Why do radio shows like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity do so well, while like Air America and NPR fall flat?

Question

Just an observation, but those shows (being the two top rated) have Millions of listeners a day, while Air America and NPR pull less than a hundred thousand a week according to current ratings.

Answer 1

Simple quality wins and crap goes down the toliet where it belongs.

Answer 2

The phrasing of your question shows an inherent bias. First of all, both Hannity and Limbaugh have been on the air (collectively) for over 20 years. Air America is a start up, it has been around for less than four and NPR is not a commercial radio station, it is publically funded (mainly by its listeners, less and less by the government)

Secondly, comparing two people with two organizations is a fallacy, but I guess you wouldn't understand that because you spend so much time listening to AM radio.

Third and finally...

I am not sure what statistitical data you are using to argue your "according to current ratings" statement. Who's ratings? AM radio and FM radio are not rated using the same methodology (either of the two major radio ratings surveys would show you that if you had actaully read them) And again, Air America has only been on the air for a short period of time, significantly less time to build a strong fan base of redneck, ignorant baffoons like Haniiity and Rush have been so sucessful at creating. Oh and one more thing...

Here's a statistic: NIELSEN EDI who is the must trusted independent ratings source in the country (even Hannity quotes thier ratings!)...Average Education Level of AM Radio Listeners in a randomly sampled poll from 1996 to 2005? High School-Junior Year.

How about them apples?

Answer 3

These two radio shows, Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, do so well because they give you the facts. They tell you the facts and let you decide what to think. They don't just prattle on with idiotic opinions on important matters like some of our Democratic Congressmen and Congresswomen do. They also give you news that you don't get on the major news channels. If the major news channels would stop inserting commercials, which last from 3 to 5 minutes, every chance they get and would give us pertinent news for longer than 1 to 2 minutes at a time perhaps we would not have to depend on Limbaugh and Hannity to get the straight facts.

Answer 4

First, NPR's listnership is a lot bigger than you think (see the PDF link below). 11% of the US population (and a well paid portion of it, at that) is nothing to sneeze at.

The secret to Rush's success was finding a niche and filling a timeslot that previously was not important to radio stations. If you put Rush on in the morning or afternoon drive slots, his listenership would probably plummet. Hannity's copied his show to some extent and piggybacked onto his listeners.

I cannot comment on Air America except to say that it could be that the people it might appeal to are looking for something more than one person's opinion for 3 hours a day.

I probably lean more liberal than conservative, but I would find Rush offputting if he was a liberal. When you wield the power of the disconnect button and the call screener, you can dictate the debate on almost anything. Both he and Hannity are loud and state both opinions and errors as fact and their audience eats it up. Basically, they're entertainers who found an audience and they're catering to it. Me, I'll take the more civil discourse found on NPR anyday.



http://arbitron.com/downloads/PublicRadioToday05.pdf

Answer 5

I found NPR a bit dry. As a comic once jokingly noted; why does the right wing shows get away with using the cool rock tunes for fronting their shows, and on NPR, would you hear bells tinkling? Or something like that.

Plus, I really didn't even get a chance to hear much of NPR or any of Air America. I'd have liked to have heard what they were really like. I do listen to Limbaugh and Hannity every so often. I sure don't agree with everything they say, but some of the things they say makes sense. I do agree with them that the media seems to try to paint a pessimistic picture of everything, and would rather crucify our soldiers upon hearing a 'story' about abuse, rather than investigating before judging.

I just don't think that those shows got much of a chance. Seems like I heard once about one of them being taken off because they lost their support, or something like that.

Answer 6

Because the NPR folks bash people. They are harsh and hateful. Look at the post from "parshooter" above for an example.

But most likely because the people that like them are in the minority in this country. Most of the country is around the "center". Too far *either* way (left or right) is not going to get you very far. Although I think that Rush walks a little too far to the right at times.

Answer 7

Obviously, there are more left leaning media outlets (the big three, cnn, and newspapers. Left leaning people have more choices to watch, so radio is the lowest on the list. Has anyone actually listened to Air America? Al Franken is really boring and so is NPR.

Answer 8

Because Cons are "special"


YOU ARE A SPECIAL PEOPLE CONS

You supported bush, but in time, you will come to
realize how he targeted you for deception.

You were specially picked because of the attributes
you possess: fear, ignorance, arrogance, belligerence,
bigotry, and low self-esteem. Bush's political
strategists calculated that the people most easily
misled and controlled are the ones who fit your
profile, so they crafted their propaganda just for
you.

He got your support by making you feel better about
your personal flaws. He told you to wave the flag
because your bigotry is nothing be ashamed of, and to
thump the bible because your ignorance is a virtue.
You should cherish your hatefulness and
small-mindedness as they are family values. You are
not society's rejects, but rather, you are higher on
the ladder than certain other people. Right-wing radio
points them out so that you know who to hate to feel
better about yourself.

He feeds you crap about "imminent threat",
"patriotism", "spreading freedom", and "flowers and
candy". He's only tossing you a bone because he knows
he's going to be asking you for a hefty sacrifice
soon. He repeats meaningless, mind-numbing platitudes
like "Freedom is not free!" and "We're fighting them
there so we don't have to fight them here!" You fell
for it.

By now, it should be apparent that the invasion of
Iraq was a shameless oil grab. We're there because the
rich, powerful, and greedy of this country, people who
you have nothing to do with, want to control that part
of the world's oil resources for decades to come, and
they're using your tax dollars and your children's
blood to do it. Over a hundred thousand people,
American and Iraqi, are dead because of it, and the
depleted uranium left behind will ensure that tens of
thousands more die afterwards. You call that
liberation? Not even that many people died when Saddam
Hussein tried to grab Kuwait's oil fields years ago.

Yes, you are a special people, cons. You do not
possess patriotism, a love of America, or any of those
high-minded ideals as you would like to believe. You
possess the qualities that allowed bush to hijack your
free will to do his bidding. You were used, and he did
it by playing to the personal shortcomings that most
people try to hide. Like Samuel L. Jackson's character
at the end of the movie Unbreakable, you become aware,
only after the fact, of the disgraceful role that you
were destined to play. You will come to realize that
you are history's bad guy. Like the McCarthyites or
the brownshirts, you will serve both as a symbol of
shame and a warning to future generations. You truly
are a special people.GOD HELP US ALL,AND AMERICA.

Answer 9

Strictly opinion: Most of the media is liberal. Those two are not. You can just pick up MOST newspapers and read the liberal views. People have to listen to RL and SH in order to hear the OTHER point of view. See what I mean?

Comment on parshooter... Wow! You sure spend a lot of time reading your local papers and listening to a majority of other newscasters! Don't you have a life? Sad... I love the way people like you think dems have great family values... You call what Clintons have done great family values? Ironic... Get a life.

Answer 10

Money....NPR funding got cut big time...by the republicans.....and CNN....owned by a wealthy REPUBLICAN businessman only play ultra-left ideology which the American people, for the most part, aren't interested in. Basically, the Republican Party has control over communication and the media. You all should check out George Orwell's 1984. It's creepy.

Answer 11

MONEY. The money backs the dupes. Always has, always will. That why you keep hearing terms such as listener supported and those never-ending pledge drives. Some people in this country don't want you to know the truth. Those alternative news outlets really need your support. If you can type a question on here, you can find out how to support them.