Also, although it is petty, I want to explode every time he insists on calling the Burna "the Burner" instead. Not sure why the sponsor tolerates it.
4 people like this.

Reply 18 - Posted by: Ja47646 12/16/2025 8:32:48 AM (No. 2041933)
I miss Rush so much! Listened to him as much as I could while raising kids. My adult kids still wince when I mention him! Clay and Buck are a very weak substitute. I now listen to Jesse Kelly on his podcast. He is the only one I really have grown to enjoy on talk radio since Rush left us.
4 people like this.

Reply 19 - Posted by: Aspen02 12/16/2025 8:38:13 AM (No. 2041938)
Why was Mark Steyn not the replacement?
4 people like this.

Reply 20 - Posted by: chillijilli 12/16/2025 8:51:19 AM (No. 2041951)
OK, Boomer. You have spoken for me, exactly. Talk is talk and Rush was a first-rate, very polished talker. But he was something MORE, wasn't he? What was that unique, obscure quality that NO ONE could copy? He was precocious and whip-smart---but not in an academic or bookish way. His audience knew they could count on the accuracy of his shrewd and witty observations. He got his point across by poking fun at the opposition, the bureaucracy, and even himself. Above all, he was CLEVER. Ahhhh. Those parodies. Love you, Rush, and thanks. Sigh.
8 people like this.

Reply 21 - Posted by: Strike3 12/16/2025 9:10:05 AM (No. 2041965)
Jimmy Failla is the only talk show host I listen to because the man's talent for comedy is tremendous. Hannity is the worst.
1 person likes this.

Reply 22 - Posted by: BeatleJeff 12/16/2025 9:28:35 AM (No. 2041982)
I was a loyal Rush listener from 1992 up through the mid-2010s. I would listen three hours a day every day. But around 2015 I moved into an office that got really poor radio reception, and I was only able to listen when I was out and about during my lunch hour. After he passed, I gave Dan Oingoboingo a try, but it just wasn't the same. Now that I'm retired, on days when I'm at home not traveling, during the time I would have been listening to Rush, I'm tuned into Dagen McDowell on Fox Business. She's smart as a whip and very entertaining.
1 person likes this.

Reply 23 - Posted by: franco 12/16/2025 6:13:24 PM (No. 2042208)
I'll take my whacks here at the current crop of talkers. First, Clay & Buck. How many of you noticed that those two were pushing Ron de Santis early in the primary season and then dropped him like a hot potato when it became clear that primary voters wanted Trump? Sexton was out of the gate for de Santis first, as he appeared for a photo at Miami Beach on election day in 2022 (when de Santis won his second term as FL governor) holding a "de Santis 2024" banner. Note well: Not 2022... 2024! And Clay's trope in early 20204 was that if Trump won the primary, it took the issue of "age off the table"... when age had nothing to do with it and Biden's brain function (or lack thereof) was the issue entirely. Decided I couldn't trust either of them going forward by then, and I dropped listening to them altogether in the spring of 2024. I found Dan Bongino compelling listening and I find Vince to be a reliable successor. Neither of them is Rush, but that's a tough act to follow. Far as Hannity goes, he was deposed in court in late 2020 or early 2021 and IIRC he testified, under oath, that he did not believe that Joe Biden had stolen the 2020 election and also said some unflattering things about PDJT. I found that unforgivable, and have listened to Hannity only sparingly since. His behavior on that occasion aligned with the Murdoch's following their DVS settlement in 2022 and gave me the distinct impression that what comes out of Hannity's mouth has a governor on it that is controlled by the Murdochs. (BTW, I'm also no fan of the Fox News Channel anymore, and haven't been since the 2020 election aftermath.) Today, my 3-6 PM listening is split between Howie Carr and James Golden. Neither is nationally syndicated, though, so you have to go look for them.
1 person likes this.

Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "Boomer in the Basement"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Most Recent Articles posted by Boomer in the Basement"
Tips Gone Wild; Because Handing Me a Bag
Is Not a Billable Service.
13 replies
Posted by Boomer in the Basement 12/19/2025 5:58:37 PM Post Reply
Writing this in December as I am you might be tempted to think I’m something of a money-grubbing Scrooge, but let me assure you in this first sentence I’m nothing of the sort. In fact, when it comes to tipping good service, I’m renowned for being generous, and was going twenty percent years before it was standard. My formula for a tip is this. When I enter an establishment, the wait staff is at twenty percent, perhaps even a little more. The tip is built into my tipping psyche. At that point, it’s up to the wait staff to begin working their way down.
Talk Radio Tuneout 23 replies
Posted by Boomer in the Basement 12/15/2025 11:45:08 PM Post Reply
Now that we’re firmly in December, I can comfortably drive around in the truck with Jimmy Durante’s gravelly crooning of Frosty the Snowman for the eighteen-millionth time in my life, rather than tune into what passes for talk radio these days. To be sure, I’ll even turn up The Chipmunks—poor old Alvin being screamed at by Dave—before I switch over to the local AM station carrying Clay and Buck, or, God help me, Sean Hannity.
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Can the Reiner family tragedy ever be explained? 29 replies
Posted by Hazymac 12/19/2025 9:21:18 AM Post Reply
The unspeakable tragedy that has been visited upon the family of Rob Reiner has likely left all parents in shock. Given what has been available to read about Nick Reiner these past several days, since the murder of his parents, it has shed a little light on what that family has endured since their son Nick was eight years old, maybe even before that. He was apparently a difficult child long before he became a drug user. His parents tried to help him way back then after he disrupted their yoga sessions. They hired their trainer to work specifically with Nick, thinking yoga would help him
The Vanity Fair interview
was a ‘targeted’ hit job on Susie
Wiles, entire Trump admin
27 replies
Posted by mc squared 12/18/2025 9:35:04 AM Post Reply
When it comes to hit jobs, the 10,000-word Vanity Fair spread on Susie Wiles is a classic of the genre. Chris Whipple, a veteran journalist, producer and author with a career spanning the constellation of left-wing media — CBS’s “60 Minutes,” ABC, MSNBC, CNN, NPR, Politico, The Daily Beast, The New York Times, The Washington Post — has craftily framed the president’s chief of staff in a narrative of typical Trump-derangement fantasies. The wonder is that she let him do it. And there’s no doubt she did. Washington journalism veteran Mark Halperin on his 2WAY podcast says Wiles may have thought the 11 interviews Whipple said she did this year were off the record.
Milwaukee judge found guilty of felony
obstruction in helping undocumented man
evade arrest
25 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 12/19/2025 12:27:43 AM Post Reply
A Wisconsin judge accused of concealing an undocumented man to prevent his arrest by immigration authorities was found guilty of felony obstruction, according to ABC Milwaukee affiliate WISN, which was in the courtroom for the trial. Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan was charged in a two-count federal indictment that alleges she obstructed official Department of Homeland Security removal proceedings and knowingly concealed the man from immigration authorities at a courthouse in April. Dugan was found guilty of obstructing federal agents and not guilty of concealing an undocumented immigrant from arrest during an April courthouse incident.
A murder spree from hell 22 replies
Posted by Hazymac 12/19/2025 8:07:17 AM Post Reply
The man suspected of carrying out two murderous attacks — one at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine more, and another that killed the MIT professor in his Brookline home — was found dead in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire last night. The murderer apparently took the coward’s way out. Listening to the Providence press conference last night — it was followed by one featuring United States Attorney Leah Foley speaking about the murder of MIT Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro — we learned that a witness who had confronted the murderer on the Brown campus provided the key to the breaking of the case
A Secret That the DNC Must Never Reveal:
Why They Lost the 2024 Elections
21 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 12/18/2025 12:53:56 PM Post Reply
America has a lot of secrets: the nuclear launch codes, what’s going on at Area 51, Bigfoot, why the Denver International Airport seems so odd, whatever happened to D. B. Cooper, and exactly what evidence convinced several U.S. government agencies that the most likely cause of the Covid-19 pandemic was a lab leak. And over at the Democratic National Committee, they’re locking up the biggest secret of all: why the Democrats lost the 2024 election. In a move that should unleash harsh criticism and recriminations,
