"Talkers" Magazine - Annual "Heavy Hundred"

The_Kitchen_Guy

Do you listen to talk radio at all? (If not, you might want to just skip this thread.)

Talkers Magazine, the authority on talk radio, publishes their list of the top 250 talk radio personalities every year. The list for 2008 is in their February issue, and you can see the top personalities, the "Heavy Hundred," online.

There are a couple of surprises in the top ten, even in the top fifteen.

Dave Ramsey, a popular favorite around here, is ranked number 12, pretty good for someone in such a narrow, but important, niche. Bruce Williams, at one time the premiere business and financial adviser in the country, has faded but is still in the top 250.

You haven't heard of many of these people if you don't happen to travel and hear them in their local markets. Some you have heard of, because they are syndicated and may even be broadcast in your local market.

According to the magazine, there are 5,000 radio talk show hosts in America, from the guy with 20 million listeners every day to the ones working in relative obscurity in small markets. The fact is, 25 years ago, AM radio was pretty much a dead medium. The powerhouse stations on the AM band faded into obscurity as FM took over the airwaves. Except for some notable exceptions, like WSM in Nashville with their signature Grand Ol' Opry, no one was listening to AM radio. Talk radio has now become a staple in the American broadcast industry.

So, check out the Heavy Hundred. You may find someone from your own local market. (#80, Mark Belling, has the highest ratings of any radio outlet in the Milwaukee market.)

chefjeanine

I listen to talk radio. . . NPR. I am so pleased to see that Diane Rehm made the list. She is SO good at what she does. I get two hours of her and each hour covers a different topic. I've learned a lot and come up with some great books to read.

So many of the names/faces listed make me cringe and or want to scream. It is frightening (to me) that some of these folks are listed so high up the list.

JAE

Hmmm, interesting list. I won't mention my favorites in case the ones I like are the "frightening" ones. I will say that I don't listen to Stern and Imus, and they are frightening IMO. I also don't care for Dr. Laura even though I agree with most of her advice. I just don't like the way she delivers it.
I do listen to talk radio, but I only listen to one AM station, so I really don't know of a lot of the people on the list.

The_Kitchen_Guy

I think you'll find that a lot of the people who say "I don't listen to XXXXXXX because he's a blah blah yada yada" never actually listen to that personality, but just parrot what someone has told them.

I've actually heard several of those people during my travels, like Roe Conn and Mitch Albom, but certainly not all of them. I'd never comment one way or another about someone I've never actually listened to.

(FWIW, I liked Mitch Albom's Five People You Meet In Heaven but I don't care for him as a radio host.)

raebates

I find that a lot, too.

It's good to see some of my favorites on the list.

Honestly, I often listen to people whose viewpoints are diametrically opposed to mine. I like hearing different viewpoints. At times it's changed my mind. Other times it's helped me to learn better ways to phrase my viewpoints so I can address countering arguments.