David Limbaugh to be guest host on 'Hannity Show'

Syndicated columnist David Limbaugh will be the guest host Wednesday of the ABC Radio Networks' "The Sean Hannity Show."

This will be the first time the Cape Girardeau lawyer and conservative commentator will be host of the show since it became nationally syndicated last fall. The show will be broadcast from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. from Zimmer Radio Group's studios at 324 Broadway. It can be heard on Newsradio 960 KZIM.

Hannity asked Limbaugh to pinch hit while he is on vacation.

The local broadcast of a national show is made possible by a special line installed when Limbaugh's famous brother, Rush Limbaugh, broadcast his own show from the same studios during his mother's illness last year.

"We left it in," said Terry Hester, KZIM station manager. "We didn't know if Rush would ever be out here again or if David might need it."

The line enables the broadcast from Cape Girardeau to sound as clear as if it were coming from New York. David Limbaugh hosted Hannity's New York-based show once last year before it was nationally syndicated. "It sounded just like I was in New York," he said.

People in the New York studios will screen calls and handle commercial breaks.

Limbaugh has been a guest on numerous other national radio and TV shows. Rather than interview guests Wednesday, he will talk about current events and field calls from all over the country.

He said he welcomes hearing from people who disagree with him. "You want that. To be honest, I like to mix it up with people."

He said he won't take the same approach his brother does. "I'm not going to try to emulate Rush. He does what he does better than anyone. I'm just going to try to have fun with it."

Limbaugh prepares for shows by scanning newspapers and conservative Web sites on the Internet the day before and the day of the show.

He doesn't get stage fright but does worry about such details as when to go to commercial breaks and when to identify the name of the show -- things that become routine to the regular host.

"I've got to make sure I don't screw up the format," he said.

More than 100 ABC affiliates carry the Hannity show nationally.

The broadcast will be an event at KZIM, Hester said. "It's exciting, just the theory of having someone local going coast to coast."

Between radio and TV appearances and writing his nationally syndicated column, Limbaugh said he still enjoys the column most.

"I don't plan to pursue this. This is just for fun," he said.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

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