In this engaging episode of Rush to Reason, host John Rush sits down with Thomas Harpointner, CEO of AIS Media, to explore the rapidly evolving landscape of digital marketing and AI search engines. As businesses grapple with unprecedented changes, Thomas shares invaluable insights into how AI is transforming search engine dynamics, making traditional SEO strategies less effective. This conversation is a goldmine for business owners and marketers determined to stay ahead of the curve. AI search engines are revolutionizing the way users find information, often bypassing the traditional link-based results in favor of direct answers. Discover how businesses can
SPEAKER 04 :
This is Rush to Reason.
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My advice to you is to do what your parents did. Get a job, sir.
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You haven’t made everybody equal. You’ve made them the same, and there’s a big difference.
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SPEAKER 05 :
Are you crazy? Am I? Or am I so sane that you just blew your mind?
SPEAKER 14 :
It’s Rush to Reason with your host, John Rush, presented by Cub Creek Heating and Air Conditioning.
SPEAKER 15 :
Okay, Hour 2, Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. Thanks for tuning in. We appreciate it greatly. Our next guest, Thomas Harpointner, is with us, and he is CEO of AIS Media. Thomas, welcome. How are you?
SPEAKER 13 :
Hi, good afternoon. I’m great, thank you.
SPEAKER 15 :
I appreciate you joining us. I coach businesses in the mornings outside of what I do here on the radio, so this topic that we’re going to talk about today is pretty important to me. I think it will be important to a lot of others, including business owners, and that’s the fact that things, especially in Google and rankings and searches and so on, it’s changing in a big way, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, yeah, it certainly is. We’ve been in the search and digital marketing business for 20 years, and I can honestly say in the last 18 months… We have seen greater change than we have in the last 10 years.
SPEAKER 15 :
Okay, so those that are listening, especially those that maybe have been used to doing things one way versus the new way, what are those changes?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, the single biggest thing I think everyone’s familiar with at this point is AI search, right? We all use Google, and I think we’ve probably all noticed that when you start asking Google for information these days, it starts to serve up answers directly, whereas in the past it used to just serve up links to websites that might provide those answers. So it’s really cutting out those middlemen and attempting to help
SPEAKER 15 :
users directly and uh it’s it’s working you know ai search traffic is up about 527 just over the last year yeah and for those of you listening here’s where the rub is i think thomas and tell me if i’m wrong but if you’re especially like you know service in a service business you provide a service i coach a lot of auto shops and places like that and you look up hey i’ve got this particular problem with my vehicle and I’m looking for answers, blah, blah, blah. Depending upon what AI gives you back as the results, you may not even get down to where you’re looking for a provider. You may find the answer that you have or that you need right in front of you, meaning those providers are now missing out, right?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, you’re absolutely right. Whereas in the past, Google would serve up links. And, you know, and the key, you know, for most businesses was to try to be on page one, right? Correct. Yeah, that’s right. Right at the top. That’s exactly right. Yeah. You know, as digital marketers, I mean, you know, companies would hire us for SEO services and their goal was always the same. It didn’t matter whether we are a lawyer or a dentist or a chiropractor. They’d say, look, I want to be on page one for the keyword. And that was the mission. Whereas today, that’s very quickly. It already has shifted. And as more people become aware of this shift, more now want to be cited by AI search engines instead of just being listed in Google SEO.
SPEAKER 15 :
Correct.
SPEAKER 13 :
That’s still important, but getting cited is the new performance metric.
SPEAKER 15 :
That’s right, yeah, and thank you for explaining that because I think there’s a lot of business owners. It’s something I try to explain on a routine basis to my clients because in some cases it gets lost in the shuffle, I guess, and some, I think, don’t really necessarily, Thomas, believe me. I think some of them think, oh, sure, John, whatever, yeah. You know, business is still good, so I guess I’m doing okay. Well, unless you’re staying on top of this and you’re going to be ahead of the curve, you’re going to get left behind.
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, yeah, I couldn’t say better. And we are seeing that. And a lot of companies today, businesses are already being left behind. And anyone who has looked at their Google Analytics or their search traffic, nine out of 10 businesses would probably say, yes, we’ve seen a dip in direct site traffic year over year, despite the fact that our business hasn’t changed at all. Google is just commandeering a lot of that traffic and trying to provide the answers directly.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, and for those of you listening, Gemini is their AI tool, I guess you could say, or their AI machine. Thomas, I guess, is the best way for me to say that. And yeah, they are trying to become the ChatGPT or the Gronk or the Claude or the whatever. I mean, at the end of the day, they want to have that edge. And to their credit, they have a little bit of an edge because of what we’re talking about.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, in fact, you can actually go one step further. When you look at the other AI search engines like ChatGBT, a lot of the content that ChatGBT serves up is actually scraped from Google. From Google, true. Google arguably has the world’s biggest database of businesses and so forth. They’ve been at this a very, very long time. True. So the other AI engines are scraping each other, they’re scraping Reddit, they’re scraping Google, all in an effort to provide the best search results to their users.
