Rush Limbaugh broke the radio. Here are some shows that redeem it
Rush Limbaugh has died at the age of 70 after being diagnosed with lung cancer in January 2020, his wife, Kathryn, announced on his eponymous radio show on Wednesday morning. The right-wing talk radio host will perhaps be most remembered for his long history of controversial provocations, insults, and hate speech (and/or his inexplicable beef with Game Of Thrones recappers).
Limbaugh’s radio career was spent spreading the opposite of positivity, and he found a lot of success doing that. But we here at The A.V. Club choose to focus on things that hopefully make the world a better place—or at least make us feel good. With this goal in mind, here are three talk radio offerings that we make time to enjoy that aren’t All Things Considered (which is also quite enjoyable).
Stephanie Miller is the daughter of the 1964 Republican VP candidate, William E. Miller of New York, but she’s a die-hard liberal. Her daily three-hour progressive radio series offers fresh, funny commentary on the often-head-spinning politics of the day, with guests including the likes of Esquire’s Charlie Pierce, The Rude Pundit, and Congressman Adam Schiff. Available in syndication and Miller’s website.
This Peabody-winning syndicated show is much like The A.V. Club in that it offers interviews, commentary, and criticism covering all forms of pop culture. The program is hosted Mondays through Thursdays by Terry Gross, who has been with Fresh Air since a few months into it’s launch at Philadelphia’s WHYY in 1975. Gross received the National Humanities Medal from President Obama in 2016, “For her artful probing of the human experience. Her patient, persistent questioning in thousands of interviews over four decades has pushed public figures to reveal personal motivations behind extraordinary lives—revealing simple truths that affirm our common humanity.” Available in syndication on NPR stations and on demand at npr.com.
It’s Been A Minute with Sam Sanders
This twice-weekly series spends every Friday tackling the news of the moment, and every Tuesday offering up in-depth conversations that help us make just a little more sense of this crazy world. This Tuesday, NPR correspondent Sam Sanders welcomed filmmaker and activist Abigail Disney, daughter of Roy E. Disney, to discuss “her views on inequality in the U.S., corporate greed and why, despite her last name, she’s become one of the more vocal and prominent critics of The Walt Disney empire.” Available on demand wherever you get your podcasts.