July 15, 2003
On Limbaugh And ESPN
I was in my car this afternoon when I heard conservative talk radio giant Rush Limbaugh announce he will be joining the pre-game team on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown for the upcoming NFL season.
(As a card carrying member of the VRWC, my controller expects me to tune in every once in a while. Have to be ready when the coded message finally arrives.)
Beginning with the September 4th broadcast before the first game of the regular season between the New York Jets and the Washington Redskins, Limbaugh will get to do a 90 second essay from the perspective of the "regular fan" (as if most regular fans sit atop a mountain of cash totalling in the tens of millions of dollars), as well as a number of "challenges" that will let him break into the broadcast at his leisure if he doesn't like what he's hearing.
In a way, we've been here before, haven't we? It was just three years ago that ABC jump-started its buzz machine when it hired comedian Dennis Miller to join Dan Fouts and Al Michaels in the revamped booth at Monday Night Football.
And while the experiment with Miller was interesting, it never really caught on. His brand of comedy wasn't at home in the booth -- something which really wasn't his fault -- and it can't be thought of as terribly surprising that ABC gave Miller his walking papers when John Madden became available.
I've heard Limbaugh talk about the NFL before, and while he's clearly a knowledgeable fan, I don't ever remember being blown away by any of his insights. Then again, this deal is far different from the situation with Miller in a number of ways that have the potential to create enormous upside for ESPN, with relatively little downside risk.
Media Drives Media: Limbaugh has 20 million regular listeners to his show, and there's little doubt that a number of them will tune in on Sunday mornings and help goose the ratings. Limbaugh seems more than ready to play the game, as he took a shot at Fox NFL Sunday, saying he could never appear on a pre-game show that featured comedians and a jiggly weather girl.
Whether Limbaugh likes it or not, he's probably going to wind up devoting a portion of his show on Fridays to give a preview of what's coming up on ESPN on Sunday. Further, if the sparks fly on Sunday morning, you're sure to hear Limbaugh talk about it in the first segment of his show on Mondays. In the end, ESPN has the potential to pick up more viewers, and Limbaugh, believe it or not, will probably wind up drawing new listeners that line up with ESPN's younger demographic. It's a win-win for everybody.
The Shock Jock Factor: It's a shame that ABC passed over Limbaugh in favor of Miller three years ago when it came to filling the third seat on Monday Night Football. Sure, Miller was an offbeat and interesting choice. But in some sense at least, he was a safe choice. After all, back in 1999, who ever got that upset at Dennis Miller?
Limbaugh, on the other hand, would have had the potential to become the most polarizing figure in sports television since Howard Cosell.
During his heyday on Monday Night Football, it was clear that literally millions of viewers were driven to the broadcast because they hated Cosell. Check that, not hated, despised Cosell. Even better, he proved to be an excellent foil in the booth for ex-jocks Frank Gifford and Don Meredith -- especially because Cosell regularly trashed sports television executives who gave jobs to former athletes at the expense of actual journalists.
Unlike today, the conflict was real, not contrived. And the audience loved it.
Expect Limbaugh to try to fill that sort of role at ESPN. Here's how he politely put it today:
Everyone on these shows is either a football player or journalist and they can take too much for granted. This is not a criticism. You'll ignore or not notice certain aspects of anything you're close to because you see it all the time.
So I'm there to notice and question things people at home wonder about.
Limbaugh is already used to being hated, and probably won't mind if he creates a few more enemies. And don't be surprised when a number of folks of the liberal bent tune in to watch the one man they love to hate above all others. In droves.
Shh. . . It's Only Cable: This ain't no network gig. We're not talking about millions of viewers, we're talking hundreds of thousands. If this doesn't work, neither ESPN nor Limbaugh is taking all that much of a risk.
Limbaugh probably has his eyes on a much larger prize. There's still an empty chair in the booth at Monday Night Football. Limbaugh counts Al Michaels as a personal friend, and something tells me that missing out on that opportunity has rankled him ever since. If he can make it at ESPN, I see him making a case for the third chair on Monday nights.
Then again, he might fail miserably. But I doubt it. Limbaugh is no dummie. I suspect that he thought this through pretty hard, and most likely dictated his own terms when it came to the way he'd be used on the show. He's setting himself up for success, not failure.
Stay tuned, only 50 days until kickoff.
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I expect Rush to last on ESPN about as long as he lasted as guest host of "The Pat Sajak Show". He better be appearing alone, because everyone knows he can't cut it when he actually has to face a differing opinion. I won't stop watching ESPN Sunday Countdown just because he's on it and I happen to think he's a lying money-grubbing whore of the media he so gleefully disdains, but I sure as hell won't make a point of watching it just because he's on either.
Posted by:
at August 17, 2003 12:26 PM
I too find it ironic that a man, worth a bazillion dollars, is giving the "average Joe" perspective for ESPN. I guess he is the average Joe if you happen to be a millionaire broadcaster and make your money by slandering, lying and inciting others to fear and hate. Who knows? Maybe all those African-Americans on the field and in the booth will be able to joke around with Mr. Limbaugh about the time he told an African-American caller to his program to "Take that bone out of your nose so I can understand you!" They could use props and stuff to really get the audience pumped for a day of FOOTBALL!!!!! Or, maybe Mr. Limbaugh will regale the audience with his glorious tales of battle with an evil anal cyst that caused him to miss all the fun as a soldier in Vietnam. I guess that overall ESPN isn't taking that big of a chance by hiring a lying, racist blowhard. What could possibly go wrong?
Posted by:
at September 12, 2003 10:02 PM
Maybe all those African-Americans on the field and in the booth will be able to joke around with Mr. Limbaugh about the time he told an African-American caller to his program to "Take that bone out of your nose so I can understand you!"
When did that happen? And even if he were racist, why would he allow Dr. Walter Williams guest host for his show? Or have a black man officiate at his wedding?
"I guess that overall ESPN isn't taking that big of a chance by hiring a lying, racist blowhard."
I would submit that you are the racist blowhard in that statement. As far as lying, well...it's mostly to yourself. Limbaugh is going to be the most interesting aspect of the ESPN show this year.
Posted by:
at September 17, 2003 02:50 PM
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