Twin Cities turning deaf ear to political talk radio shows

[shockingelk]

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/5569938.html

Locally, conservative-talk icon Rush Limbaugh's show has lost 43 percent of its audience among 25- to 54-year-olds in the past year. Sean Hannity's show is down a whopping 63 percent. The shift is serious enough that "we're weighing where these shows fit for us in the future," according to Todd Fisher, general manager at KSTP (1500 AM), which carries both syndicated programs.

Many Americans also are switching the dial. While ratings for political talk radio typically drop the year after an election, experts around the country sense something else in the air. Many metro listeners are turning to local, often sports-oriented shows.

"We're not sure yet what's really going on," said talk radio veteran Ken Kohl, Clear Channel's director of news and talk programming for northern California. "In general, the talk shows that are succeeding are ones that haven't been reliving the election, or constantly harping on the polarization between liberals and conservatives."

Kohl thinks many listeners have tuned out because of "war fatigue. I don't think a lot of people want to talk or hear about the war at this point."

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Maybe the average guy detects the fact that those bastards

are trying to sell him a lot of pro-government bullshit that has no basis in fact. Hard to believe, but at one time, when limbaugh was at his height, it was because he was an anti-establishment "outsider" bashing the in-power dems.

[saigon68]

20. AAAH NUT JOB FUNDIE HATE RADIO

We have 5 channels of that crap here. There is nothing good on AM anymore around here.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

51. Crank that radio dial all the way to the right and listen

to the soothing sounds of the crackle and buzz. That's where the truth is.

[Ilsa]

29. I bet Rush's accountants and managers are itching for Democrats to win

heavily in '06 and the presidency in 08 so Rush will return to something resembling an "outsider". At that point, he can start "playing offense" again.

[Carolab]

2. Oh, really? Then what about Air America?

Air America is ALL about "reliving the election and the polarization between liberals and conservatives."

Their ratings are going UP, idiot.

People are sick of the lies and are looking for the truth.

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. yes but read between the linse

they are loosing everything, VERY FAST.

[tanyev]

18. Toward the end of the article:

The ratings shift hasn't affected partisan radio stations such as WWTC (1280 AM), known as the Patriot, or KTNF (950 AM), home to Air America programming, including Al Franken's weekday show. Both have maintained relatively stable, if small, audience shares of about 1 to 1.5 percent.

Franken is an exception, however. Locally, the Minnesota native has increased his audience share to 2.4 percent of listeners ages 25 to 54, compared with 1.3 last year.

[suegeo]

33. No, it's known as WWTC (1280 AM) the Fascist.

"WWTC (1280 AM), known as the Patriot" Ha, my ass.

Sieg heil on your radio dial

[CatholicEdHead]

43. Here is the lineup

http://www.am1280thepatriot.com/programguide.asp

Between Savage, Ingraham, Bennett, Prager, Medved it is very shrill. On weekends they have "Taxpayers League Live", our state "Club of Growth" pressuring every pol to not raise a single dollar in taxes or "off with their heads".

http://www.taxpayersleague.org/main/index.php

[flyarm]

37. and frankin is pandering to the middle , vanilla..

to run for election in the twin cities!!..personally i can't stand him..but he is being smart..he is pandering to middle of the road repugs and the independants, and moderate dems..

[leQ]

52. any truth to the rumor that he's going to run for office in the state?

.

[CatholicEdHead]

53. Yes there is

According to the StarTribune back in March, he has a house here and will be doing his show from the Twin Cities starting January 2006. That is not that hard because Katherine Lampher, his co-host is a former MPR host and also knows the Twin Cities.

http://newpatriot.org/2005/03/al-frankens-moving-back-to-minnesota.html

[hatrack]

26. Ah, but consider who's saying that - some poobah from Clear Channel

This is nothing more than the smell of desperation, boiled down and prepared for broadcast. :evilgrin:

[bribri16]

55. It's called "lie and hate" fatigue. People can only take so much BS

then they have to face reality.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. My boss listens to sports only

but he nearly got into a slugfest at the local coffee shop the other day because a Bushbot was saying how wonderful Bush was. My boss told him that under Clinton he didn't have to worry about his business and now, what with rising gas prices, etc.....made me wonder about the future of the business, but at least I know what he thinks of Bush!

[Kire]

5. If I ever get out of this one horse town...

...I'm going to the Twin Cities.

[Carolab]

8. We're full of progressives here! Never mind the talk about the winters

because thanks to global warming our winters are nice and mild now. Summers are hotter and more humid though. But we've got tons of wonderful lakes to cool off in!

[Iowa]

6. I don't think it has anything to do with "war fatigue"...

Limbaugh and his ilk are just shrill, in-your-face, political hacks peddling infomercials for the extreme right. They are the Tokyo Roses of our time. The fact that they ever had much of an audience had more to do with the lack of alternative programming in their time-slots than anything else. It's like reading the back of a cereal box at the breakfast table - just because it's there. Now people are finding these sleazebags to be more of an annoyance than they're worth. They'd rather face excruciating boredom than endure these morons. This can only be good for our side.