SPEAKER 15 :
And again, for those of you that are in business, please listen to both of us when we’re telling you that you’ve got to get on the bandwagon now. If you don’t, you’re going to get left behind. Your business will not succeed. This is sort of like Thomas back in the day. I mean, I’ve been in business long enough to where and I was telling a story today to one of my clients. I’ve been in this long enough where the Internet didn’t exist. We had to position ourselves and it was hard to do. But you had to know the scheme, I guess you could say, on how to be first in. in the phone book in a full page at an even that took some some jockeying around even get there in folks wouldn’t believe this Thomas but I can remember back in the day at auto shops and I can remember back in the day being in a particular phone book in my area at that time and this is not an exaggeration this would have been in the late nineties I was spending fifty grand a year on yellow page advertising to be number one in the book but that’s what it took at that time to do that my point is It takes it, you know, everything changes at one time. That’s what you did, Thomas, to be ahead of everybody else. And I look at this as, you know, you could go from that full page ad to a in column listing. And that’s what we’re talking about as far as being left behind. Because literally, if you weren’t in that front page of the phone book, your business was drastically affected and you’re dramatically affected. And you had to really be careful to make sure that you were positioned carefully. This is no different.
SPEAKER 13 :
And, you know, John, imagine if you continue to spend $50,000 and you’re, you know, in phone book ads year after year, ignoring the Internet, you know, thinking that the Internet is a fad and, you know, things will go.
SPEAKER 15 :
No, in fact, as you know, what happened is, you know, in my case, you know, you positioned yourself to where you became first in the book, which I was. And then slowly but surely, as that tool came along, well, then I started going backwards. You no longer needed a full page. Maybe it went to three quarter to then half to then quarter. quarter to then, frankly, you did a bold page listing and that was good enough and you did everything on the other side of the aisle. So it’s all relative. But my point here, Thomas, with you especially, is if businesses aren’t watching that, they’re going to get left behind.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, and I’ll take it even one step further. It’s one thing to watch it, and you definitely need to, but you also need to know what to do about it.
SPEAKER 10 :
Good point.
SPEAKER 13 :
Because watching is like watching the news.
SPEAKER 10 :
That’s true.
SPEAKER 13 :
But if you don’t have any horses in the race, then it’s just entertainment. But if you really have a business, and you’re relying on that search traffic and that phone to ring, then you’ve got to know what to do. Yeah. We’re all using the same tools these days, but very few people really understand what they need to change with their website, how to work differently with their marketing team and their content team to actually get cited. That’s one thing for me to come on and for us to talk about. Look, the world is changing. You’ve got to get cited or you’re going to get left behind, but I think a lot of your listeners are out there saying, well, that’s great and all, but what do I need to do? Tell me how to do it.
SPEAKER 15 :
No, great point. And the thing there, too, Thomas, I already know this. It’s not a one-size-fits-all. It’s going to be different depending upon your business, your industry, what’s going on in it, and so on. And, of course, one other thing to add to this is just the whole social media aspect of things. I mean, I know for a fact all that has to tie in as well.
SPEAKER 13 :
And you hit the nail on the head. Social media today is more important than ever because when I said earlier that AI search engines are scraping Google, they’re also scraping social media, Grok in particular. When OpenAI bought Twitter and they implemented Grok, when you ask Grok a question, it scrapes search engines, it scrapes other sources, but it also scrapes the X social media feed, which X now used to be Twitter. So it’s looking at that daily sentiment in terms of what people are actually saying. So if you have, let’s say, an auto body shop and people are complaining about your shop on X, you bet you that Grok is seeing that. So social media isn’t just for fun and pictures anymore. It really has search value. That’s right. And the key to getting cited by AI search engines these days is authority. you’ve got to take your brand as serious as if your business depended on it, because it does. It does. And what I mean by authority, Google is looking for original… high quality content that people are searching for, you have to provide the answers to the questions that people are asking so that Google will cite your business. People search for the number one pediatric dentist in Denver. That might be a search term they use. Well, if you’re a pediatric dentist and you want to be cited, then what you have to do is continually create high-quality content that people would find useful and helpful, statistics, research, and become the source for that so that Google sees your business as an authority for information and then begins to cite your business as that credible source.
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, again, and some of that, as you know, has morphed over time. I mean, that whole scenario of what you just talked about has been going on for quite some time, and all – again, correct me if I’m wrong, but all AI did was just launch it that much further ahead and make it much, much more important than it’s ever been. Am I saying that right?
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, absolutely. I would just – One way to understand it is try to think of your AI tool as a very expensive PhD-level executive assistant. That’s really the role. To help make our lives as users and even businesses easier to say, look, I’m looking for this. Go fetch me the best of the best so that I don’t have to spend 20 minutes clicking on 30 different website links and try to figure it out myself. The whole point of AI is to help you save time as a user, help you save money. Time is money. And serve up the absolute best results when you need them without necessarily having to go directly to the website, right?
