For those of you who don’t know, Neal Boortz (that’s me) has been a Talk Show Host (What any good Democrat would refer to as a “Preacher of Hate”) in Atlanta, Georgia since 1969. He is now in his 41st year of talk radio. Since 1993 Neal has been holding forth on News Talk 750 WSB, a radio station with a 50,000 watt afterburner. Since early 1999 his show has been syndicated on radio stations from Maine to California and from Alaska to Florida. The program airs live from 8:30 to 1:00 pm each weekday. The latest count? About six million listeners nationwide listening to Neal on around 230 radio stations.
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Neal was downloaded on April 6, 1945 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He didn’t particularly like the accent of the people up there so after a few weeks he convinced his mom to move to Texas while his Dad returned to fly airplanes around the Pacific looking for other airplanes with big red dots on them. Though Texas was always his “official” residence, Neal, like most military brats, lived all over the place. Some addresses would include Honolulu, Hawaii, Laguna Beach, California, Morehead City, North Carolina; Virginia Beach, Virginia, Pensacola, Florida and others.
By the ever-loving skin of his teeth Neal graduated in 1963 from Pensacola High School with something like a C- average. A good collection of Polaroid photos of a member of the admissions staff opened the doors to Texas A&M University, and off he went to Aggieland. It seemed impossible, but Neal was a worse student at A&M than he was in high school. He finished at A&M in 1967 and came to Atlanta, Georgia. He’s lived there until 2009 when he finally made the move to Naples, Florida.
Neal wasn’t through with higher education after Texas A&M. He entered law school in Atlanta in 1973 and graduated in 1977. This was the first time in his live that Neal actually paid attention in school. Because he paid attention he passed the bar exam on the first try and went into private practice immediately. He continued practicing law until he decided to devote his full energies to talk radio in 1992.
During his 40 years in talk radio Neal managed to find other things to do to supplement his meager talk radio income. Prior to practicing law Neal could be found working as a jewelry or carpet buyer, selling life and casualty insurance, loading trucks, slinging mail at the post office, working in an employment office, writing speeches for the Governor of Georgia and auditing the books overnight at a sleazy motel. Neal was 47 years old before he ever had less than two jobs. At his peak he had six. A few of them he actually did well.
When Neal is not on the air or giving a speech somewhere, he likes to spend whatever free time is left traveling with Donna. When she gets tired of him he heads for the golf course or for the skies. When it’s time to slip the bonds of gravity he can choose between a hot air balloon, his Mooney Ovation3. Neal’s prizes his Mooney for its ability to get him from point A to B without having to submit to a TSA groping session.
When Neal feels particularly frisky he will sit down and write. His first book, “The Terrible Truth About Liberals,” has been through six different printings. The FairTax Book, co-authored with Congressman John Linder, debuted as the New York Times No. 1 Bestseller. A book of his talk radio rants and politically incorrect thoughts, “Somebody Has To Say It.” Debuted No. 2.
Neal is a confirmed Libertarian. He believes that the principal difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that the Democrats just want to grow our Imperial Federal Government and spend money just a bit faster than the Republicans do.
Neal’s wife, Donna, doesn’t listen to the show. Never has. This is good. This is why they have managed a life together or relative tranquility since 1973. Donna spends her time administering a charitable foundation she founded in 2005. Neal will tell you that the best status symbol any can obtain is a long-term marriage.
Run for office? Well, thanks for asking — but Neal’s afraid that the worst possible thing would happen. He might win. That would be a financial disaster for him. Neal is, however, toying with the idea of running for President on the Libertarian Party ticket after he retires from talk radio. He’ll run just once — and just for the hell of it. He will select the most qualified vice-presidential candidate possible just in case something strange happens and he wins. After he’s sworn in he will hang around long enough to sign an Executive Order requiring all airport screeners to have graduated in the top one-half of their high school class. He will ask his FAA Administrator to issue a regulation forbidding children under the age of 10 in first class on any commercial flight originating or terminating in the United States. Then he will free all non-violent drug offenders and take a few spins on Air Force One. Neal will then resign and let the vice president take the controls.
In 2009 Neal was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago by none other than Rush Limbaugh! When Neal wears his HOF ring in public people look at him and naturally think it’s a Super Bowl ring. Neal doesn’t let them get close enough to tell the difference.
