AMERICA
Obama Effect: Talk Radio Rises
F
OR A WHILE, IT SEEMED AS IF TERRESTRIAL TALK RADIO the Obama candidacy and presidency, and Mark Levin,
was on the wane as cable news, satellite radio, and who has risen from about 1 million to 6 million — all
the Internet gobbled up audience share. the while denouncing Obama, and liberalism in gen-
Not this year. President Obama has meant a big boost eral, as “tyranny.” Indeed, Levin’s latest book, Liberty and
for broadcast ratings, especially for talk radio. Tyranny, has been atop The New York Times best-seller list
During a year in which Obama has lambasted Rush since it debuted there in March.
Limbaugh as the real head of the Republican Party, Although no serious effort has been made to restore
Limbaugh’s listeners have only grown in number — as the Fairness Doctrine, the rise of conservative radio
have the listeners of other conservative radio personalities. has cultivated an inclination to restore the mandate for
The ratings service Arbitron reports
that Limbaugh’s numbers rose by up to
TALK
a full share point in several major mar-
kets in August, the peak of the townhall
fervor, giving him from 5 percent to 10
LAND
percent of all radio listeners in those
areas for his time slot.
Limbaugh has averaged about 15 mil-
by Todd Seavey lion listeners in 2009, up from about 13
million two years ago, according to the
radio industry trade magazine Talkers. Second-place pun-
dit Sean Hannity is up from about 12 million to 14 million
listeners during that same timespan.
With Bible-based fi nancial advice guru Dave Ramsey
dropping out of the top 10 talk-radio hosts this year, the BIG TIME Soaring ratings make Rush a top-get for Leno.
list has become even more solidly political and con-
servative. The top 10, in order of descending popular- equal broadcast time for opposing political views among
ity, are Limbaugh, Hannity, Michael Savage, Dr. Laura Democratic politicians.
Schlessinger, Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Obama’s White House says he opposes the Fairness
Michael Medved, Mike Gallagher, and William Bennett, Doctrine but may embrace other initiatives that achieve
according to Talkers. the same goal — such as “localism,” which limits the
Most of these talk-radio hosts have seen their audience amount of syndicated programming a radio station can
increase by about one-half million to 1 million listeners air. Talk radio supporters are bracing for the worst.
over the past two years. Obama may be getting his ducks in a row at the Federal
The two most rapidly rising stars have been Glenn Communications Commission before he makes any
Beck, who started out at about 5 million regular listeners move. He has tapped hardcore leftist Mark Lloyd to be the
and rose to about 8 million during the past two years of commission’s diversity chief.
CHATTER
CURTIS CAPPED OFF BECK’S TRIUMPHANT RETURN SAVAGE CUT
CURTIS SLIWA, THE RED BERET-WEARING WHEN GLENN BECK’S HOMETOWN OF CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST MICHAEL
Guardian Angels vigilante turned Mount Vernon, Wash., gave him Savage’s home station has dropped
conservative radio host, was a guest the key to the city in September, it him. San Francisco’s KNEW-AM
at a recent wedding and was asked to generated protests. “I’ve known Glenn explained that it wants to move “in a
explain the red “special yarmulke” he since I was a kid,” says Mayor Bud different philosophical and ideological
was wearing. Norris. “I thought it’d be kind of nice direction.”
to bring him home somehow. I didn’t
E
S
anticipate the outcry.”
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22 NEWSMAX / NOVEMBER 2009
22_AM_TalkLand.indd 22 9/30/09 7:08 PM
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