[BC] Talk Radio losing influence?

[Donna Halper]

And it was said--

>I keep telling people that Talk Show Hosts really have little 
>influence. I've seen this happen over and over, again. They're seen 
>by most people as just what they claim to be - entertainers. If 
>anything, they're probably giving McCain more publicity than he 
>could possibly afford to buy.

I think it depends on the host-- Limbaugh, like him or not, is still 
the subject of intense scrutiny, and when he talks, people not only 
listen but they react.  But there's more competition now, and more 
opportunities to get a variety of opinions, even if on talk radio, 
the opinions are still mostly right-wing.  Studies show that the 
audience is feeling they aren't getting enough NEWS or enough 
localism-- which, interestingly, has driven a large number of 
righties (more than 30%) over to (gasp) NPR.

But I think the folks at Fox and the rightie talkers like Limbaugh 
and O'Reilly, while still getting good numbers, are having a harder 
and harder time blaming the usual villains-- Democrats, liberals, 
feminists, etc.  Some of the hosts have become really tedious to 
listen to-- and I am not saying that as a partisan; I am saying it as 
a radio consultant, and yes I have trained my share of right wing 
talkers.  The predictability of a lot of the hosts has not brought 
new listeners or viewers into the fold.  Talk hosts these days are 
mainly preaching to the choir-- when I was growing up, there were 
hosts who had a wide audience of both righties and lefties and some 
moderates.  But these days, the audience tends to be much 
narrower.  More's the pity, since few ideas get exchanged.

And it's tough for the Limbaughs and O'Reillys to keep making the 
case that the media are liberal when more than 90% of all talk shows 
are still identifiably conservative.  Also, the fact that the 
President is so deeply unpopular with both the right and the left -- 
and opinion polls continually point this out-- makes it a tougher 
sell when a Limbaugh or a Hannity spouts off the usual talking 
points.  Only the "true believers" remain to nod their heads in 
agreement.  Everyone else is busy worrying about making the mortgage 
payment or having enough money for heating oil.