In 1979, Edell began broadcasting regularly on KGO radio in San Francisco. At that time talk radio had never been successfully syndicated. In 1986 Ed McLaughlin, then president of ABC Radio's failed attempt to syndicate talk radio, quit his job and teamed up with Edell. The show soon reached 350-400 markets with 8.5 million weekly listeners. They also launched Medical Minutes, 60 second medical news segments into 400 markets. McLaughlin proved radio talk shows could be successfully syndicated. He then turned his attention to a then unknown radio personality from Sacramento named Rush Limbaugh, who by summer of 1989 surpassed Edell in ratings and went on to become the most successful talk radio host in America. For most of the 90's Edell was the second most listened to radio talk show in America.