Talk radio gets angrier as America at large becomes angrier.
Here’s the real story; ratings for the top hosts (and stations) have skyrocketed in recent months, for a couple of reasons.
First, with the coronation of the “annointed one” (and the GOP essentially leaderless), talk hosts are filling the vaccum and providing a rallying point for conservatives.
Secondly, Arbitron (the radio ratings firm) recently introduced a new “people meter” system that provides better audience data than ever before. Measurements from the people meter show that talk stations had been under-represented under the old “diary” system. As a result, talk stations have posted higher ratings in most markets. Look at the numbers for KFI in Los Angeles; WLS in Chicago and WABC in New York, to name a few. In most cases, their ratings are running a half-point to a full point higher than under the old system.
So why are revenues down? It’s called the recession. When the economy tanks, ad budgets are among the first to be slashed. Advertisers are spending less money across the board; in fact, the TV networks are having to slash rates to attract sponsors this fall.
I was talking with a sales rep earlier this week for the Rush affiliate in Norfolk, VA (WNIS). He told me that Rush is the highest-rated program on any outlet in their five-station cluster. Rush is the primary reason the station is now #2 in the Norfolk market, and it’s the only “non-urban” station in the Top 5.