SPEAKER 15 :
No, that’s exactly the way I use it, exactly what I’m doing. And I think a lot of other users are doing the same, all the more reason why folks need people like you to help them with that. So let’s get to that. How do folks find you? And if they want to get some assistance from you in that end of things for their business, how do they do so?
SPEAKER 13 :
Well, I’m glad you asked because we have some really informative articles on this very topic that are right on our website in our own blog that marketers and business owners can use. Our website is at www.aismedia.com. That’s aismedia.com. Check our blog. We publish articles on this topic regularly. And we like to put them in very punchy, easy-to-use formats that marketers and business owners can put right to use in their business that same day.
SPEAKER 15 :
Awesome. Well, Thomas, I appreciate you joining us very much. As you can tell, this is right along the lines of what I do. I mean, not what you do, but I help my businesses find folks like you to even be able to do things along these lines because, to me, if they don’t, they’re not going to be in business. And as a coach, I’ve got to keep them in business. That’s my job.
SPEAKER 13 :
Oh, pleasure was all mine. I hope to see you again.
SPEAKER 15 :
We’ll be talking. I appreciate it, Thomas. Have a great rest of your day, sir. Pleasure. You bet. Have a great one. And, folks, yes, if you have your own business, please look him up. And if you’re not using a tool like AI in your marketing end of things as a business, you’re missing out. I’ve got numerous clients of mine that are now doing that, and it’s helping them out tremendously. Veteran Windows and Doors coming up next. Make sure you’re dialed in when it comes to your windows and doors. You can do that the cheapest way possible by going direct to the source. Go to klzradio.com and find them there.
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SPEAKER 15 :
Okay, we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. And I’ve got a video that you’ll hear that I’m going to play. And one of you sent me this. And the title is, Spring Break Videos Demonstrate the Future is in the Hands of Absolute Morons. Now, I always preface this that these men on the street or in this case, the lady on the beach and they’re doing interviews and so on. I understand a lot of these get handpicked and I don’t know how many hours of footage they actually have and what gets cut out. And are these the majority of the folks that they interview? And are there actually some people that have half a brain that actually do end up answering questions? And I don’t know the answer to that. But it is scary that there’s as many that they do interview. And my own personal opinion is it’s probably about an 80-20 rule. I’m guessing about 80% of the people that they interview are what you’re going to hear. And 20% probably actually know real answers to some of the questions that they’re asking. That’s my guess. I could be wrong. Those numbers could be wrong. Way off. It could be 90% are like these people and 10% know the real answers, or maybe it’s more like 50-50. I highly doubt it’s 50-50, especially among the age group that they’re interviewing on spring break. Now, there are a few older people in here. You’ll hear from their voices that they’re a little older, and even they are morons, but… It is scary that they do these types of men on the streets, women on the streets, if you would, during spring break. And the answers seem to just keep getting crazier and crazier and crazier. So let me turn up my sound and here we go. If it’ll start.
SPEAKER 07 :
Oh, hang on.
SPEAKER 15 :
We got an ad. Give me one second. The doctor’s lying about the pain in your leg. Give me one second here.
SPEAKER 07 :
Here we go. England. So England versus who in the Civil War? France. What continent are we on right now?
SPEAKER 05 :
The U.S. of A. What? Oh my gosh, I’m getting clipped.
SPEAKER 07 :
What year was 9-11?
SPEAKER 1 :
2012.
SPEAKER 07 :
Who bombed Pearl Harbor? Spain. So how many total senators does that mean we have in the United States?
SPEAKER 15 :
Oh, 50 states, three times 50, 65. What year did we… Okay, hold on. Even that answer, three times 50 is 65? And this guy, these guys are in college, mind you. I mean, this is just, this is just crazy. So let me continue.
SPEAKER 07 :
Free the slaves.
SPEAKER 05 :
I should know this.
SPEAKER 07 :
This is a bad look.
SPEAKER 1 :
1962.
SPEAKER 07 :
Who is the commander in chief of the military?
SPEAKER 05 :
Learned about this one at school, I think. Starts with a D. It’s like donut or something.
SPEAKER 07 :
Do you know what amendment freed the slaves?
SPEAKER 05 :
We’ll say the third.
SPEAKER 07 :
What’s the third amendment?
SPEAKER 05 :
The right to bear arms.
SPEAKER 07 :
Who played the Super Bowl halftime show? Bad Bunny. Who sings the song Espresso? Oh, Sabrina Carpenter. What does GRWM stand for on TikTok?
SPEAKER 09 :
Get ready with me.
SPEAKER 07 :
Who is Taylor Swift engaged to? Travis Kelsey. Okay. Who sings the song Espresso? Sabrina Carpenter. What movie is Regina George from? I’m trying to make you look like an idiot. I’m annoyed with that. Okay, so last go.
