RUSH: Jackson, Michigan, Ann, welcome to the EIB Network. Hello.
CALLER: Hi, Rush.
RUSH: Hi.
CALLER: I want to thank you and Zicam for saving my book tour and my life.
RUSH: Saving your book tour and your life, Zicam?
CALLER: Absolutely.
RUSH: How did that happen?
CALLER: Well, I have sarcoidosis, which is the same lung disease that Bernie Mac had when he died. I also am the author of children’s books and recently I was on a two-week book tour of elementary schools when I started catching a cold. I took Zicam, which I had never taken in my life, and actually have always thought that you’re ads for it were really hooey, you know. I never believed that it would work.
RUSH: Did you send me an e-mail last night?
CALLER: I sure did.
RUSH: Because I read your e-mail and I was going to print it out and bring it in for the next time I had to record a Zicam commercial, and when you used the word hooey I remember reading your e-mail because you thought — and, by the way, I was profoundly insulted, because here you are, regular listener, telling me you think I’m lying to you about things. And so you thought Zicam was a bunch of hooey.
CALLER: I did. I really did. Until I needed it, and I used it because of my disease and my compromised immune system, I cannot catch a cold. And I go into elementary schools all the time to do presentations for my books, and so I want to say thank you. I want to tell you how wrong I was and how much I appreciate the product. I also have a lot of trouble with public speaking. I cough a lot of because of my disease, and in fact right before I came on air with you, I took Zicam Cough Max, and that works just wonderfully.
RUSH: (laughing) Zicam Cough Max.
CALLER: I did.
RUSH: I hope you took the daytime formula.
CALLER: Absolutely.
RUSH: So it wouldn’t make you sleepy.
CALLER: Yeah. Yeah. And I’ve used it a lot for public speaking.
RUSH: Well, that’s just great. I have one question.
CALLER: Uh-oh.
RUSH: No!
CALLER: I’m fearful of your questions.
RUSH: No, no, no. Don’t be fearful. You think the product is hooey, you hear me talk about Zicam and what do I say? I say if you think you’re catching a cold, use it the minute you think so, you got to catch it early. It may not stop it, but it will certainly slow it down and shorten the duration. Why did you try it if you thought it was hooey?
CALLER: Because I was desperate. I’ve never been away from home for two weeks, and I had signed a contract to do a two-week book tour of elementary schools. And I happened to hear you 48 hours before I was to leave on my book tour, and your advertising it, and I went to the store, and I thought, you know, this thing probably doesn’t work, I’m probably not going to need it, but I took it anyway, and I’m really, really glad that I did. I’d like you to allow me to return the favor. I’d like to send you a signed copy of my children’s book Christmas Tree Farm for your nieces and nephews.
RUSH: Wow, that’s very nice. If you’ll stay on hold, Mr. Snerdley will give you the details on how to do this.
CALLER: Okay, thanks so much, Rush.
RUSH: Ann, thank you very much. What it means is you never did think it was hooey because if you thought Zicam was hooey you would have never even tried it.
CALLER: Well, that’s probably true.
RUSH: All right.
CALLER: Thank you so much, Rush.
RUSH: Same here. Appreciate it.