
Origin
Why this podcast exists
The why and the how of The Zach Rateliff Show.
Growing up, if we were in the truck between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., we were listening to Rush Limbaugh. As I got older, that became a tradition I continued — eventually adding Glenn Beck and others into my daily listening rhythm. One thing I always made time for was my local show that led into Glenn Beck each day.
In 2023 I heard an advertisement saying they were looking for a new morning guy. About that same time my dad called and said, “Hey, did you hear the radio is looking for a new morning guy? You could do that!” He told me to just call and see what happens. That led to almost two years of political radio as a hobby, and we saw the audience grow.
In the spring of 2025 it became clear that the things I wanted to say didn’t exactly line up with the station’s vision for that time slot, so I stepped away. Less than a week later I got my first call. It went something like this: “When does your podcast start?” My answer was that I had no plans of starting a podcast unless I felt like I had something different to offer and God made a way.
As of this writing, that way has led to over 200 episodes and more than a year of the show.
I want people to have someone to listen to who thinks like they do, has real conversations, and isn’t just trying to make people like them. Someone who will talk to both sides of the aisle while making their principles clear. I want people to know it’s okay to be unapologetically Christian and have a Christian worldview… to be unapologetically conservative and still have a heart. I want people to have someone who isn’t afraid to call out Republicans when they mess up — not just Democrats — because we owe no party our allegiance. They should have to earn our vote.
That’s the why and the how of this show.