Laura Ingraham, Michael Medved Move Up in Second Annual Talk Radio List

The National Ledger ^ | Mar 7, 2005 | CK Rairden

[rface]

Air America is adding radio stations to the stable as Clear Channel attempts to promote what they are calling "Progressive Radio." But the liberal radio network still can't get a host to crack the "not quite top ten list" of talk radio personalities. In fact, it's not even close. Conservative hosts are still dominating the talk radio scene and they continue to dominate the list for one reason--they have fun on the radio.

Each listen to Air America reveals bitter complaining, very little laughter and absolutely no fun. Angry radio just won't sell.

One thing, liberals don't have the material the conservative hosts are presented on a daily basis. It's hard to run out of subject matter when the Robert Byrd, Ted Kennedy and Howard Dean left fringe types are getting all the press for the Democrats. And when you factor in Eason Jordan and Dan Rather and pit them against Jeff Gannon (who?) it's not really a fair fight. Regardless, at some point the left wing radio hosts will want to learn that bitter just doesn't play well on air and they would be wise to copy these conservative hosts only with a liberal slant.

Here’s my second annual “not quite top ten.” (That’s why there’s only nine.) Last year's rank is in brackets.

9) Bill O'Reilly [6]: I really didn't believe that Bill O'Reilly on the radio would play well. Three full hours seemed like a bit much, but O'Reilly made the adjustments and pulls it off most of the time. It's far from the usual talk radio fare, but is still a decent listen.

8) Neal Boortz [7]: Neal Boortz has been doing talk radio forever. And when you give his show a listen it really shows. He's the perfect combination of entertainment and information and as his tagline says, [He's] not here to support your viewpoints. [He's] here to inform, challenge and entertain. He does that daily.

7) Don Imus [NR]: Don Imus leads every other MSNBC show in ratings with his morning radio/cable TV show. (Chris Mathews' numbers are close, even though he's in primetime) Imus gets tremendous "A" list guests and delivers nearly each day. He's a brilliant interviewer and his show would benefit from a later time slot so that the West coast could actually listen.

6) Sean Hannity [3]: Another good interviewer that presents "A" list guests nearly every day. Sean is a shameless self-promoter, but he still gets it to work and his show is wildly popular. Hannity's newest must listen is a Friday segment from a voice guy that features Bill Clinton, Bush 41 and 43, Michael Jackson, Phil Donahue and more. It's a classic segment and Hannity has a blast with it.

5) Tony Snow [2]: Tony Snow is on "injured reserve" as he recovers from cancer surgery. Our prayers are with him and his family. His show is a near flawless conservative presentation as he uses his experience and contacts to deliver a stellar program despite the fact that the show is only a year old.

4) Hugh Hewitt [NR]: Hugh springs into the "not quite top ten list" with an unashamed "new media" feel. His guests range from Mark Steyn to James Lileks to Ed Morrissey. (If you don't recognize these guys look them up, you are really missing out.) It makes for great radio, and proves that Hewitt gets the incredible power of the new media.

3) Michael Medved [4]: Medved continues to deliver the most intelligent radio in the business. He welcomes callers that disagree and even sets up a "disagreement day" for them to line up. His conspiracy theory segments are priceless. His audience ranges from critical thinkers to complete moonbats, but somehow he makes it entertaining.

2) Laura Ingraham [5]: Laura Ingraham's talk radio show has matured into a can't miss listen each day. She was always entertaining, but has now developed a routine that presents the absolute best TV sound bites for her to dissect. She gets extra credit for hammering away at Chris Mathews and Katie Couric with their own clips nearly every day. Lee Habeeb and her producer Matt Fox complete the package with their comments. This show is a blast.

1) Rush Limbaugh [1]: Limbaugh is still the best. His claim that he is the "crown jewel of the new media" is accurate. In fact, without Limbaugh, there likely wouldn't even be a new media. A cut and paste from last year's column still works. "His operation is now a media empire and his resources seem endless. He has unlimited sound bites available and is quick to offer his EIB analysis to each and every one. Until he retires or unless the keystone Palm Beach cops can round him up, it’s hard to see him ever leaving the top of the heap. It doesn’t hurt to have the best parody guy in the biz on your side either. Paul Shanklin never misses. Everyone in the business strives to be El Rushbo."

CK Rairden is the managing editor of the National Ledger.

[bitt]

Hey, I heard your show with Laura! It was very entertaining and enlightening, she really enjoyed having you on and you sounded very comfortable! I listened until I came to the timber line, then had to give in to the bzzzzzzzzzzz,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,.....

she doesn't broadcast on enough strong stations in the NE!

[LS]

Thanks. She's a good interviewer.

[eddie willers]

How could they miss Larry Elder?

[paltz]

listen on the internet...www.lauraingraham.com