Laura Ingraham: The big fix for dull, predictable talk radio

Laura Ingraham

Always articulate and entertaining, Talk Radio Network’s "The Laura Ingraham Show" has been addicting legions of listeners since her launch into national syndication in 2001. In fact, she has scored 19 new affiliates in the last four weeks alone!

Smart, funny, and ahead of the curve in politics and the culture, Laura's busting down the door of the "boys only" radio club. Her show takes listeners on a wild ride through the colliding worlds of politics, the news media, and Hollywood.

Her legal, political, writing, and television background distinguishes Laura in the field of increasingly homogeneous radio syndication. Whether she's on the watch for evidence of media bias, political hypocrisy or Hollywood inanity, Laura infuses her program with a level of energy and commitment to conservative principles that grabs hold and won't let go.

In addition to hosting her own syndicated radio program, Laura is an author, frequent columnist and television commentator. Her books, The Hillary Trap, Shut Up and Sing and Power to the People all quickly became bestsellers.

Laura also worked as a speechwriter in the final two years of the Reagan Administration at the White House, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Education.

Tell us about the live clear you just scored on heritage WRKO—how does it feel to be the first syndicated host to ever grab that daypart there? (WRKO goes way back, with RKO Pictures featuring the broadcast tower atop Planet Earth in the beginning of their movies).
Being on RKO live every morning is really the cherry on the ice cream sundae for me.  I have lots of family in Boston and grew up about 90 minutes away, so it very much feels like I'm "going home."  It is a humbling to be the first national host in mid-morning on RKO--now it's on to the hard work to make sure mine is the ONLY syndicated show there for many many years to come!  Plus, there is something even more delicious in the knowledge that my voice will be heard by the home offices of John Kerry, Barney Frank and the rest of the Massachusetts left. 

What’s it like to finally be on The Mighty WBAP-AM Dallas—according to them, the most powerful daytime coverage in the nation.
It's one of the thrills of my radio career--a historic signal, a station that has the most exciting line-up in talk radio.  I am looking forward to reaching an entirely new audience in Texas and beyond given the booming reach of BAP. 

With 20 new weekday affiliates, many of which are legendary signals such as 'RKO, WBAP, KVI, to mention a few added to your 300 existing, do you find this growth spurt surprising in such a short period of time?
It is gratifying and humbling.  TRN has transformed my station list in such a short period of time--a testament to Mark Masters' perseverance and in-depth understanding of the complexities of the talk radio marketplace, along of course with the unique substance and humor my show offers on a daily basis.  I have always believed that my show deserved to be heard on the best, biggest stations in the United States.  Market-by-market, we are working with the industry's brightest minds to make this a reality.  The results so far have been simply phenomenal. 

Women represent 90% of our disposable income. How does it feel to be the #1 Political Female Talk show host in America at a time when the “Palin Effect” is creating this awareness of the power of Women—both in the electorate and with media buyers?
Well, more important for me is that I am in the top 5 of all talk radio hosts--period.  I happen to be a woman in a male-dominated industry and have been blessed with an amazing career.  If I can be a help to other women coming along in radio that, of course, would give me a great deal of satisfaction.  I didn't have many mentors along the way during my media career, which is unfortunate because I think hearing the experiences of others can help us avoid some of the pitfalls that they overcame. 

We know you just signed a long-term deal with TRN. You have done well together. Mark Masters is effusive about you and calls you “America’s Margaret Thatcher.” Is he on the mark (no pun intended) and why?
That is of course absurdly flattering, and I don't deserve the comparison.  The Iron Lady is one of my heroes, and I am thrilled that I had the chance to meet and chat with her recently.  Mark Masters is a great booster of his talk talent, and if I could live up to be one-tenth of the orator and force for good that Lady Thatcher was to the 20th century, I would die a happy warrior woman!  My message to listeners speaks, perhaps, to a certain toughness--"There is something that all of us can do--big or small--every day to stand up for America.  Find that thing and do it. Never back down in a fight for freedom.”

