Talk radio

LAT reported Talk is cheap — unless it's political talk on the radio, and then it's influential. At least it has been. Now some people think the talk bubble has, if not burst, begun to lose its wind. Since these days the medium is overwhelmingly and partisanly Republican, those on the blue side of the aisle fervently want this to be true. Those in the red pews argue that talk is, in some ways, a victim of its own success and of an audience whose attention waxes and wanes with the election cycle. As more than one person interviewed for this column pointed out, Rush Limbaugh can't really be expected to go on adding stations, because he's already everywhere. Still, however you measure these things, broadcasting professionals agree that audiences for political talk shows have declined significantly throughout this year. That's certainly been true in Los Angeles. This week, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis-St. Paul reported that Limbaugh has lost 43% of his audience there, while Sean Hannity's has declined by 63%. An executive at the station that airs both programs in the Twin Cities told the paper, "We have really become concerned with what I could call their tight play list of topics revolving around politics." A Clear Channel programming executive in Northern California, where declines also have occurred, admitted, "We're not sure yet what's really going on."

The Blogosphere certain has given conservatives another place to express their opinion, but I do not think that Talk Radio is dead. I suspect as the next election cycle draws near, many will be talking and listening. The Left is just upset that it's attempt at Air America has been such a bust