Say Anything Blog

And as a typical liberal, blames the fact that his ratings are far inferior to those of conservative talkers not on the fact that people are choosing not to listen to him and his fellow liberals but rather on the idea that government isn’t doing enough to force people to listen to liberal talk radio.

McQ over at QandO has an interesting analysis of Ed “The Left’s Rush Limbaugh” Schultz’s ratings numbers as stacked up against the two biggest conservative talkers, Sean Hannity and Limbaugh.

...in markets where I could determine Schultz and Hannity/Limbaugh went head-to-head, Schultz was in 50, won 7* and lost 43. . . .

hile Schultz isn’t represented in NY, the largest radio market, Air America is, and they get buried. The Limbaugh/Hannity station, WABC pulls a 3.7 while WWRL, the AA crew, pulls a .6.

But Schultz does show up in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th markets and gets buried in them. Number 2 is LA and even progressive LA isn’t interested in progressive talk. KFI, which carries Limbaugh and mostly local hosts pulls a 4.2. KABC, which is all conservative talk and includes Hannity has a 1.8. KTLK which has the AA gang (Bill Press, Stephanie Miller, Tom Hartman, Randi Rhodes, Mark Germain, Ed Schultz, Rachel Maddow and Alan Colmes) pulls a dismal 0.7.

In number 3 Chicago, it’s about the same. The top rated talk show is WGN with all local talent (5.3). WLS which carries Limbaugh and Hannity comes in second at 3.4. Coming in at #6 in a six station race is progressive talk radio with the AA gang and Schultz. Rating? 0.5.

Detroit, another market in which you’d think progressive talk radio might do well. It’s the #10 market in the US. Limbaugh/Hannity? A 5.9 on WJR. Schultz and the AA crowd? 0.6 on WDTW. 4th in a 5 talk radio market.

Probably most enlightening is the #4 market, San Francisco. If progressive talk can’t make it there, it can’t make it anywhere. And, as it turns out, progressive talk is tops in SF. It’s just not the progressive talk with Schultz. Instead it is local progressive hosts along with a mix of medical and legal shows which leads the ratings. KGO pulls a 5.5 in the market. And how do Limbaugh/Hannity do? Well not bad considering. KFSO, where they are carried, comes in at 3.2. And Schultz and the AA gang? 1.1 on KQKE. That’s number 4 in a 5 talk station market.

What’s that tell you?

It tells you that despite all this twaddle about ’structural problems’ in talk radio, that where at least Limbaugh and Hannity and progressive talk go head-to-head, listeners have consistently and overwhelmingly chosen the Limbaugh and Hannity.

I will admit that, of all the liberal talk radio shows I’ve listened to, Schultz’s is the best.  But, to put that in perspective, it’s sort of like saying that Schultz is the smartest guy in the special ed room.

But Schultz has been rather successful, and I don’t begrudge him that.  I just think his incessant whining about getting beaten by the likes of Hannity and Limbaugh, and he and his fellow liberals calls for government intervention to force more liberal radio programming, is pathetic.