SPEAKER 15 :
She gets mad because her friend’s starting to look like an idiot, which… Yeah, because she is. I mean, here’s my answer to that. If you think you know the answers, then step on up and answer them. Now, there’s some of those that it would get a little bit dicey even for me to answer. And like, for example, what year were the slaves freed? Well, there was a time frame of about 1863 to 1865. So just pick one date. The Emancipation Proclamation, I believe, was 1865. 1863, that’s probably the correct answer. So yeah, I’ll give a little bit of freedom on that one as to, but it wasn’t 1963. It was 100 years prior to that. 100 years prior to that. And it’s the 13th Amendment, by the way, just for all of you that would need to know that. The rest of those answers, though, oh, my word. What continent are we on? Oh, the U.S. of A. I mean, it can’t – I’m sorry. I mean, that has to be – I would hope would have to be the minority of people on the beach answering those. Now, I also understand that when you’re asking these questions, you’re out and about, you’re on the beach and so on. I understand that, you know, the liquor flows and so on. And, you know, some of these people may be half schnockered, although they didn’t look like it. Some of these. Kids looked like she was probably there in the morning, didn’t look like it was super hot, and doing these interviews. And she’s the gal that did the interview, by the way, smart gal. She does a lot of these interviews. You can find her out on YouTube and such. I don’t have her name in front of me. I apologize, but you can find her. Just do, you know, in this case, you know, man on the beach or woman on the beach, and you’ll find her videos. Pretty easy. And, again, at the end of the day, she puts a lot of these together and, you know, used to be – Who’s the talk show guy now that’s actually on the show that used to be Tucker’s sidekick? Yeah, Jesse Waters. Jesse used to do a bunch of these. I played a lot of these from Jesse back in the day. He did a lot of this stuff back when he was sort of being groomed to take over and be an actual talk show host. And it wasn’t much different when he was doing it. Unfortunately, I think we get worse every year. We’re not getting better with some of these things. And it’s unfortunate because these are kids that have – actually, somebody’s paid money. In some cases, really good money or they’ve borrowed the money, one of the two, but they’ve either borrowed and or somebody’s given them money or written the tuition checks to actually go to college. And yet can’t answer some of the most basic, I should say, of questions when it comes to things involving, you know, geography and, you know, what’s this amendment and that amendment and just some basic things. You know, who’s the commander in chief? Well, that one’s pretty easy. The president. Duh. I mean, folks, some of these answers are so easy and simplistic that, yeah, we are in trouble. And if that is the future leadership of America, yeah, we are doomed. Golden Eagle Financial coming up next. I say this all the time. You can have your answer. actual plan, your financial plan stress test. A lot of folks don’t really know whether it’s correct. They maybe haven’t had it even stressed in a long time. What happens if you need long-term care? What about the what-ifs of life that might come up? How are you going to handle each and every one of those? Talk to Golden Eagle Al Smith today. Find him at klzradio.com.
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SPEAKER 03 :
Putting reason into your afternoon drive. This is John Rush.
SPEAKER 15 :
Okay, we are back. I just got a message from one of my great friends that said that that last video that I played, Liberty Hangout. Liberty Hangout. So you can just look that up and find a lot more videos that she does. And again, she does a great job. If you haven’t seen her in the past and haven’t experienced some of the things that she does, does in her interviews and so on she does a lot of things all over the place it’s not just one area they travel around and she does a great job in fact she goes to a lot of different even rallies and so on and she’s been thrown out of some places told she’s not even allowed to be there even though she’s not doing anything illegal and she’s got every right to be there she doesn’t really push the issue but she will do her best to get back in that particular rally. What I mean by that is all sorts of Democrat rallies. She did a bunch of stuff back in the day when all of the uprising was happening during COVID and so on, you know, Black Lives Matter and so on. So she’s been around for quite some time doing this. And for those of you listening, I will just say this. That is a tremendous amount of work to do what she’s doing, not only in going out and doing the actual interviews themselves, but then once that’s all done, compiling them together, putting together a decent video that somebody can actually watch from beginning to end. If you do a shorter video, it even makes it even harder because now you’re trying to find better clips to even put in that video and so on. She has to have a team of people that are working around her to get all that done because I’m here to tell you it is extremely, extremely time-consuming. It’s labor-intensive. And, yeah, she does a really great job. Kind of going back to our interview that I did a few minutes ago talking about your business and social media and AI and so on, and the biggest reason why – And what I hear from owners as to why they don’t do more things in regards to, you know, being on social media and putting more stories out and doing things along those lines is because it takes time. And it does. And what I try to tell my clients is I know, but. That’s what it takes if you really want to do your marketing well and have people come into your particular business. If people want to find you, those are the things that you have to do. And yes, I know, it takes a tremendous amount of time. Believe me, no one knows that better. It’s why I don’t do a lot of things on social media. I get people that… that ask me all the time, hey, why don’t you do more on social media, et cetera, et cetera. And it’s like, number one, I’d have to hire somebody to actually do that. And at one time, by the way, I did have some of that where I had help and so on, and we did more of those things. And it’s gotten harder and harder to do those things today just because of the simple amount of time and resources that it takes to do so. I just got this in from a listener. Thank you, by the way, for texting this. Multiple vehicles are crushed as the floor of a parking garage collapses. So the upper floor of a parking garage collapsed here in Denver. I don’t know exactly what off. It’s in an office building. I don’t know exactly. Oh, sorry. Here it is. Sorry. The address is right here. Sorry. It was hidden by another ad that they had. 3600 South. yosemite street 3600 south yosemite street it looks like the top caved in don’t know exactly why but i’m sure there will be more information coming out on that here in the not too distant future richard you’re up go ahead how are you sir that i am and it’s great i’m i’m doing well it’s again i well i guess it’s not as hot as this weekend but uh we’re well on our way on wednesday it seems all right so talk to us about sports what’s going on there
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, so we had our first weekend of March Madness, which, Dad, you did not do your bracket.