The Democratic Party Is in Complete Collapse,
Poll Finds
20 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 12/19/2025 12:30:09 AM Post Reply
Democrats are sinking like a stone, and the new Quinnipiac poll makes it official: their congressional approval rating has hit a historic low of just 18%, with a brutal 73% disapproving. That's the worst number Quinnipiac has recorded since they started asking the question back in 2009. Even CNN's chief data analyst, Harry Enten, couldn't hide his shock, declaring that "Democrats, in the minds of the American public, are lower than the Dead Sea." The real kicker? Democrats are turning on their own party. Only 42% of Democratic voters approve of how their representatives in Congress are performing, while 48% disapprove.
Brown University shooting suspect found
dead in New Hampshire, sources say; possible
ties to MIT killing probed
19 replies
Posted by earlybird 12/18/2025 9:28:40 PM Post Reply
What to know about the investigations into the Brown University shooting and the killing of an MIT professor: The suspect in the Dec. 13 mass shooting on the campus of Brown University has been found dead in a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire, sources told CBS News. Two students were killed and nine were wounded in the shooting. Multiple sources familiar with the investigation had told CBS News earlier Thursday that a person of interest has been identified in the shooting.
Trump HUD Hunts Down Fraud in Colorado:
221 Dead People Were Getting Housing
17 replies
Posted by ConservativeYankee 12/18/2025 8:48:40 PM Post Reply
Ready for another exciting episode of "Rampant Welfare Fraud Costs the Taxpayers Billions?" Well, here we are; this time it's Colorado, and the fraud has to do with housing assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Investigators have uncovered 221 people receiving federal housing assistance who have no business receiving it, unless one can consider a coffin or an urn "housing." That's right. 221 dead people, out of almost 3,000 people in Colorado who were improperly receiving benefits from HUD. Here's the question: Were these just mistakes, the results of bad record-keeping, or deliberate fraud? Not that either is exactly a comfortable finding; when the answer
Senior citizen sentenced to 4 years after
shooting mugger faces the grim truth:
‘I might not come out’
16 replies
Posted by Hazymac 12/18/2025 6:21:03 PM Post Reply
On January 14, Charles Foehner will begin serving a four-year prison sentence. Yes, New Yorkers, we can finally rest easy. We got him. And by him, I mean a 67-year-old man who poses no danger to society. Foehner is a retired doorman with the gift of gab, a devoted wife, and a habit of saying “groovy.” He spends his time watching naval history videos on YouTube. While there are many violent criminals with rap sheets the length of a CVS receipt walking our streets, Queens DA Melinda Katz decided to throw the book at this senior citizen, after he pleaded guilty to owning unlicensed guns.
Tips Gone Wild; Because Handing Me a Bag
Is Not a Billable Service.
13 replies
Posted by Boomer in the Basement 12/19/2025 5:58:37 PM Post Reply
Writing this in December as I am you might be tempted to think I’m something of a money-grubbing Scrooge, but let me assure you in this first sentence I’m nothing of the sort. In fact, when it comes to tipping good service, I’m renowned for being generous, and was going twenty percent years before it was standard. My formula for a tip is this. When I enter an establishment, the wait staff is at twenty percent, perhaps even a little more. The tip is built into my tipping psyche. At that point, it’s up to the wait staff to begin working their way down.
UPDATE: Texas woman arrested, charged
with placing razor blades in Walmart bakery items
13 replies
Posted by Hazymac 12/19/2025 3:11:09 PM Post Reply
BILOXI, Miss. - The Biloxi Police Department has arrested the person they believe to be responsible for placing razor blades and a fishing hook in several bakery items at two Biloxi Walmart stores. Razor blades were first found in loaves of bread purchased at Walmart more than a week ago, but police were not called until Monday. On Tuesday, 33-year-old Texas woman Camille Benson was taken into custody. A tip to investigators stated she had been seen in the 1000 block of Division Street, leading to her arrest. Around noon, Biloxi investigators released surveillance photos of Benson exiting a Walmart store, identifying her as a person of interest. By 5 p.m.,
Trump Vs. The EU -- How Brussels Is Bankrupting
American Companies And Aiding China
13 replies
Posted by J. Arthur Brown 12/18/2025 8:41:07 PM Post Reply
The European Union continues to hammer away at American companies under the guise of "Digital Regulation." The Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) have become tools of economic and political aggression, masquerading as consumer protection. All of this, of course, under the European guise of "protecting democracy." (snip) What the EU is doing is nothing less than an extraterritorial power play meant to export European censorship norms into America.
Post New Article