Hugh Hewitt, A Republican You Should Sponsor

When Joe Biden said, “We need a Republican Party. We need an opposition that’s principled and strong,” he was talking about Hugh Hewitt. Hugh is an enigma. The Hugh Hewitt Show, through Salem Communications, reaches 2M+ listeners per week. Hugh is also the President of the Richard Nixon Foundation and proud to talk about his relationship with the former president, his affection for Mitch McConnell, and his three Trump Tattoos (one for each time the other former President insulted him publicly), whom he still voted for twice. But he’s equally proud of his relationship with personalities that many Republicans despise, including Al Sharpton, Joy Reid, and Dr. Fauci, who is Hugh’s favorite person in government.  

Hugh is not your typical conservative talk show host. He’s never done a show about Cancel Culture. He refuses to gaslight his listeners for ratings, doesn’t interrupt, and never asks “Gotcha” questions whether he agrees with his guest or not. He chooses to appear on MSNBC over Fox and is a regular on Meet The Press. People who have known Hugh over the years will attest to his humility and fundamental decency in the way he treats all people. Perhaps this is why when he’s slandered, it is usually Democrats who are first to rush to his defense, as did Ron Klain in the not-too-distant past.  

Hugh’s focus is on being “NPR” for Republicans and, we discuss what that means at length in this week’s episode of The Media Roundtable Podcast.  When you listen, you’ll hear pearls that can help guide the way you program, sponsor, or treat the next person you see. “You can be wrong and not rotten, you can be right and awful. That’s the big distinction in this world. I want no part if right and awful, I just want people who are level-headed.” Hugh believes every content producer needs to “counter-program, within [their] program” inviting opinions differing from [their] own and giving them the floor. He advises broadcasters to “Get out of the Professional Wrestling Business.”

Bringing it back around to advertising, Hugh provides a call to action we can all get behind: “find the good and buy ads on it.” I hope you’ll give Hugh the same courtesy and consideration he gives those who disagree with him. If nothing else, it’s a fun conversation that folks on both sides of the aisle can benefit from hearing.

Dan 

Listen to the Episode