SPEAKER 15 :
No, I did not.
SPEAKER 04 :
This is very unfortunate, because I know you watched so much of it over this past weekend.
SPEAKER 15 :
I watched zero.
SPEAKER 04 :
You watched zero, exactly. But it was relatively exciting. We talked a little bit last week about if there was going to be as many upsets, that sort of a situation. And there was a few. There was a few good games. the first day, last Thursday of the tournament. But they, too, did not quite bring near as much, I guess, in the way of upsets. But it’s, again, kind of to be expected. We talked about it a little bit last week, Dad, where there’s just not… There’s a lot of top ends. A lot of the big players are really good, as to be expected. But on the bottom end, there’s not near as many, I guess, the mid-majors and some of those, the smaller schools. Basically, if a guy plays well there, he gets paid to go play with the big guys. And very, very rarely do you have that happen. Now, one thing that’s interesting that I feel like is happening is the coaching. And in college basketball, I feel like the coaching is so much more important. It’s why Coach K at Duke did so well, in my opinion, for so long, because I think coaching matters at that level. I think coaching matters at all levels. But when you’re in the NBA, right, you just got such freak talents and athletes. You know, it’s hard to defend athletes. Steph Curry you know who’s shooting a shot from 35 feet and swishing it right you know it’s just a hard thing to do or even Jokic with as good as he is but in the in the NCAA tournament you don’t quite have that right yeah you have a few really good players and that sort of you you’ve got some talent but just not as widespread right so coaching matters more is what you’re saying right I think so, yeah. And that’s for basketball and for football. I just think that coaching matters so much more. And still, at some point in time, yes, the Jimmys and the Joes sort of beat the Xs and the Os, but there is a certain amount of Xs and Os that can get you a little bit further than maybe you would have anticipated. So with saying that, overall, I… It was a fun day to watch the games. You kind of watched them on Thursday a little bit. There was nearly an upset with Duke losing as a one seed, losing to a 16, which happens very, very rarely. But that one did not happen. I think the biggest upset was, I think, High Point. which was a 12 seed upset Wisconsin, which was a five seed Andy’s neck of the woods up there. Um, but yeah, I think they brought it. I did not see viewership numbers, but I imagine it brought in strong viewership. You still have some of the big names that are in the tournament, right? You have Arizona Duke, Michigan, um, Kansas, the likes of those. Florida did lose to Iowa yesterday, which is considered an upset, I guess you would say. I think Iowa was an 8 or a 9 seed, and you usually don’t see those. And Florida was the defending champions. So that kind of plays into it as well. But it’s still a fun time, Dad. I did a few brackets, and mine are all just awful and terrible, and it feels like the people who put less time into them do better than those who spend more time. I don’t know why that is the way that it is, but I guess what’s the phrase, right? Better to be lucky than good? I guess. And I think in that case, that’s kind of what happened this weekend. But it was a good kickoff to the tournament, although, again, I think maybe here in Colorado – We didn’t watch as much because it was so nice outside this weekend. There was just so much to do. I think there was probably some golf on, maybe even some racing. I didn’t get tuned too much into that, to be honest with you. And it just feels like this time of year. But you’ve got the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8 upcoming this weekend, which I think will do well. The numbers will play well. And maybe we’ll get you to tune in for a game or two, Dad. I mean, I doubt it, but. Maybe we’ll get lucky.
SPEAKER 15 :
Maybe. The only thing I did watch, speaking of basketball, is there was a clip. I don’t remember who plays for who. I just watched the clip. But there was this young kid, college. He is 7’9″, and he was standing next to a guy that was 6’8″, and made that guy look like a dwarf.
SPEAKER 04 :
I think Oliver Renew is his name, I believe. He’s from Canada, plays for Florida. He was a freshman, Dad. Mind you, he’s a freshman, so he’s a teenager. He is tall. If you ever watch him play, he doesn’t jump. He literally just lifts the ball up and drops it in the basket. It’s quite crazy.
SPEAKER 15 :
So it was in fact real. It wasn’t something that, you know, at first I’m like, okay, is that real or is that AI? You know, what’s the scoop? But it is in fact real.
SPEAKER 04 :
I think it is. No, I’m looking.
SPEAKER 15 :
You’re right. Oliver Rue, he is 7’9″, plays for the Florida Gators.
SPEAKER 04 :
There you go.
SPEAKER 15 :
He was a redshirt freshman this year. Holy cow.
