What happened to conservative talk radio?

Via TMV, Dean Esmay:

Back in the late ’80s and early ’90s, I found Rush Limbaugh a refreshing voice on the radio. He was funny–sometimes very funny–and he often made good points. Yes, he was sometimes obnoxious, and yes, sometimes his jokes were a little too cruel. But he was also saying things no one else had the guts to say, and in any case he was entertaining. Even though I disagreed with him frequently (but not always), he was at least a refreshing voice in our national political dialogue.

Fast forward 20 years, and now whenever I listen to Rush I’m disappointed; he’s less of a source of politically incorrect entertainment, and more of a voice of irrational partisan nastiness. (Oh, plus, he’s got too many damned commercials on his show.)

Of course, this isn’t only about Rush Limbaugh, but he’s the King of the Hill of talk radio on the right. A whole industry has spawned in his wake of conservative media celebrities, and many of them emulate him. Ann Coulter and Sean Hannity and Michelle Malkin and Debbie Schlussel (and to a lesser extent Bill O’Reilly) are basically making their livings by following in his footsteps.

Nowadays when I listen to conservative talk radio, I’m often appalled. Paranoia and rage seem to be the top agenda. A sense of humor and basic humility seem to be missing. As a non-conservative with some conservative views, I find this disappointing at best. On the issues, I’m still sympathetic to many conservative viewpoints. Indeed, I feel that conservatives are a vital, indispensable part of a healthy body politic. But all I seem to hear or see nowadays from that sector is rage and fear.

Mind you, there are honorable exceptions. Not every conservative is out of her mind, and not every conservative is shrieking nonsense. But man, it sure seems like there’s a lot of that.

Emphasis mine.  I blame the aftermath of 9/11.  That's when humor and decency on the right died amidst all the "War on Terror" hysterionics.