[shockingelk]

10. it must be the shows are less captivating to the audience

The_Casual_Observer made an adroit observation in the first reply.

I listened to Limbaugh before I became interested in politics, and my apolitical self ("voting only encourages them") found him entertaining.

Maybe the BS factor has increased ... I remember him being mostly funny. Vitriolic funny can lose it's appeal ...

[eowyn_of_rohan]

21. He used to be funny

....and he seemed to me, back then, more moderate and reasonable. His voice was more calm and his rap not as venomous or malicious. I am talking in about 1989 or so, before he started courting the right-wing whackos exclusively.

[pretzel4gore]

17. and i don't care what anybody says: this wasn't incidental

books like 'up from conservativism' and 'blinded by the right' and 'lying liars lie like rugs etc' all say that since goldwater time, and esp. since carter, the nazipoos have literally schemed to destroy the american peoples' political system and deny them a lib/left choice....it was a premediated theft, by a well organized criminal gang, and they've made truth such a toxic substance they must keep up the fakery, until they're stopped by force(?)
the DSMinutes say as much, in plain english...the gopigs are dead men walking

[bpilgrim]

7. the 'Bad Boy of Boston' only likes to whine about park'n tickets, defend *

all the time :puke:

the lame, small time, soap-opera may have worked when everything was hopeful and BULLISH in the 90s - but now that evil-doers, supported and from saudi Arabia, are knocking over buildings in manhattan and hitting our pentagon, while our 'fearless' leader takes the month of august off, again, and entertains the same, while our loved ones are DYING in a war based on a PACK OF FUCKING LIES, people are pay'n attention and ain't buy'n the BS anymore :argh:


more...
http://media.globalfreepress.com

peace

[Judi Lynn]

9. Oh, he's a bright one, he is! Ken Kohl, "Clear Channel's director

of news and talk programming for northern California," according to the article says:

"In general, the talk shows that are succeeding are ones that haven't been reliving the election, or constantly harping on the polarization between liberals and conservatives."

The REASON there haven't been any shows on the radio "reliving the election" is because we haven't had ANY shows for Democrats UNTIL Air America Radio, basically.

How wise!

He's scared. He's afraid people are waking up and will see Clear Channel for what it is: one huge propaganda broadcasting system for the criminal element in our political system.

[flyarm]

38. about a month ago in british papers ruppert murdock was bitching

about his newspapers loosing like crazy..and saying the internet is cutting into their readership...

i guess they are late to the dance..people all over the world are damn sick and tired of the lies and propaganda..

and instead of putting our heads out of our windows and screaming..i am mad as hell and not going to take it anymore...

we are turning on our computers and screaming, we are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore!!

[wryter2000]

41. Clear Channel is repug only as long as it pays

Several Clear Channels are broadcasting AAR. The people in charge may be repugs, but they worship the bottom line above all else.

[Conservativesux]

11. People are tired of listening to Repug waterboys like Rushcontin

and Hammitupitty.

The time for making excuses, and money, for the liars in the WH is over!

[Sgent]

12. I actually used to LIKE Rush

He was funny, gave me a different point of view, and generally an entertaining listening. Ever since Clinton (especially 2nd term), he has turned into a fruitcake. He is abrasive and not particularly interesting.

IMHO none of the conservative hosts are close to what Rush was in his heyday. Glen Beck was ok for a little while, but has really gone off the deep end. Hannity I just don't get -- I can't find one redeeming quality to him.

[Lochloosa]

13. Kicking and nominating for the morning crew...everyone should have

a good laugh over their coffee...:donut:

[truthisfreedom]

14. i am a Twin-Citian, and rush sucks. i used to listen to the opposition,

but now, all i hear is rush's drug-addled voice. he's nothing compared to the real hate center of the rethugs. rush is toast. he bores the f*ck out of me.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

24. SQUAWK

He's like a pirate's parrot. I can't stand the sound of his voice and haven't been able to stomach listening to one complete sentence from him in years.

[wellst0nev0ter]

15. Looks Like The Big Winners Are Anti-Bush

Dan "The Common Man" Cole likes to bash Bush a lot on his sports program, especially over the war, so that's a nice suprise that he increased in ratings. And of course Al Franken had more than a 100% increase in ratings (to 2.4) from last year.

[gasperc]

16. or their switching to the new PROGRESSIVE STATIONS

It's all I listen to in Detroit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

19. I am grateful to have Sirius Left...even though it's an expense that we

could do without, my husband recognizes how much happier I am when I can listen to like minded people when driving to and from work or on errands.

