Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Top Radio Hosts

From Daily Talker Magazine:
Rush Limbaugh remains the top dog in talk radio, says the influential trade magazine Talkers.
The magazine has just released its annual "Heavy Hundred" list – a reference to influence, not weight, and it praises Limbaugh as "the most-listened-to talk host and more relevant culturally than ever."
The top rungs of the list also confirm something that No. 2 talker, Sean Hannity, said on the eve of the 2008 Presidential election.
"I don't think it would be good for the country if Barack Obama is elected President," Hannity said. "But I have to say it would be great for talk radio."
Sixteen months later, the debate continues over Hannity's first point. There's no question he was right about the second one, because having a "bad guy" in the White House has sent a surge of electricity through the talk radio world.
The top four talkers - Limbaugh, Hannity, Glenn Beck and Michael Savage – have all been non-stop, full-time critics of pretty much everything about Obama except his shoelaces and his toothpaste.
The top 10 also includes non-Obama fans Laura Ingraham, No. 6, and Mark Levin, No. 8.
In fact, advice guru Dr. Laura Schlessinger (No. 5), and finance guys Dave Ramsey (No. 7) and Lou Dobbs (No. 9) don't much care for Obama, either.
Only Thom Hartmann, at No. 10, has had any encouraging words for the prez.
Talkers publisher Michael Harrison, a former morning host at WNEW-FM in New York, says the list is compiled on "courage, effort, impact, longevity, potential, ratings, recognition, revenue, service, talent and uniqueness."
He has repeatedly stressed that the list is subjective, "as much art as science."
While conservative talkers dominate the top of the list, this year's does have a growing presence of non-conservatives just below the top rung. Besides Hartmann, the top 25 includes Ed Schultz, Joe Madison, Alan Colmes and Stephanie Miller.

The top 25:
1. Rush Limbaugh
2. Sean Hannity
3. Glenn Beck
4. Michael Savage
5. Dr. Laura Schlessinger
6. Laura Ingraham
7. Dave Ramsey
8. Mark Levin
9. Lou Dobbs
10. Thom Hartmann
11. Ed Schultz
12. Joe Madison
13. Neal Boortz
14. Mancow
15. Doug Stephan
16. Alan Colmes
17. Jerry Doyle
18. Bill Handel
19. Mike Gallagher
20. George Noory
21. Don Imus
22. Jim Bohannan
23. Michael Medved
24. Stephanie Miller
25. Bill Bennett

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