'For All Of You In Rio Linda': Sacramento Area Remembers Rush Limbaugh
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Much of Rush Limbaugh's national legacy can be attributed to time in Sacramento. He launched to nationwide fame after his time at KFBK and sometimes appeared on KOVR.
"For those of you in Rio Linda," as he'd say, Limbaugh leaves a lasting legacy. He often called out and name-dropped the town in his broadcasts, putting it on the map. Some felt for the wrong reasons.
"He isn't my favorite person, but he did his job well. He was a good talk show host," Vanessa Fancher said. "Not a name you're going to forget."
The small town is known because of his big name. Customers starting coming to Bowinkles in Rio Linda on Wednesday, hours after the announcement of Limbaugh's death. The restaurant features a 'Rush Limbaugh meal' in big, bold letters outside. Each ticket Wednesday read 'RIP RUSH, 2-17-2021.'
"It's a sad day for all of talk radio," said Patrick Ditty, a Rio Linda resident.
Much of his success was attributed to his time in Sacramento.
"You can't take that way from the town," said KFBK's Kitty O'Neal. "No matter how you feel about him."
O'Neal used to produce for Limbaugh at the station in the eighties. She noted the local impacts he made in Sacramento and eventually the entire country.
"A lot of people loved and admired Rush," O'Neal said. "And there were a lot of people who thought he did tremendous damage to the country."
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Conservative and controversial, yet Limbaugh once dominated the airwaves in town.
"His on-air presence in Sacramento was a lot more comedic," said former Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinnis, who is now in talk-radio himself. He said whether Limbaugh was on air or 'At Odds' on KOVR — people paid attention.
"People of all different political persuasions," McGinnis said. "They do attribute the survival of AM radio to Rush Limbaugh."
Limbaugh had no children and was married four times, three of which ended in divorce.