SPEAKER 04 :
You are correct. The Guinness World Records declared him the tallest teenager in the world in 2021. Wow. So there you go. And he’s not a small dude. He’s 7’9″, 305 pounds. That’s a good dude. He’s a big guy. Don’t get me wrong. When you’re 7’9″, I mean, it’s probably not too hard to get over 300 pounds. But he doesn’t carry it that way, you know? I mean, he’s a pretty tall, lanky guy, I think.
SPEAKER 15 :
Okay, so his dad… Okay, let’s see here. I’ve got to make sure I get this right. Jean Francois, his dad is 6’8″, a photographer, former volleyball player, and his mom is Anne… I can’t pronounce the last name. She is 6’1″. His brother… Really quick, he has an older brother that is 6’9″.
SPEAKER 04 :
Wow. That’s a tall family. Let’s just say that. He… He was already 6’1 at age 8. That’s kind of crazy. 6’1 at age 8. That is wild. That is crazy, Richard. Well, you know your grandson, and he’s eight. He’s not quite six. I mean, he’s tall. But this guy’s still got you over a foot.
SPEAKER 15 :
So, okay, really quick. Here’s a question because I have not watched him play. Is he, like, sleek? Is he awkward? I mean, at that height, I mean, does it matter? I mean, if you’re that tall, you just grab the ball and take it down the court and put it in the basket because no one else can get to you anyways, right?
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, that’s the thing. Honestly, he actually didn’t play that much this year because he was a freshman, and I think they wanted to put a little bit of meat on those bones and kind of get his skill. He does not look as awkward as you might think. It still is awkward because I think even like there’s a guy who plays for the Spurs, Victor Wiminyama. I think he’s like 7’3 or something like that. And he… He looks awkward at times, but he’s actually really incredibly skilled and arguably should be a MVP candidate this year. But he’s not as… It’s just awkward, I think, just because of the length, right? We’re not used to what that looks like, right? You’re used to 6’6″, 6’8″. You know, these guys, still really long, really lanky guys, but not, you know, 6′, in this case, 6’9″. I mean, again, you think about that, 6’9″, his arms… The basketball hoop’s 10 foot tall. His arms got to at least reach that. And like I said, he doesn’t really jump.
SPEAKER 15 :
I just watched a really quick clip of him playing, and he actually is not as awkward as you would think at that height. And you’re right. His arms extended. His forearm is touching the basket.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, and so he’s not really dunking. You don’t have to do anything. No, he just gets the ball. And I think that’s kind of what Florida’s thoughts are. And honestly, these guys’ thoughts probably are, if we can get this guy to even be somewhat skilled, you know, passer-wise. I mean, even if you’re Jokic at seven foot tall, I mean, the guy still, his eyeballs are above your head.
SPEAKER 15 :
I know.
SPEAKER 04 :
It’s crazy. I don’t know how you defend that. And I’m not wanting to say genetics or anything there, Dad. I will say as a society, as a world, we just are – I don’t know if we’re reaching peak athleticism on the slow upward trajectory. But and I don’t again, some people are going to say it’s a result of engineering or especially, you know, you see some of those like like Yao Ming. Right. You know, how does a Chinese guy become seven over seven foot tall? That’s that’s all of the conversation. I just think that we are just training our bodies to be so physically, you know, gifted and kind of adapting or taking advantage of every last bit of physical activity.
SPEAKER 15 :
prowess that we have that i don’t know if this guy will be a one-off there may be other guys now seven foot nine i think is a little crazy okay so here’s a question for you and i know we’re getting tight here we’ll go to a break here in a minute but before we do if he continues on plays you know basketball you know continues in college basketball i mean and he goes down that route i’m guessing just because of his sheer height and the fact that on any pro team as long as he can run up and down the court and keep up with those guys he’s probably going to the pros am i correct
SPEAKER 04 :
You know, I would think that the pros would probably give him a chance, but it’s so interesting to have tall guys before. There was a guy by the name of Taco, T-A-C-K-O, Fall. I think he played for UCF or Baylor or one of those schools. I think he’s like 7’4″. He’s really tall, too. He’s never really stuck, and I think because the game in the NBA is changing so much that You know, like with Wilt, right? It used to be you kind of just were so tall that, you know, guys weren’t as big and you could just kind of tower over them.
SPEAKER 15 :
Right.
SPEAKER 04 :
In the case nowadays, I don’t know if it’s quite that simple. You know, I don’t know if it’s as simple as you’re tall. I think he’s got to show a little bit of skill. Now, do I think he has to be, you know, Jokic and be really good as a jump shooter or, you know, shooting a three or anything like that? I don’t think so. But he’s got to show the ability to defend, number one, because, yeah, I mean… Think about that, right? You put a guy who’s 7’9 around the basket and just let him go to town in essence, right? Kind of let him do his thing.
