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.

[Reagan Man]

I guess this means, if Howie Stern is getting roughly half Rush Limbaugh's audience on AM radio and will now make a $100 million annual paycheck from Sirius, Rush could get $200 million a year, instead of the measely $35 million he gets today.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Amazing how math-challenged these magazine mediots are. If there is a tie in 4th place, the next position is #6, not #5, because 5 others have higher ratings.

[chiller]

I've never once had the feeling that Hewitt was PC. He's a Republican more than a conservative, but he is very very sonservative. It's just he has 100% pure Republican blood evidently.

[Sometimes A River]

Hannity's got a much better time slot.

He is unlistenable though. I haven't heard him for more than a few seconds in over a year.

[chiller]

Hannit's "blood-oath" is a bit overdone. Maybe more than a bit, actually.

[michaelbfree]

I do not believe for 1 second Al Franken pulls that many listeners - total BS - I mean AA is what, all of 6 stations nationwide???? Al Franken is lucky if he pulls 100k

[cake_crumb]

Rush is the best, hands down. Tony Snow is just behind Rush and only on style not intellect. Hannity is pretty good. Dunno why so many FReepers waste so much time constantly dissing him.

He was on the SBVfT story on radio and TV for WEEKS before Rush decided to start covering it. Over 12 million people listen to his show, so he IS reaching people who might not otherwise be reachable. You may not like Hannity, but he's one of the Good Guys, is therefore one of US and doesn't deserve the constant attacks.

[pepperhead]

Savage is 50% genius, 50% moron. It's hard to tell the difference when he switches between the two.

I wouldn't say 50% moron. It more like 50% raving lunatic.

[BradyLS]

I find Dr. Laura frightening. Most folks that are calling in to her show seem to need professional help already (Either legal or mental. Sometimes both). And then she beats them down further. "You need to quit your job and stay home with the kids... I don't know what to tell you, you've already put your kids through hell... Know any good knock-knock jokes?"

[Nexus6]

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.

I have to agree, it's nerve-wracking. I'll tune in on my way home from work and only listen if he's got a worthwhile interview going. When I tune in and "Let Freedom Ring" is playing, or some caller is busy stroking his ego, that's it, I immediately tune out for the day.

[MNJohnnie]

These are radio listeners. They no longer include people like me who listen to him on line.

[relee]

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.

I listen to Diane Rehm on NPR Friday mornings for the news round-up. I have not heard Diane Reed's show yet.

[chiller]

Laura has left a legacy with all of talk radio; "Thank you for taking my call."

[relee]

I was in Atlanta this summer and IIRC, Laura Ingraham's show was on AM radio.

[EGPWS]

Where's Franken?

Don't ask Franken for he sure the h*ll doesn't know!

[Congressman Billybob]

This list is numbered incorrectly. Because of the ties, #5 should be #6, #6 should be #7, #7 should be #9, #8 should be #13, #9 should be be #17, #10 should be #21, #11 should be #23, #12 should be #25, #13 should be #27, #14 should be #30. That's if I did my math correctly, you get the idea.

As for whether Rush's numbers are too low, keep in mind this point. The person who controls Talkers Magazine is Ellen Ratner. Yes, that Ellen Ratner, who is a Howard Dean-style hard left Democrat who said on air on Fox News that she "hoped" enough Americans would be killed in Iraq so that Bush "would not be elected."

So, it certainly galled her to list Rush as tops on "her" list, and perhaps some games were played with the numbers to push Rush down from his usually-cited 15-20 million in audience.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "Ben Franklin's Greatest Invention"

[BradyLS]

I'm glad she changed the vacuous "Now go take on the day" with the more active/positive "Now go do the right thing." Glad to hear her son is in the Army, too.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

I listen to Diane Rehm on NPR Friday mornings for the news round-up. I have not heard Diane Reed's show yet."

See? Not even Zuben knows Diane Rehm. LOL. Thanks for the correction.

[AGreatPer]

If I hear Laura say, "Lets go to" one more time, ahhhhhhhh.

[DTogo]

Rush and Hannity continually mention our unsecure borders, unenforced immigration laws, and excessive spending.