It is not exactly a secret that my goal in life is to sit behind Rush’s golden EIB microphone as a guest host. For the past few years I have volunteered, as in not getting paid a penny, to fill in on local radio in Georgia just to get some experience. In fact, I did a three month stint two years ago, for free, every week day from 6am to 9am and another one last year for a month and a half at the same time of day for the same amount of money.

Since I started filling in on the radio, I’ve had two separate offers to do nationally syndicated radio shows. I’ve turned them both down. One does not get to sit behind the golden EIB microphone and also have a different nationally syndicated show.

Frankly, I wouldn’t want a nationally syndicated show. As long as Rush Limbaugh exists, there is no way I’d ever be number one no matter how hard I worked. And with Sean Hannity behind him, the chances of being number two in radio are zilch. Then there’s Glenn Beck at number three and that Blue Bottle microphone of his that I covet.

It’s a personal thing, I realize, but why the heck would I want to work my butt off and be guaranteed to be, at best, at the bottom of the top (and let’s not forget there’s Mark Levin and Neal Boortz and Laura Ingraham, etc. to contend with) with, frankly, so many awesome people I’d rather listen to anyway.

Maybe one day I’ll think I’m good enough for a national show of my own, but for now I’d rather guest host for Rush, knowing I was getting a chance to sit in for the best of the best. That would be a real honor.

Of course, this does not preclude local radio.

So when the largest, most listened to talk radio station in all of the United States asked if I might be interested in a three hour a day, five day a week show of my own — and they’d pay me (!!!!) — I said heck yeah!

Starting next Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, the Erick Erickson Show will launch.

WSB Radio in Atlanta is the largest and most widely listened to talk radio station in the United States. It is also a 50,000 watt clear-channel radio station, meaning it broadcasts at full power 24 hours a day. Because of its clear-channel status and power, WSB is picked up crystal clear across the nation at night and, depending on the atmosphere, in a lot of countries too. Essentially, I’ll have a local show, but the WSB signal is so strong and goes so far it’ll have a national reach on the AM dial — plus there’ll be live streaming online.

WSB is also home to Neal Boortz, Clark Howard, and Herman Cain.

For the past few months I’ve been filling in for Herman Cain and talking with WSB. They made me an offer I can’t refuse.

I’ll be on from 9 p.m. to midnight, filling the slot held currently by Michael Savage. Herman Cain will come on before me and Dave Ramsey will come on after me.

Just to be clear, I’m not leaving RedState or CNN. They are priorities in my life I hope to keep doing until I die. WSB has kindly agreed to work around those obligations. In other words, I’ll be on internet, television, and radio, making the 2012 Presidential cycle a heck of a lot of fun.

You can now start your day with me in your email inbox, check in with me throughout the day here at RedState and on CNN, and close out your day with me by tuning to 750 AM or, in the Atlanta area, 95.5 FM, and if you just can’t get the signal, go to http://wsbradio.com.

We’ve joked in the past about imagining a fully armed and operational RedState. Now imagine a fully armed and operational RedState and a fully armed and operational 50,000 watt microphone. The potential is exciting.

And maybe, just maybe, I might get good enough to sit behind the golden EIB microphone — of course I might still have to change my name to Mark.

Oh, and I think I need to track down Rush’s “caller abortion” sound effect. It might come in handy with folks like Michael.