This is just another smear peace. They would never write this crap about Air America, or if the NPR fundraisers were down.
But some talk shows are as exciting as watching paint dry. I still remember the lower tier of talk shows back in 1994, prior to OKC, which Clinton used to smear talk radio.
Chuck Harder, Jerry Hughes, Stan Major, and Mike Reagan were all pretty good. They had conspiracy theories galore, and were highly entertaining. Savage started on KGO weekends back then. I always had my radio on, but Rush was all about NAFTA.
Today’s talk radio is all about finances and taxes, with some GOP politics thrown in. They rarely even mention political correctness or social issues. So while Rush is entertaining, listening to the same GOP talking points with less entertaining people doesn’t have much appeal.
IMO you are correct, most talk radio is moving to economics and away from social issues, though the two are linked.
As for the LA Times, they are barely long for this world, and they do not follow their premise, talk radio isn’t dying, it is controlling costs in an economic downturn.
And I must say, internet talk radio, live and streaming, is where it’s at, if a local host is blathering on and on, streaming guys like Liddy or Savage or even Miller is just a mouse click away.