I used to listen to NPR, but it's turned into another gwb et. al. propaganda machine.

The Young Turks, Tom Hartmann and Ed Schultz are my favorites. MKJ

[rucky]

34. who are the Young Turks? n/.t

[Kolesar]

36. Tom Hartmann and Ed Schultz , presumably

I think he used a comma where he should have used a colon.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

48. See above, again sorry about not checking in until now.

MKJ

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

47. Sorry about the delayed response. I just got in from a very late night.

The Young Turks have show on Sirius Left every evening and discuss the day's events.

One of them, Cenk I think, is a former Repub who is disgusted beyond belief.

They take calls and don't screen at all, so they get these freeps on the line who are foaming at the mouth. It is absolutely hysterical to hear them tag team the neocon fundie loving callers.


Website.http://www.youngturk.com/xoops/

MKJ

[Kolesar]

49. A ha!

[stlsaxman]

22. Rush is NEVER on at job sites anymore...

Back to the classic rock stations for pretty much all the trades. that's when there is a radio even ON any more.

and believe me folks, that silence is golden!

Joe Lunch-bucket ain't listenin' any more, Pigboy! BUH-bye :bounce:

:popcorn: -"well go away then. C'mon I'm waiting!"

[Algorem]

23. been waiting 15 years for this

[I Have A Dream]

25. Until recently, I didn't know how much of a whack-job Limbaugh is.

I thought that he was a staunch conservative, but didn't realize what a bloody liar he is. (Obviously, I wasn't in the habit of listening to him; in fact, I never have.)

There have been a couple of occasions recently where I've been directed to things on the mediamatters.org website, which includes audio links that allow you to hear things in his own voice, so he can't deny that he said them or did what he was accused of doing. He is one dangerous man! Hopefully, people are starting to see through his lies. (Probably not, but I can dream.)

[splat@14]

27. Wonder why this isn't a national trend, or is it? How much crap must one

eat until they realize it is crap!

[spotbird]

31. Maybe it is a national trend

there must be national numbers somewhere.

I also wonder if this is more pronounced where they compete with AA.

[spotbird]

28. The article attributes the drop in hate radio

listeners to the off cycle year, but has that happened every off year? It would be simple to check, and informative.

Also, if the hate radio decline is attributable to the off year, why did Franken's ratings double? His is a political show also.

Do these guys even read what they write?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. Here's how I read it:

The liberals are holding steady or growing (Air America), and the hardcore wing-nuts ("The Patriot," 1280 AM) are holding steady, but the casually and ignorantly conservative listeners are becoming disillusioned and falling away.

[geebensis]

35. Good analysis -- nm

[Roland99]

32. "HA ha!"

[wryter2000]

39. Awesome news!

I believe AAR keeps getting bigger. They aren't in the same number of homes as these assholes, but the fact that they're growing while the others are losing ground so fast is a good sign.

When was the last time you heard of ANYONE losing 63% of their audience?

[FredStembottom]

46. Another Twin-Citian here..........

There is a new guy on WCCO - Jeff Rice. He seems to be what used to be called a centrist - which makes him liberal by today's standards. Heard him defending Cindy Sheehan just yesterday. This REALLY pricks up my ears!

For those of you outside the Twin Cities, WCCO was always Minnesota's "Good neighbor" station. Twins games, weather, innocuous banter, local boosterism, hair replacement and car ads and a fading tie to the "Farm Radio" of yesteryear. In other words, a station that made an art of avoiding all types of controversy (while still airing some of the greatest air talents in the nation. My fave: Steve Cannon).

They briefly experimented with a conservative named Wes Minter about 15 years ago but axed him in very short order announcing that he just didn't fit the "Good Neighbor" image.

So what's with this Jeff Rice fellow? Is it suddenly OK to be centrist/liberal to the point that a controversy shy station like 'CCO can now field him as merely their latest "Good Neighbor"?

I was so very pleasantly surprised. Has anyone here listened to a lot of him? What's up?

[CatholicEdHead]

54. He is on weekdays from Noon to 3pm

in case anyone is intrested.

http://wccoradio.com/(ewztae55dtq2iivtlnkd50vg)/programming/jackrice.aspx

Sorry, but CBS/Infinity is not allowing WCCO-AM to be streamed.

[bleedingheart]

40. War Fatigue...how very patriotic to be "tired of the war"....

our men and women are dying and putting their lives on the line...and americans are "tired" about hearing about it??

[wryter2000]

42. You got it, bleedingheart!

But that's just their spin. I think folks are fatigued of hearing about how this war will make us safe. I think it's more being sick and tired of the BS.

[mom cat]

44. Oh poor Rush and Sean......

:nopity:

[Viking12]

45. Well, they do have the whole radical left-wing MSM out to destroy them

They say so every chance they get.

[mom cat]

50. Wow! Then it must be true...

:rofl: