NOLAN
NOLAN WHO'S LIVE IN CAPE GIRARDEAU. CASEY.
GIRARDEAU. CASEY. GOOD EVENING, MIKE.
WE'RE STANDING OUTSIDE THE CAPE
JUNIOR HIGH.
THIS USED TO BE THE HIGH
SCHOOL.
THIS IS WHERE RUSH LIMBAUGH
WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL WHILE
STARTING HIS RADIO CAREER HERE
IN CAPE.
BUT JUST THE AGE OF ABOUT 16
YEARS OLD, THERE ARE SIGNS
OF THE LIMBAUGH LEGACY ALL OVER
TOWN HERE IN CAPE.
IN FACT, THE NEW FEDERAL
COURTHOUSE IS THE LIMBAUGH
COURTHOUSE BUT THAT IS NOT
NAMED FOR RUSH THAT IS NAMED
FOR HIS FATHER AND THAT'S PART
OF THE STORY BECAUSE RUSH
LIMBAUGH CAME FROM A FAMILY
OF SUCCESSFUL ATTORNEYS.
BUT RUSH FAMOUSLY SAID HIMSELF
THAT HE COULDN'T HACK IT IN
SCHOOL AND DIDN'T HAVE WHAT IT
TOOK TO BECOME AN ATTORNEY.
IN FACT, FOR A TIME HE WAS
CONSIDERED THE LEAST SUCCESSFUL
LIMBAUGH.
THAT OF COURSE WOULD CHANGE AND
HE IS NOW THE ONE WITH HIS FACE
ON THE FLOOD WALL DOWN HERE IN
PORTRAITS OF FAMOUS
MISSOURIANS.
ANOTHER WELL-KNOWN MISSOURIAN
IS THE FORMER LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR OF MISSOURI PETER
KINDER, THEY GREW UP TOGETHER
HERE IN CAPE GIRARDEAU.
HE KNEW RUSH LIMBAUGH AS RUSTY
AS EVERYONE ELSE THAT HE TOLD
ME UNTIL HE GOT HIS RADIO
CAREER STARTED AND STARTED
GOING BY RUSH.
HERE'S A LITTLE OF WHAT HE
REMEMBERS THAT HE TOLD ME JUST
A FEW MINUTES AGO SOMETHING
THAT I KNEW ABOUT CHILDHOOD.
HE WAS ALMOST SHY IN PERSON.
I MEAN IF HE KNEW YOU FILL OUT
A GREETING BUT IF HE WERE IN A
RESTAURANT DINING WITH FOLKS,
HE WASN'T GOING TO GET AROUND
AND MOVE AROUND THE AM RADIO
WAS DYING AND HE REINVENTED THE
MEDIUM HE GAVE VOICE TO
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS, TENS
OF MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WHO
HAD NEVER HEARD THIS IN THE
NATIONAL MEDIA BECAUSE THERE
WAS A LESS LIBERAL DOMINATION
OF THE MEDIA THEN AS THERE IS
NOW EXCEPT THERE WASN'T
ANYTHING EXCEPT HIM.
OF COURSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO
FAR TODAY EVEN ON SOCIAL MEDIA
OR ELSEWHERE TO FIND CRITICS
WHO SEE HIS LEGACY VERY
DIFFERENTLY.
IN FACT, HERE IN CAPE NOT
EVERYONE WAS A RUSH FAN.
BUT I CAN TELL YOU A LOT
OF PEOPLE ARE AND A LOT
OF PEOPLE DO COME TO CAPE
GIRARDEAU TO RELIVE A LITTLE
OF HIS HISTORY HERE IN CAPE
GIRARDEAU.
THIS IS A PAMPHLET YOU CAN GET
JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM
WHERE WE'RE STANDING AT HIS
CHILDHOOD HOME THAT CAN GIVE
YOU A WALKING TOUR OF RUSH
LIMBAUGH'S TIME AND LIFE IN
CAPE GIRARDEAU.
NOW FOR MORE OF HIS STORY BACK
IN ST. LOUIS.
LET'S SEND IT TO SARA MOKI.
SO YOU KIND OF TOUCHED ON THIS
A LITTLE BIT BUT DEPENDING ON
YOUR FEELINGS ON HIM, THERE'S
ONE THING THAT ALMOST EVERYBODY
AGREES UPON AND THAT'S HIS
SIGNIFICANCE AND HIS IMPORTANCE
IN THE RADIO BUSINESS.
DID REACH MILLIONS OF PEOPLE
ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND ST.
LOUIS SINCE ARE ABLE TO TUNE IN
TO HIM BECAUSE OF KMOX ONE DAY
AFTER HE ANNOUNCED HIS CANCER
DIAGNOSIS, THE CONSERVATIVE
RADIO HOST RECEIVED THE
NATION'S HIGHEST CIVILIAN HONOR
THE MEDAL OF FREEDOM DRAPED
ACROSS HIS SHOULDERS.
HE IS AN ICON THAT IS GOING TO
BE VERY DIFFICULT DIFFICULT IF
NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO REPLACE.
HE HAD A HUGE IMPACT ON OUR
INDUSTRY FOR MANY, MANY
STATIONS IN MISSOURI THE HEAVY
SIGNALS.
HE WAS A LIFESAVER FOR THAT.
MISSOURI BROADCASTERS
ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT MARK
GORDON SAYS LIMBAUGH REVOLUTION
AM RADIO AT A TIME WHEN IT WAS
STRUGGLING TO FIND ANY AUDIENCE
WEDNESDAY MESSAGES FROM
REPUBLICAN LEADERS IN HIS HOME
STATE RECALLED HIS ROOTS.
GOVERNOR MIKE PARSON AND
SENATOR JOSH HALEY CALLING HIM
MISSOURI'S NATIVE SON AND A
PROUD SON OF MISSOURI SENATOR
ROY BLUNT SAYING HE RESHAPED
TALK RADIO AND BECAME ONE
OF THE MOST POWERFUL
CONSERVATIVE VOICES IN OUR
COUNTRY BUT ALWAYS STAYED
GROUNDED IN HIS MISSOURI ROOTS
AND MIDWEST VALUES A POWERHOUSE
UNTIL THE END.
GORDON SAYS THE NEXT STEPS ARE
UNCLEAR.
THERE IS NO ONE THAT CAN
REPLACE HIM.
SO WHAT HAPPENS NOW?
WHAT HAPPENS WITH THAT
PROGRAMING FOR OUR STATIONS?
BECAUSE RUSH'S APPOINTMENT
RADIO FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
WE REACHED OUT TO KMOX AND GOT
THIS STATEMNT HIS PROGRAM WAS
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR AND AT
TIMES ONE OF THE MOST
CONTROVERSIAL RADIO PROGRAMS IN
ALL OF AMERICA.
RUSH'S PASSION AND COMMITMENT
TO OUR MEDIUM AND TO HIS
AUDIENCE WAS UNWAVERING EVEN IN
HIS FINAL DAYS, HIS IMPACT ON
TALK RADIO AND CONSERVATIVE
POLITICS IN AMERICA WILL BE
FELT FOR GENERATIONS FOR ALL
THE FANS OF HIS, THIS TRULY IS
A SAD DAY.
THEY LOVED HIM.
NOW LIMBAUGH'S BOMBASTIC
STATEMENTS ALSO DEEPLY OFFENDED
PEOPLE.
HE WAS CRITICIZED FOR RACIST,
SEXIST AND HOMOPHOBIC REMARKS
AND MORE RECENTLY EVEN
SPREADING MISINFORMATION DURING
THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.
THOSE CRITICISMS WERE ALSO