[Carolinamom]

While I am all for self confidence and confronting spin with truth, IMO O'Reilly has become so strident lately that I no longer tune in to his program. Apparently he lost some big bucks in the Enron fiasco and completely lost his self control with Neil Cavuto the other day when Cavuto was simply trying to educate him about the market.

[Leisler]

More power on the right. If O'Reilly can save even a few people from the mental plantation of leftist/big media, great.

[Mixer]

O'Reiley is the king. Last night he had to have a guy's mic turned off three times because he kept talking over him. On the last time he said "That's it urn his mic off forever"

GO BILL!!!!

[mombonn]

"I don’t want to be accused of exploiting that situation," O’Reilly said.

What a patronizing statement. Rush will kick O'Reilly into obscurity whether his hearing returns or not.

[OldFriend]

If I may be so crude so early in the morning.....but O'Reilly is a putz!

[lawdude]

O'Reaaaaaallllllllly lost me as an avid fan when he declared that no one should drive an SUV. He lives in NYC where few people drive anything. I live in Arizona and have occasional need to haul STUFF. I also like to take back roads in the 70% US/State owned land of Arizona, on which NO taxes are paid and I have to foot the bill. Slightly run-on sentence...sorry.

Anyway, hauling kids, firewood, friends, etc is none of O's business and as long as I can afford the gas at market prices, what is his involvement? Why is it that those of us who have sweated our 'nads off, must cower in shame for our success?

[Mr.Clark]

WOR is the worst radio station in the New York area. It's almost like they are trying to be bad. O'Reill could get on WOR and whistle and would get higher ratings for the station.

[Clemenza]

I think O'Reilly jumped the shark when he decided to go after George Clooney. Personally, I find him to be the second-shrillest person on the right, after the extremely obnoxious Michael Savage.

[lormand]

O'Reilly is a fascist IMHO! He is quick to demand action from the Government whenever it suits his purpose.

I need to start timing the amount of time he speaks versus the amount of time his "guests" speak. I bet it is close to 2/1 ratio. What a blow hard if I have ever heard one.

[Spook86]

In radio, ratings often depend on your lead-in; if O'Reilly goes into the 3-5 pm slot on WOR, he's relying (in part) on the lead-in audience from those "specialty" food/finance shows on WOR. Trouble is, Rush (on WABC) kills them in the ratings. The specialty shows remain profitable only because WOR has some long-time advertisers who continue to back them. Most of the talk audience (at that time of day) is listening to WABC.

With Rush as a lead-in, Sean Hannity will do just fine on WABC--in fact, I'll go on record right now in predicting that Sean will beat O'Reilly head-to-head, both in cume (total audience), and the 25-54 talk radio demographic.

WOR was once a ratings powerhouse; in fact it was the #1 talk station in the market when WABC was a Top 40 outlet. But times--and talk radio--have changed. WOR's format/hosts are about 20 years behind the times. And, ironically, ABC is borrowing a competitor's trick to beat WOR. WABC offers a variant of the "hot talk" format, while WOR is aimed at speciality/middle of the road talk. The same thing happened in LA, where KFI's hot talk sent long-time talk leader KABC to the bottom of the ratings barrel.

Wonder what O'Reilly will do after 2 or three ratings books where he loses to Sean Hannity? How will he "spin" that one? One more thing: O'Reilly will get a big "roll out," but his show is going to wind-up (mostly) on second-tier talk stations, making it even tougher to find an audience. Consider this list of major talk stations: WBZ (Boston), WRKO (Boston), WABC (New York), WLS (Chicago), WGN (Chicago) KMOX (St Louis), WTAM (Cleveland), WLW (Cincinnati), WHAS (Louisville), WSB (Atlanta), WWL (New Orleans), KOA (Denver), KFI (Los Angeles), KABC (Los Angeles), KGO (San Francisco), KSFO (San Francisco), and KVI (Seattle); all (with the exception of KABC) at, or near the top, of the local radio ratings. How many have expressed a serious interest in the O"Reilly radio show? None. All have successful programs in the proposed O'Reilly slot, making it much more difficult to build an audience.

[celtic gal]

Let him have his radio show. I can't wait for him to get a ratings slap. I won't listen to him. I used to like him but once his tv show outdistanced Larry King O'R got really big headed and just downright insufferable. It is not so much that I disagree with him, though I do on some subjects, I just can't stand his attitude and nasty arrogrant manner. To me he is the Bill Press of the more conservative world. I'll keep Rush tuned in! and Hannity when I can get him. But O'R? Never.

[Redbob]

Would this be the same O'Reilly who swore (SWORE) in a Drudge interview the Sunday after Thanksgiving that there was absolutely no truth whatsoever to rumors he was planning a talk show opposite Rush?
"Not to my knowledge," were his exact words.

[Reagan Man]

Lets face it, Rush Limbaugh hasn't been himself since the on set of his acute hearing loss. This is a serious problem for Rush. It has developed into a life long struggle that wil have a continued and direct impact on the future of his radio show. But not being a 100% and somewhat off his broadcast standards, doesn't mean that Rush is easy prey for anyone in the world of talk-radio. I think Rush Limbaugh, at 90% to 95% of his natural ability, can withstand any opposition and that includes a new talk show, from that popular centrist, "Mr.Ratings Mouth" himself, Bill O'Reilly. If Rush's cochlear implant works out for him, then don't look for Rush to retire anytime soon.

O'Reilly's a vulture, waiting in the wings to bounce on Rush. Right now, O'Reilly thinks he is bullet proof and he may be. But it's a big mistake for someone like O'Reilly to think his brand of tantrum jounalism can keep him at the top, forever. Eventually, the bigger O'Reilly's head gets, the bigger his ego expands, the louder his mouth yells, the more people will see him for the ratings slut he really is. I could be wrong, but I believe at some point, O'Reilly will be forced to turn down his bull horn broadcasts.

BTW, I still listen to Limbaugh and watch O'Reilly, just not as much as before.

[jwalsh07]

Sean is an Irish lad to be proud of who is right 90% of the time and takes positions based on principles. O'Reilly is a loud mouthed Irishman who spends his life straddling the fence and battling hemmorhoids because of it.

I'll take Sean any day.

[Jhoffa_]

"I don’t want to be accused of exploiting that situation," O’Reilly said.

What "situation" Bill? Has or has not Rush been pounding the whole "competition" and "free market" think for about a decade now?

It would be incredibly hypocritical for any conservative to gripe at Mr. O for jumping into the talk radio business because he will "hurt poor Rush"

On second thought.. It's beyond hypocritical and borders on the absurd.

Also, Mr. O is going to fail in this venture.

He's a populist (and one I like and agree with very frequently) with no ideology to guide him.

He won't be Conservative enough for the conservatives and he will be completely unsatisfactory to the Liberals.

He will wind up guiding the mushy middle for a while till they find soemthing better to do and leave him high and dry.

[FreedomFriend]

Bill O'Reilly gets on my nerves. I like Sean Hannity much better.