SPEAKER 15 :
But really quick, and for everybody listening, keep in mind, even though he’s that tall, if he doesn’t jump super high, there’s guys like Michael Jordan, by the way, that could jump as tall as this guy could and still get to the basket and the ball and so on and even defend him. So you have to remember that some of these guys are that athletic that if he doesn’t have some athletic skills, you’re probably right, Richard.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, and for him, I feel like it’s the passing and the defense. If he can refine those skills, he doesn’t have to be a great jump shooter. He doesn’t have to do all those things. He’s got to be able to score at the basket, and I think he’s got to be able to defend well. And then when they get it down to him and inevitably the defenders collapse on him, can he make a smart decision, pass out of it? If he can do those things, which, again, I think he can see really well and do that really well – I think you very well have a long career and be one of the taller, maybe the tallest NBA player ever.
SPEAKER 15 :
Gotcha. All right, we’ll take a break. We’ll come right back. Ridgeline Auto Brokers coming up next. Again, they’ve got plenty of vehicles in stock. You can shop online, RidgelineAutoBrokers.com.
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SPEAKER 15 :
And we are back. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560. This time of the week where it’s not only Rush to Reason, but Drive Radio as well. We do car reviews on a weekly basis. We replay those on Saturdays as well at around 1130. Richard, what is our review of the week this week?
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, Dad, review of the week is one of the most fun things SUV, the small SUVs out there, and I’m just going to get right into it. It is the 2026 Volvo EX30 Cross Country. It’s a mouthful. Folks, all you need to know is this is Volvo’s all-electric SUV. I guess kind of compact SUV that you want to call it, Dad. It sits up a little bit higher than a typical car, a little bit lower than a traditional SUV, but it’s all electric. The cross-country version, which is new for 2026, sort of gives it that off-road vibe. There’s a factory lift of .75 inches. bringing the total ground clearance to seven and a half inches. It’s got some off-road aesthetics on it. The front fascia is a little bit different than what you’d find. It’s got standard 19-inch wheels. You can also get an optional 18-inch wheel package, which obviously accommodates some higher sidewall tires. So if you do take it off-road, you’re not worried about messing up the wheels or getting flat as easy, those sorts of things. It can tow up to 3,500 pounds. which is a different conversation on an EV, but it has the possibility of doing so, and it’s got a retuned suspension with it as well. This is the twin motor, Dad, and all of these EX30s cross-countries are the twin motor. All-wheel drive, which, again, here in Colorado is a big thing, 422 horsepower, Dad. it accelerates and mind you dad this does not matter if you’re at sea level or not because we it’s an ev three zero to sixty in three point four seconds and i can tell you when you put this car in performance mode it is a flat out blast to drive it’s just really fun you can zip in and out of traffic i know some people dad and some of your listeners are always like well how does that ev drive you know they’re not like the evs of old folks if you have not been in an ev lately They’ve done a phenomenal job at doing it. I actually had someone ask me this weekend, why is that? And it’s because, folks, there’s not really a drivetrain, right? The power goes instantly to the electric motors, which is… Right there, it’s readily available, and you don’t lose any horsepower.
SPEAKER 15 :
No, you do not.
SPEAKER 04 :
As you do with the kind of traditional combustion engine. Range, that’s maybe the biggest knock on this vehicle, Dad. With the standard 19-inch wheels, 227 miles. If you get the 18-inch wheels, because… It’s got a little bit more surface area on the tires. Those sorts of things drop to about 200 miles. We’re kind of on the 19-inch right now, and we’re right at about 215 miles or 220 miles, I should say, where we’re at, and that’s kind of charging it up to 100% each night. You can go 10% to 80% in 26 minutes using a fast charger if you desire. And then pricing, Dad, they start at $49,500, the one that we are driving today. as it sits, is just under $55,000 at $54,995. It will fit for full-size adults, albeit a little bit tightly. The seats, that’s maybe the one complaint I have with this vehicle, Dad, and I’ll just say it this way, and Volvo, don’t take offense of it. They’re Swedish seats. They don’t, they’re not the most comfortable seats I’ve ever ridden in. However, if I was going to take this cross-country, you would be doing so in shorter stretches, right? You’re only going to get about 200 miles per stretch, so you’re not really sitting in this vehicle for that long. This past weekend, drove about of 40 minutes one way for dinner 40 minutes one way back my wife commented it just kind of took her a minute to sort of get the seat the way that she wanted it um however outside of that that loved loved everything about it it’s got some uh the infotainment system’s got some safety features on it that is is kind of other it reminds me of some other evs out there some other manufacturers and that It shows other vehicles on the road and you can kind of see like a LIDAR almost in a way. Outside of that, I really can’t speak highly enough of this vehicle. If you’re looking for, again, a kind of a compact SUV, Dad, right? And you’re looking for something to, you know, you’re in an urban environment. You want to go to the city and not have to feel like you’re stuck somewhere. You’re parking a big SUV or anything of that nature. This is a really compelling offering, in my opinion. And like I said, with the only downside, in my opinion, outside of the seating, is that range. However, for most people, Dad, I think the average commute is, what, I think 25 to 30 miles? Yeah, that’s pretty average.
SPEAKER 15 :
I would say that’s about right.
