Shade Tree Pundit

Free Markets + Free Speech = Free People

Shade Tree Pundit - Best of Talk Radio

Morning Radio
Don Wade and Roma M-F 5:00A-9:00A WLS 890AM: They are the wife and husband team that are legendary broadcasters since WLS first transmitted news of Lincoln’s electoral victory. They are as comfortable as they are informative. Roma made this pundit cry a few times with her Redbook stories. Don is an excellent communicator with regard to Illinois and Chicago politics.
Glenn Beck Show M-F 8:00A-11:00A XM Radio 9:00A-11:00A Peoria WMBD 1470: The first syndicated show of the day that is a great mixture of humor, politics, and pop culture. He inspires through his tone. He keeps me entertained as well as enlightened. I would consider him the second best talk show personality in radio today.
Rush Limbaugh M-F 11:00A-2:00P WJBC 1230AM: Rush in my mind has evolved over the past decade or so since I have listened to him. He started out as a teacher to me opening my eyes to the gears of the political world. Since I became a student of Advanced Conservative Studies, I have been able to take that knowledge to change my life. He is inspiring and optimistic. It seems like I miss a great friend when I do not hear him on the radio. He is the king of talk radio. I am proud to be one of his subjects.
Dave Ramsey M-F 2:00P-5:00P XM Radio: He is to financial radio what Rush is to talk radio. He has the heart of a teacher as he helps guide you through his debt snowball. Do you have a credit card? Do you have money? He can inspire you to be the greatest you possibly can be with spiritually and financially. Someday I hope to call him and proclaim…….I’M DEBT FREE.
Markley and Luciano M-F 3:00P-6:00P Peoria WMBD 1470: They are a duo that continues to keep it real as they bounce around the topics of the day. They do so to inspire thought and actually take a phone call in the process. Their trademark “Cannonball Fridays” is indeed a treat as they introduce a list and people from all over Peoria and surrounding cities call in to see if they can hit the list and get an atta boy or receive a prerecorded drubbing if their guess is less than list worthy. They are exemplify what small market radio should be and do it well every weekday.
Mark Levin M-F 10:00P-12:00P Chicago WLS 890: Mark is one of the best communicators for conservative talk. He spars with the left and skewers them in the process. His skills are the best. I wish to be like him in the future.
Weekend
Adventure Sports Outdoors Sunday 7:00A-10:00A WMBD 1470AM: This is some of the best three hours of radio when the “red nose gang” begins ranting about international politics, local politics and the state of Illinois. The show is about hunting, fishing, and other sports that involve weapons or sharp objects. They are entertaining as I create the breakfast treat of the day and have that first cup of coffee with the paper.
Beyond the Beltway Sundays 6:00P-8:00P WLS 890AM: This show tackles national politics with a panel from the Radio Hall of Fame. It is interesting to hear the diverse points of view that Bruce DuMont creates with his panel of pundits and experts.
Tom Roeser Sundays 8:00P-9:00P WLS 890AM: He describes his fastest hour in radio as he volleys Chicago and Illinois politics.
Matt Drudge Sundays 9:00P-12:00P WJBC 1230AM: Matt ends the radio week with highlights from the Sunday news shows and anything else that is on the Drudgereport at the time. He is a great thinker as well as hunter of germane news stories.
Cigar Dave XM Radio Saturday 11:00A-1:00P: Syndicated weekend talk show about all finer things in life real men like to enjoy. Women want to be in his harem and guys want to tip a few back as we exchange stories. Very entertaining!

Best of Talk Radio
After listening to Talk Radio most of my adult life. I thought that it might be beneficial to publish my fancies with regard to the informational format of choice that entertains and educates. The talk radio programs I listen to must follow a few guidelines to gain my attention. They are simple fundamentally, but rare in the art of following them.
1.The show must be current and informative. It must have a host(s) that can bounce around the issues of the day and bring forth a compelling argument. 2.The show must be entertaining. The host(s) should not take themselves too seriously as they pontificate the world’s woes.
3.The show must inspire the audience. A talk show host that can communicate will inspire the audience to call and throw in his or her two cents.
4.The personalities must be people that you feel through the show that you might share a table with a cup of coffee or offer to buy a beer in order to hear more stories or continue a valued conversation.
5.Finally, the personality should not consider the audience as listeners or people that call as callers, but consider them as an audience absorbing the performance and as individuals communicating with them and the audience regarding the topic.
The programs to the right are examples of great radio. I have some listed at the end of the list that are honorable mention. If they are available on the internet, then the link is provided.