Progressive Talker Ed Schultz Now Has As Many Listeners As Bill O’Reilly
It has been said that the talk radio market is fickle. But this announcement from the office of progressive talker Ed Schultz suggests he’s someone who will be around for awhile:
The Ed Schultz Show is proud to announce that we have reached 3.25 million listeners. The latest numbers make Ed Schultz the most listened to Progressive radio host yet again. This news follows Ed coming in at #5 on Talkers Magazine’s Heavy 100 and Radio & Records nominating Ed for syndicated personality of the year.
The good news doesn’t stop there. Ed Schultz now has as many listeners as Bill O’Reilly.
And, indeed, this link to Talkers Magazine shows the breakdown. Schultz is in the 7th place category with O’Reilly and several others. The closest other progressive talkers are in 11th place — Randi Rhodes and Stephanie Miller.
What’s going on? As someone who travels extensively in my other incarnation (yesterday I drove 360 miles doing 3 shows in two counties on a trip that lasted 12 hours) I listen to a LOT of talk radio, of all political persuasions. Anyone who likes to talk a lot and has opinions can fill talk show time. BUT not ALL talk show hosts are top rate broadcasters.
Schultz (like his nemesis Rush Limbaugh on the right) is an excellent broadcaster. The pace of his show is quick. He offers a lot of variety. And unlike some other talkers, he’ll let callers who angrily disagree with him have a decent amount of airtime to argue with him. But the key with Schultz is less him being left, or right, or center left or center right.
The key is that he knows how to use the radio, has a well-produced show, jumps on top of breaking stories and is not Johnny One Note. In other words: Schultz would get lots of listeners if he was a conservative talker or just a interview show. He is a BROADCAST talent who offers listeners and advertisers a solid product. If some progressive talkers fall by the wayside in coming years, it’s likely that Schultz (who is not part of Air America) will remain standing.
3 Responses to “Progressive Talker Ed Schultz Now Has As Many Listeners As Bill O’Reilly”
the new ratings make me wonder why in the los angeles market, schultz was moved from his live spot on middays, to the night and rhodes was put on live.
i cant take rhodes, mostly because she is shrill and monologues way too much, but also because she has become a shill for the dems. add to that, that she frequently makes up things about herself ( i recall her saying that she recieved a letter to be a member of the draft board in her area and absolute fallacy) and i just cant take her seriously.
the new ratings make me wonder why in the los angeles market, schultz was moved from his live spot on middays, to the night and rhodes was put on live.
i cant take rhodes, mostly because she is shrill and monologues way too much, but also because she has become a shill for the dems. add to that, that she frequently makes up things about herself ( i recall her saying that she recieved a letter to be a member of the draft board in her area and absolute fallacy) and i just cant take her seriously.
From what I understood (and heard) the move had something to do with the way the show source has to pay for a slot and Schultz’s operation did not want to pay fees for a better slot. I could be wrong. But there are all kinds of formulas. I find it notable that the two most enjoyable (for me) progressive talkers who really know how to use the radio medium are Schultz and progressive talker Stephanie Miller.