Here's Why Rush Limbaugh has an Audience and NPR Doesn't
Rush Limbaugh
credit: Jack Yoest There are only two items that matter in radio:
Ratings
Revenue
Charmaine was on NPR’s Talk of the Nation this week in the 2 to 3pm EST slot. NRP up against Rush Limbaugh.
Who wins in that capitalist competition?
NPR is a public service; subsidized by your tax dollars. Rush Limbaugh is paid through outrageous ad rates by advertisers. Who clamor to get the ears of millions of eager listeners.
NPR can’t command an audience for money-making ad rates. Your tax dollars keep this public service sounding off.
National Public RadioSo why does no one listen to NPR? A brief review of Charmaine’s gig will suffice.
The talking heads on the show were:
1) The Host; a liberal
2) A USAToday reporter; a liberal
3) Adoption Agency representative who does lots and lots of homosexual adoptions; liberal
4) Think tank expert; a liberal
5) Think tank expert; a conservative
In the sense of fair play, the liberal notion of egalitarianism, each participant, including the hostess gets equal time.
Charmaine gets 20% of talking time. The conservative point of view.
Liberals get 80% of the air time.
So when Limbaugh goes with his tag line/punch line of “I am equal time,” this is what he means.
But the media bias is more than packing a panel. Liberals commit sins not only of commission but of omission. To wit:
There is no mention that guest Rob Woronoff, think tank “expert,” is the Program Manager for the LGTQ, Youth Services, for the Child Welfare League of America. And that he is not a scientist. He’s an activist.
(I understand Lesbian, the Gay, T for trans-gendered. But what on earth does the ‘Q’ stand for? Other?)
Charmaine was the only one on the panel who knows her way around multiple regression. She was never addressed as Dr. Yoest.
Limbaugh is entertaining.
NPR is propaganda.
Rush Limbaugh gets 20 million listeners a week.
Talk of the Nation gets 3. Million.
Ratings and revenues.
Rush wins.
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Thank you (foot)notes:
More on Rush Limbaugh at the jump.
Don Surber has best Thursday articles.
Update: Willism has numbers.
Strong Arbitron Fall 2003 Ratings for “The Rush Limbaugh Show”
LOS ANGELES, January 28, 2004 – “The Rush Limbaugh Show” increased nine percent in the Arbitron Fall 2003 survey for Persons 12+ when compared to similar data in the Top 10 DMA market grouping during the Arbitron Summer 2003 survey. Within the Top 25 DMA market grouping, the show experienced a three percent increase when compared to similar Persons 12+ data in the Arbitron Summer 2003 survey. When compared to the entire Arbitron Fall 2003 12-week survey, the program experienced only a three percent decrease for Persons 12+ within the Top 25 DMA market grouping during those weeks that Mr. Limbaugh was off the air.
In 18 of the Top 25 DMA markets during the Arbitron Fall 2003 survey, the Rush Limbaugh affiliate was ranked among the top three stations in the market for the show’s time slot. The show ranked first in Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Phoenix, Denver, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Portland. The show ranked second in San Francisco, Tampa, Cleveland, and Indianapolis and ranked third in Seattle, Minneapolis, and Orlando.
Benefiting from the intense loyalty of Mr. Limbaugh’s estimated 20 million weekly listeners, many affiliates enjoyed significant Fall 2003 percentage increases for Persons 12+ and Adults 25-54 average audiences in comparisons to similar Metro Survey data in the Arbitron Summer 2003 survey. The highlights include:
Rush Ratings 2-2-2
Persons 12+
• New York WABC-AM: +8%
• Los Angeles KFI-AM: +14%
• Chicago WLS-AM: +15%
• Boston WRKO-AM: +15%
• Dallas WBAP: +13%
• Washington DC WMAL-AM: +13%
• Detroit WJR-AM: +14%
• Houston KPRC-AM: +23%
• Sacramento KFBK-AM: +16%
Adults 25-54
• New York WABC-AM: +17%
• San Francisco KSFO-AM: +12%
• Washington DC WMAL-AM: +20%
• Detroit WJR-AM: +13%
• Houston KPRC-AM: +39%
• Denver KOA-AM: +13%
• Sacramento KFBK-AM: +27%
• Orlando WFLF-AM: +28%
• Portland KEX-AM: +34%
“The Rush Limbaugh Show” is carried every weekday on nearly 600 radio stations around the country and streamed live on www.rushlimbaugh.com.
Jack, A google search on “LGTQ youth service” yields a hit on “LGBTQ” which means “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer”. Perhaps “B” was omitted because bisexuals haven’t totally rejected ‘straight’ behavior.
CCC, I could have guessed, I suppose. But that would be politically incorrect usage on my part.
Goodness. Can’t say the Q word. Can’t say the N word.
It’s all better left unsaid, maybe.
Thank you for your research!
Best,
Jack
Jack, I enjoyed listening to the debate and Charmaine was excellent. The unspoken premise of the whole debate is that homosexuality is moral and perfectly normal. And if the truth value of this premise is true, then the conclusion that adoption by homosexuals should be whole-heartedly embraced is perfectly valid.
It’s sad, but making an argument based on a false premise is a no-win situation. When the psychiatric association reclassified homosexuality as nondeviant behavior back in the 70’s, the last barrier went down and Sodom and Gomorrah was refounded in America. The only way to protect orphaned children from sexual predators is to classify as deviant the behavior most closely associated with sexual predators, which is homosexuality. What I just wrote is considered hate speech. My prediction is that some day it will be illegal to make such statements in a public forum such as your blog.