Why talk radio is conservative

Public Interest, Summer, 2004 by William G. Mayer

Conservative radio has largely been spared these sorts of problems, simply because identity politics plays much less of a central role on the Right than on the Left. The only thing conservatives appear to demand from their talk show hosts is that they be conservative: Their gender or race generally don't matter. As one demonstration of this last point, it is striking how many well-rated conservative talk shows are hosted by blacks. Examples include Larry Elder, Alan Keyes, Armstrong Williams, and Ken Hamblin.

Demand and supply

The most intriguing thing about talk radio is the way conservatives have managed to use it to establish an alternative to the mainstream media. The reporters and editors for America's three major television networks, its most prestigious newspapers, and its largest-circulation weekly newsmagazines have long insisted that they do their work in a fair, balanced, and objective manner--that their reports do not systematically favor one political party or ideology over another. Over the last several decades, however, it has become increasingly clear that lots of Americans, particularly on the right, simply don't believe them. As this conviction has grown, conservatives have tried to find ways to communicate an alternative understanding of the news. Though magazines, cable television, and the Internet also play some part in this endeavor, it is talk radio that has emerged as the principal vehicle.

As for Air America, its prospects do not seem terribly bright. Its potential audience is small, fragmented, and probably not dissatisfied enough with the mainstream media to spend several hours a day seeking out a different view of the world on the radio dial. It would be wrong, however, to say that there is no audience for liberal talk shows. Enough liberals have done well in local markets to demonstrate that some people want to hear what they have to say. Unlike newspapers or network television, moreover, radio is not dominated by one or a very small number of outlets. In most local markets, even the best-rated station rarely gets more than 10 percent of the audience. Against that background, a liberal network may be able to carve out enough of a niche in enough markets to keep hosts, advertisers, and station owners from jumping ship. What the liberal network will almost certainly not do, however, is create a program whose audience will rival that of Rush Limbaugh (or Hannity or Schlessinger). By all the evidence now available, the demand for it simply isn't there.

TABLE 1 Top Talk Radio Shows by Audience Size and Ideology

        Show                        Audience size   Political Ideology
                                      (millions)

 1. Rush Limbaugh                       14.50          Conservative
 2. Sean Hannity                        11.75          Conservative
 3. Dr. Laura Schlessinger               8.50          Conservative
    Howard Stern                         8.50          Non-ideological
 5. Michael Savage                       7.00          Conservative
 6. Jim Bohannon                         4.00          Moderate
    Dr. Joy Browne                       4.00          Non-political
    Don Imus                             4.00          Non-ideological
    George Noory                         4.00          Non-political
10. Neal Boortz                          2.50          Libertarian
    Mike Gallagher                       2.50          Conservative
    Clark Howard                         2.50          Non-political
13. Glenn Beck                           2.00          Conservative
    Ken and Daria Dolan                  2.00          Non-political
    G. Gordon Liddy                      2.00          Conservative
    Doug Stephan and Nancy Skinner       2.00          Non-ideological
17. Kim Komando                          1.75          Non-political
    Bill O'Reilly                        1.75          Conservative
    Jim Rome                             1.75          Non-political
20. Bob Brinker                          1.50          Non-political
    Rusty Humphries                      1.50          Conservative
    Michael Medved                       1.50          Conservative
    Dave Ramsey                          1.50          Non-political
24. Dr. Dean Edell                       1.25          Non-political
    Phil Hendrie                         1.25          Non-ideological
    Laura Ingraham                       1.25          Conservative
    Tom Leykis                           1.25          Non-ideological
    Bruce Williams                       1.25          Non-political

Source: Audience size figures are estimates made by Talkers magazine,
based on an analysis of a national sample of markets for Spring 2003.