Talkers Annual Heavy Hundred, Talk Radio

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Talk's Quirkiest Publication Releases Annual List







In what has become an irritating annual ritual, Talkers Magazine has released its "Heavy Hundred" list of the "most important radio talk show hosts in America" and this year's rankings are as downright silly as ever.

More of a marketing gimmick than true measure of individual impact in the genre, the Heavy Hundred has never had a great deal of credibility within the industry.

That's due to the obvious personal agendas behind its compilation. In the past, the list has also been prone to key omissions and other blunders.

However, the rankings are often cited in trade advertising for hosts who make the list, while mainstream media outlets have a nasty habit of referencing it in news stories about talk radio.

While the top four this year are pretty straightforward, with Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage and Dr Laura Schlessinger holding down those positions, it quickly goes downhill from there.


What in the world, for example, would possess publisher Michael Harrison to place libtalker Ed Schultz in position five? Or Randi Rhodes at number 13?

There is simply no way in the world that Schultz is more important than Howard Stern, who came in at a mere twelfth this year.

While Schultz may have earned a place in the top 20, a top five position smacks of affirmative action for libtalkers.


In addition, Schultz now ranks higher than Laura Ingraham, who has emerged as a major star in talk radio. This is just plain silly. Also, Glenn Beck (#10) is placed behind several people that he generally outperforms.

And so far, FM / satellite hot talkers Opie & Anthony have simply not performed at a level that would justify placing sixth.


From there, it just gets worse: overnight "Coast- To- Coast" star George Noory is ranked at a mere 28th place, despite maintaining solid ratings and interest. Noory ought to have a genuine bone to pick with Talkers.

As your Radio Equalizer sees it, here are the main flaws behind the annual list:



It favors syndicated talent over local hosts far too heavily. In the latter group, there are a number of significant talkers who fail to make the list year after year. Others should clearly rank higher, such as KSFO's Lee Rodgers and Melanie Morgan, who didn't make 2007's top 100.


It has a bias toward syndication companies that place a lot of advertising in Talkers. This has long been an industry beef with the publication's overall content.


There's a regional slant, as well: hosts working in the Northeastern region of the country, even in small markets, are more likely to make the list than big guns working on the West Coast. Talkers is based in Springfield, Massachusetts.


There are weird personal agendas at work: some rankings are the result of longtime friendships in a very cliquish talk radio subset. That places some talkers, particularly a few who are long past their "sell- by" dates, in higher positions than they deserve.


In the end, talk radio would be better off without this annual attempt at ranking the importance of its hosts, as it merely misrepresents our genre to fans and the mainstream media.


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