What do you foresee about our economy in a McCain-Palin administration vs. an Obama-Biden administration?
A real shot to turn our economy around versus an all-out push for more government controls. More freedom versus less freedom. More flexibility versus rigid rules and regulations. 

Tell us about your recent interview with Palin.
I found her engaging, although slightly scripted which ultimately works to her disadvantage on talk radio.  She is still like a beautiful bird in a gilded cage--not free to fly whenever she wants, wherever she wants.  Sarah Palin has something profound to offer American politics today--authenticity.  The more the elites on the right and left ridicule her, the more I realize she is cutting through to the rest of America.  Regardless of what happens in November, you have not heard the last from her in the conservative movement. 

What changes, if any, do you think the next administration needs to make on foreign policy?
As someone who wants us to finish the job in Iraq and level a resounding defeat against the Taliban and al Qaeda in Afghanistan, I do still hope we return to a more truly conservative approach to deploying our military around the world.  Let's face it, we simply cannot afford to continue our experiment with "American Greatness conservatism," where we spend billions in taxpayer dollars and risk the lives of thousands of our bravest in an effort to "spread democracy" across the globe.  Neither Obama nor McCain as said much during this campaign about China, which is poised to overtake us economically and perhaps even militarily in the next 20 years.  China is militarizing space, expanding its investment Africa and South America, stealing our intellectual property, spying on us, and all the while continuing its crackdown on dissidents.   Does anyone care about how much financial power China exercises vis a vis the U.S.?  Are we as a nation in any way worried about China's aggressive military build-up?  Does the unrelenting, ballooning trade deficit with China bother either McCain or Obama?  If so, what, if anything, are they prepared to do about it?  It is shocking to me that no prominent political leader in America seems to want to talk about these issues. 

How has your show evolved from its beginning seven years ago (in evenings) with Westwood One? When you went with TRN and to mid-mornings, it seemed to explode. How do you account for such fast growth then since then?
Over the past seven years I have learned a ton about what works on air--how to attract, hold and build an audience. Some incredibly talented producers along the way worked with me to craft and refine a show format that meshed with my personality and interests.  Over time, I learned how to strike the right balance between political and cultural issues, and ignored those who warned me that using sound bites and elements would only slow down the show.  Hosting from 7 to 10 pm for two years for Westwood One was not easy--I'm a morning person, for goodness sake!  Regardless of how late I worked, I still was up at the crack of dawn.  Something had to give.  Westwood One didn't see the wisdom in moving my show to the morning so we went our separate ways.  TRN saw what was obvious to me--my show was tailor-made for a mid-morning clear.  Once I stopped wreaking havoc on my natural sleep cycle, things seemed to take off.  I learn something new every day and want to keep it that way. 
 
How has politics inside the beltway changed over the years since you’ve lived in DC?
The biggest difference has to be related to the presence of the 24/7 media and the internet specifically. We now have more sources than ever before from which to glean info and analysis, which is of course very good.  But we also have people writing, speaking and pontificating on television with little-to-no relevant real world experience.  Who on earth are these Republican or Democratic "strategists" who keep popping up on cable television?   For whom have they actually strategized and to what end?  In 1987, when I was first getting my feet wet in Washington, things seemed a little more serious--or maybe it was all new and exciting to me, a young Reaganite determined to take on the American left at every turn. 

What commentary do you have on the state of America's news media?
For purposes of brevity I will focus on the old media types--those lumbering journos and institutions whom I collectively refer to as the "dinosaur media."  Here's the good news: Their cover has been blown.  We the people know what their agenda is.  They are losing readers, viewers and influence.  And I couldn't be happier.  The bad news:  many of the same old gas-bags and their tedious publications are still limping along. 

 What are the three most pressing problems we face as Americans today?
--Our economic uncertainty and the government over-reaching that followed.
--Our increasing lack of a common culture, language and history that we as a people rally around in times of confusion or crisis. 
--Our enemies who still want to destroy all that we have built in our relatively short history. 

By Carl Marcucci