Limbaugh crowned No. 1 in talk radio again. Hannity #2, Savage #3. Where's Franken?

UPI ^ | 12/10/2005 12:45:00 PM -0500 | UPI

[rface]

NEW YORK, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Talkers magazine reports conservative hosts Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity are the most popular radio hosts in the United States.

More than 13.75 million people listen to Limbaugh per week while Hannity draws more then 12.5 million weekly listeners, Talkers reported.

Michael Savage is third with more than 8 million listeners a week.

There is tie for fourth place between shock jock Howard Stern -- soon due to move to Sirius Satellite Radio -- and Dr. Laura Schlessinger with more than 7.75 million weekly listeners, the New York Daily News reported Saturday.

Laura Ingraham filled out the Top 5 with more than 5 million.

Talkers said it used Arbitron data and "other reliable indicators" for its semiannual rankings report.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

See? Nobody knows Diane Reed. She's on NPR in the afternoon, leftist message. In the midwest, some AM stations carry NPR and when I'm scanning between cities to find Rush, sometimes she pops up. Weird voice, too.

[pollyannaish]

I completely agree. I learn really good things by listening to Pragers show which help me in every day life, and I love to hear Medved take on Liberals face to face. At this point in my life they are the two I hate to miss.

However, there isn't really a right talker out there that I don't enjoy on some level...one for every mood.

What's amazing is that the conservative talk market is so big at this point, people can find a niche and settle in. Hannity's audience is completely different than Savages, but both are conservative/traditional Americans. The fact we can do that is pretty cool. The rise of the right talk phenomenon clearly illustrates why the Dems are struggling.

In the beginning, Rush was able to bridge the Hannity conservatives and the Savage conservatives and got them vocally on board. We all still love Rush, but also have our little "specialty conservatives" who address our particular areas of interest.

Dems/liberals haven't figured this out yet and, given the make up of their party, I am not completely sure they can. I have a hard time seeing what overarching philosophy environmentalists and Detroit unionists can agree on.

I believe that is why they hate this war so much. Because at least they can all agree on this, they have a boogy-man. Once the President is gone, what is left of Frankin's show will be too because if it isn't growing now when the ground is fertile, then when there isn't it will just die away.

Anyway, this whole thing is a great lesson in how grassroots movements grow from the bottom up and how they can not be built and managed from the top down. Average people created the right talk market...not Rush or anybody else. Rush just saw the market and went with it. The GOP couldn't have created him if they had tried.

Fortunately, Dems don't realize this. More good news for us.

[KenmcG414]

Rush Limbaugh has to be considered one of the greatest living Americans. It ticked me off to see Bush give out those medals of freedom to the likes of Mohammed Ali, Aretha Franklin et al without ever considering the Rush man. Maybe Bush will give Rush one before he leaves office.

[TheCrusader]

"oh oh. I hope Savage is on his medicine when he reads this."

LOL, well actually Savage went from # 5 to # 3, so he'll be happy to see he's on the rise.

[bert]

He was tied for 7th in the post above

[Burf]

http://www.kernradio.com
He is on 5-8 pm Central Time.
Or you can get him on KERN which if I remember correctly is San Fran Freako

[Liberfighter]

I think the flip side on that argument would have Savage with higher numbers.

Savage slot is East coast 6-9pm. Thats tv time and sports shows take his slots during football, and basketball.

Rush can be heard all day for driving to work or at work.

[ChildOfThe60s]

It's just plain nice, isn't it?

After decades of liberal monopoly in media and information this is sweet. And I admit I get all warm and fuzzy when libs go apoplectic over their loss of absolute control.

Now on to public schools and colleges. About time we flexed some muscle there. They still overwhelmingly control those institutions.

[Hank Rearden]

Hannity is the USA Today of conservative talk radio.

I'll never forget when USA Today was first introduced, their sidewalk vending machines were designed to look like TV sets on pedestals. Below the "screen" was the white-on-black motto: "The Nation's Newspaper"

One of the first ones of these I saw had been modified by a smart person with some black paint to read: "The Nation's New pap"

Works for Hannity too, IMHO.

[SubMareener]

I think O'Reilly's ratings from his "day job" keep his spirits up. ;-)

[BradyLS]

Boortz is also great.....I used to listen to him when I was in the Atlanta area. I think he understands militant Islam much better than anybody else (except Rush).

Up till 9/11, Boortz was spending a lot of air-time slamming Christians and Southerners. Once America went to war, he changed that tune but QUICK. He found out big-time that there are much bigger fish to fry and sharks to worry about.

[chiller]

Disagree, krunkygirl....Rush body slammed Mathews again after his little kiss.

[Lancey Howard]

Years ago I used to listen to the Ed (Mayor) Koch show on WABC in New York. He used to say, "If you agree with me on seven out of ten issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on ten out of ten issues, see a psychiatrist."

[pepperhead]

Rush had one from Paul Shanklin and it was hilarious.

"Everyone Knows It's Cindy"

Who's heading out in the ditch down in Crawford
Speaking her mind that's lighter than air
Used by the left to capture the moment
Everyone knows it's Cindy

Who said the terrorists are freedom fighters
Who blamed the Jews for starting the war
Who's under wraps and won't answer questions
Everyone knows it's Cindy

And Cindy has leftist ties
That flash when her mouth's too wide
And Cindy has things to hide
She can't talk now
She can't talk now
She can't talk now
She can't talk now

Who's on a bus to come to your city
Whining to everybody she sees
Who never ever gets a tough question
Everyone knows it's Cindy

Who's flaming out and can't get arrested
Who blamed the Jews for starting the war
Used by the left to capture the moment
Everyone knows it's Cindy

Who's on a bus to come to your city
Whining to everybody she sees
Who never ever gets a tough question
Everyone knows it's Cindy

[desherwood7]

This is excellent news! I just can't wait to see how the left is going to try and spin this one.

[BradyLS]

Have never heard the Michael Savage show, will have to remember to try to listen via the web sometime.

Michael's delivery is almost complete stream-of-concious. It can be disconcerting to the uninitiated, especially if he's on a rant. Still, he often says what a lot of people would like to say but don't.

[Hank Rearden]

Evidently 12.5 million people disagree with you that Hannity is unlistenable.

And why is that? Are so many people stuck, unable to get beyond Republicanism 101? When is the last time you heard Hannity say something insightful and interesting?

But if you need to hear "We must win in Iraq and support the President no matter what" 47 times per show, or hear Sean and some old guy slurp each other to a dinky-dink theme song at the end, it's the show for you.

Fortunately, there's room on the air and the Internet for lots of hosts. Even boring ones.

[Right Wing Assault]

Get one of those tape delay radios.

http://www.ccrane.com/more-categories/recording-devices/versacorder-quarter-speed-cassette-tape-player-recorder.aspx

[Mount Athos]

I learn really good things by listening to Pragers show which help me in every day life, and I love to hear Medved take on Liberals face to face. At this point in my life they are the two I hate to miss.

That's how I feel too. Their shows are really intelligent, high quality, very well done.

[AlexW]

"Hannity does not impress me at all"

I agree..he is just a "good time rock and roll plastic bananna".

Here in Slovakia, I get Rush at 6 PM via my home station in Memphis on internet. It is followed by Hannity.
Rush is real, Hannity is nothing but showbiz. I just do not buy that he is good old down home country boy.. He is New York.

I have set my speakers to catch Savage, but it is almost middle of the night for me.
I love his idea about liberalism, but he is a bit too strong for me..He seems to hate everyone.