SPEAKER 04 :
And so to me, it feels like, yeah, is there… Some people might want a little bit more range, but ultimately, dad, is it something where it would prevent me from buying this car? No, it’s just something that I would like to know going into this, kind of going into buying this vehicle. Outside of that, I really have enjoyed it. It drives nice. It’s quiet on the inside. It fits the kids to and from school. It’s got a decent-sized rear cargo area, which gives you the ability to put different things in there, whatever you might do. And then as far as charging goes, I’ve been able to charge it. Say that. We lost you that last part.
SPEAKER 15 :
We’ll have to really quickly have to dub things back together. We saved that last part over again. We missed that part. You broke up.
SPEAKER 04 :
My apologies. I was going to say, one of the things I really like on this vehicle is even with the lesser range, the lesser battery capacity, by having that, I’m able to charge to kind of 100% overnight, right? I don’t need to take multiple nights to charge, which is great. The last thing I’ll say is this. they have done a little bit different of a thing when it comes to the key it has a traditional key fob that you would expect but it also has a key card kind of like a credit card and you literally put this credit card in your in your wallet or the back of your phone or whatever it might be and you go up to the a pillar or the b pillar i should say on the car you scan it and that lets you into the vehicle and lets you do whatever you need to do which is nice the only thing that i would like to i wish that it had a little bit better of a sensor on it and what i mean but i don’t want to take the key card of my pocket in order to unlock the car and do that now with you the actual fob in your pocket i don’t think it’s as big of issue but when you have the key card in your pocket it struggles to kind of sense and find but it is nice not having to lug around a fob i’ll just say that it’s really nice to be able to just um Hop out, tap the card on the edge of the B pillar, and I’m on my way, right? There’s not anything else to do. So I’m not sure how much longer they’re going to be selling them in the U.S. or what they’re going to do in that regard. But if you do find this car on the used market, Dad, I would highly encourage you to test drive it, get your friends and your family in it. And when you do that, let them know that John and Richard Rush from Drive Radio and Rush to Reason sent you.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, appreciate that. Yes, and all of you listening, please, not only that review, but multiple others we have on the website. There’s tons there. We’ve been doing reviews since 2008. So typically, even on used cars, if there’s a car you’re interested in, please let us know, and we’ll be happy to help you out. One last thing, Richard, that horrific… Plane crash last night, the Air Canada that crashed into the fire truck. I just noticed, and I don’t, again, folks, please, to verify all these things, but I just saw this come across my feed, that the flight attendant that suffered multiple fractures after being thrown from the Dendley crash was still strapped into her jump seat, and it’s a miracle, Richard, she’s alive.
SPEAKER 04 :
I mean, it’s a miracle she’s alive. What a ride that would have been. I mean, I can’t believe that they… that she was, that she did survive. I mean, if you look, I think I sent you the video, Dad, and folks can find it. It is just, I mean, I think the plane was going about 100 knots, you know, it was about 130 miles an hour or so, and that’s, not that it matters, but again, it’s why there’s so much that goes into these airports and again whether the air i think he was he was distracted with another emergency that was going on not that that’s an excuse dad because it’s not right like you got to be you got to mind your p’s and q’s and i just hope that the investigation reveals that i i don’t know i well i just i hope it gives some closure closure to family things that it’s just not a good situation and i feel and i pray for those families because yeah it is not something that’s going to be easily uh uh overcome that’s for sure
SPEAKER 15 :
Yeah, it really, and again, I talked about that earlier, not a good situation. More will come, I’m sure, on that as to what happened and why it happened and so on. I know Sean Duffy, our Transportation Secretary, made an announcement. I haven’t had a chance to see what he exactly said, but I’m sure we’ll have more here in the coming days on exactly what happened. And just a sad day overall, especially for those people. That’s just sad. It absolutely is. All right. Richard, I’ll let you go. Appreciate it. Have a great rest of your evening. And we’ll do this, Cub Creek Heating and Air Conditioning. Yes, I focused on air conditioning because even though it’s only about 72 degrees right now, it’s fairly nice out. We do have hot weather coming, and it’s not going to stay that way. And, yes, we’re approaching summer. So, please, anything you need when it comes to your HVAC, give Cub Creek a call today. Find them at klzradio.com.
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SPEAKER 03 :
Now back to Rush to Reason on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 15 :
All right, and we’re going to wrap things up for this particular hour. I appreciate it. One last thing. There’s a meme that I just saw. Travelers nationwide are shocked to realize ICE agents are actually pretty friendly when no one is trying to kill them with an SUV. Yeah, again, this was a great prop. I will say it again. I said it during the first hour. When it comes to ICE working at airports, filling in for TSA agents, great move on the part of whomever decided to do that. I don’t know exactly who was in charge of that move, but fabulous move on whoever’s part that did that. So congratulations to whoever you are. Hour 3 is next. Don’t go anywhere. Rush to Reason, Denver’s Afternoon Rush, KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 1 :
Bye.
SPEAKER 11 :
I’m a rich guy.
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