Is Right-Wing Talk Dying? Radio Ratings Down

[RamboLiberal]

Here’s another sign that the tide might be turning against the Wingnuts—Glenn Beck’s TV ratings are down 50 percent and major market radio stations are dropping him.

That’s not all—a look at radio ratings shows that hyper-partisan talk has been declining or flat-lining between ‘09 and ‘10, despite the intensity of the election year. There’s a demand for something different—smart, un-predictable, non-partisan news is gaining market share because it stands out from the pack. And leading industry analysts say there is a market for more independent voices.

“There are a lot of program directors whose radio ‘spider-sense’ is tingling,” says Randall Bloomquist, a long-time radio executive and president of Talk Frontier Media. “They're thinking ‘this conservative thing is kind of running its course. We're saying the same things from morning 'til night and yes, we've got a very loyal core audience—but if we ever want to grow, if we want to expand, we've got to be doing more than 18 hours a day of ‘Obama is a socialist.’”

A look at radio’s PPM ratings for the largest talk radio market in the nation bears this out. An apples-to-apples comparison of ratings between November ’09 and November ’10 in the New York area shows that Rush Limbaugh’s ratings on WABC declined from 5.4 to 5.0—despite the crescendo of a GOP election year landslide. Likewise, year-end to year-end comparisons of the crucial 24 to 55 demographic show that Rush declined from 3.7 to 2.6—while his packaged follow-up acts Sean Hannity and Mark Levin narrowly declined and flat-lined, respectively. And Hannity was dropped from his Philadelphia radio station along with Beck last month after being dropped from his syndicator in Salt Lake City (!) last year before finding a new home in the area.

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“I will tell you that a very senior talk radio executive, somebody with responsibility for a large number of talk radio stations, expressed to me just this week his concern that talk radio as we know it could be largely gone in five years and the reason for that is, just plain and simple, the aging demographics of the format,” explains Bloomquist. “Depending on who you talk to, the median age for talk radio is somewhere between 52 and, and, and 63, and it's just going up… for the most part political talk, particularly ideological political talk of any stripe, appeals to old people.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-09/glenn-beck-sean-hannity-ratings-drop-right-wing-talk-is-dying/

Podcast: http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2011/02/10/right-wing-media-dying/

[calimary]

1. Not fast enough for me.

[Enthusiast]

13. Me too.

I'll only be satisfied when it's gone.

[eleny]

2. They've been pounding that anvil for a very long time

[BrklynLiberal]

3. for the time being.....No doubt the RWingnuts will get their base riled up soon and the ratings

will go back up..

[woo me with science]

4. I have predicted this for a long time.

I do tune in occasionally to see what they are saying, and it is a constant defense of the banks, the corporate maneuverings, the outsourcing, the cutting of services to the poor.

I guarantee you some of that audience is finding themselves depending on services that are being scoffed at as unnecessary. Some of the unemployed are starting to be uncomfortable hearing themselves referred to as do-nothings and lazy bums.

People are hurting now, more than in the past. I really do wonder if some of them aren't starting to feel some cognitive dissonance, listening to all that.

[mwb970]

16. I try to listen to them, but I just can't do it.

Every now and then I switch to reliably right-wing WTVN when driving my car here in Columbus, just out of curiosity. For some reason, I always come in during a Hannity rant (I must drive a lot when his show is on). My all-time record for staying with him is about 30 seconds, but I usually tune out in disgust after just 10 or 15.

The sequence is Click, "...socialist, job-killing ObamaCare taking away all of our...", Click.

There are people who listen faithfully to this awful dreck every single day. Thank God that (a) these are overwhelmingly old people, and (b) the intense rays of hateful stupid emanating from a Hannity-infested radio will shorten their wretched lifespans even further. Begone! It's time for America to move forward.

[ShadowLiberal]

5. The trend is probably worse then those #'s show in 2009/2010

Historically, when one party is locked out of all the power in both branches of congress and the presidency that party's media outlets (as in media outlets that heavily favor that party) tend to do much better. The fact that they fell or flatlined despite that advantage shows the trend is probably even worse then those numbers show.

[Uzybone]

6. Obama isn't the black socialist Muslim/athiest that they've been led to believe

[JuniperLea]

7. Yeah, RWers haven't even kept up with broken clocks...

Being right twice a day is just too much to ask.

[stevedeshazer]

8. People are sick of it. It's boring. And in 90% of the country you can't get anything else.

I'm a truck driver by day, and I'm lucky enough to drive in a place that has great liberal talk and public radio. But if I get out of range, there's nothing but Limbaugh and Hannity, Jesus Radio, or moldy oldies on AM and crappy formula FM radio.

It's really a shame. Radio could be so much better.

[Enthusiast]

14. "Radio could be so much better."

It really could be.

[NMDemDist2]

9. and most of that demographic is in the unemployment line

or close to it

[SoCalDem]

10. Election season is over .. for now

They will ramp it up again soon..

[Lint Head]

11. Somebody need to put it out of it's misery.

[wildflower]

12. I'm worried about what this means for Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann,

and others. I heard on Bill Press the other day that the progressive talk station in Madison is trying to replace his show with the Wall St. Journal.

[DainBramaged]

15. "ideological political talk of any stripe, appeals to old people.”

If you are a Puke.........