The 2007 Heavy Hundred: ed schultz, michael medved, kirby wilbur, thom hartmann

Talker's Magazine, the ambitious, and straining-to-be-influential talk radio trade slick has announced its annual "Heavy Hundred" list of  "the 100 most important radio talk show hosts in America."   

The big news this year is that Fargo liberal Ed Schultz (KPTK m-f, 12-3p) made it into the top tier at # 5. (First through fourth places are Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, Dr. Laura, respectively, but not necessarily, respectfully).

(Howard Stern was in the top 5- # 3, last year- but after going to Sirius Satellite Radio; he's down at #12; beaten even by the sweaty little puker, Glenn Beck who's in 10th place).

Thom Hartmann, who is replacing Al Franken at AAR made it into the Hundred this year- at #51.

Of Seattle interest is that Kirby Wilbur's in 76th place; replacing John Carlson who, with Ken Schram is somewhere in the tundra- ranking somewhere between 101st- 250th places.

Also in the also-ran weeds with such as Bubba the Love Sponge and Matt Drudge are KIRO's Dori Monson (finally on the list after years of languishing in his Gutter Helmut unmentioned) and KTTH's Sytman & Boze. They're in medium company with Brian & the Judge, Pete Wilson, Michael Reagan, and Fox's John Gibson.

(Gotta tell you, though, there are some pretty great folks on the Group W Bench: Like Dave Ross, NPR's Terry Gross, KGO's Bernie Ward, NPR' sCar Talk guys, Tom & Ray; Air America's, sex talker Dr. Drew; and liberal medical man, Dr. Dean Edell).

Michael Medved maintained his place at 29th; beating out, among others, the rancid Portland screedmonger, Lars Larson (#31) but bowing to Kim Komando (#24) and Hannity's bitch, Little Alan Colmes (#16).

Bill O'Reilly went from 11th to 15th place. His half-hearted radio show (KTTH m-f, 6-8p) is really a shill for his TV show and book deals. This 3-legged multi-level marketing has helped propel Hannity to his great heights and has helped Billo sell t-shirts and coffee mugs, but hasn't been quite so successful for Alan Colmes, and the charisma-challenged John Gibson. 

The list is subjectively made by the editors who claim the "painstaking" compilation is based on, they say, a host's courage, effort, impact, longevity  potential, ratings, recognition, revenue, service, talent and uniqueness.

In other words, they pull it out of their ass.

It's hard to put many of those attributes to such as #10's Glenn Beck (who's gotten tremendous PR and knee-up because of friends in high places) or #20, Mark "Squeaky Geezer" Levin (who kneels before the powerful Sean Hannity) or Salem's shrill neocon, Laura Ingraham (#7) who has many friends but few listeners.

That such as Seattle's Dave Ross, (KIRO m-f, 9a-12p) who may be the most talented talker in the Seattle market, never gets into Heavy Hundred, makes the whole list dubious. He certainly scores high in all their criteria- plus he has national stature with his CBS commentaries and Charles Osgood fill-ins heard for years in major markets over the country.

Kirby Wilbur is a good and successful local broadcaster, but has half of Ross's 35 years of experience, and little national broadcast face. Carlson held Kirby's 76th place ranking last year- it would seem that TM editors just switch out the two hosts in an annual pro forma nod to Fisher Broadcasting.

Veteran Steve Scher is nowhere to be found: his Weekday on local NPR affiliate KUOW is most of the time the ratings leader in his m-f, 9-noon time slot- you'd think he'd at least be mentioned- especially in light of the fact that Sytman & Boze, and Dori Monson have places in the b-list.

Also MIA: KGO's Ray Taliaferro, and AAR's Rachel Maddow. 

But we're happy about other non-mentions: such as KSFO's Melanie Morgan, the evil bitch who gained national notoriety after suggesting such things as a New York Times editor be executed in a gas chamber for treason after the Times' reporting on US government spying on Americans.

Or Rabbi Daniel Lapin, who was hired by KSFO despite he and his "non-profit," Toward Tradition being named in government allegations of money laundering for felonious conservative superlobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Last year, TM's editors patted themselves on the back for "a significant breakthrough," and included satellite radio personalities Howard Stern and former NPR icon Bob Edwards.

Straining to be "with it" in the new media, they said they'd consider podcasting next (this) year. No mention of any of that in 2007,  and there are few satellite hosts included- Bob Edwards is no where to be found. They claimed they'd expanded their definition of "spoken-word audio programming" to Internet radio as well, although no one in that category made the list last year or this. (sorry, Mike)

It's a quirky list; made to promote the magazine's influence in the industry; and to sell syndicators those gnarly full page ads to plump up the fragile egos of those perpetually needy talk hosts.

As always, those who make the list use it on their resumes and promos; and those who don't- scoff at it.

 

Comments

[Flub]

"As always, those who make the list use it on their resumes and promos; and those who don't- scoff at it."

Nope, even those on it don't take it too seriously. Some guys asked to be removed last year. Talkers sucks.

[shoreke]

Every Michael Savage hater claims that his program stinks. Savage has the third highest rated radio show in America. Ronald Reagan was right...there is a big difference between the critics and the box office.

[KS]

There is an undertone of jealousy that only a few of your favorite leftwing talkers (except for Ed Schultz and a scattered few others) made the Heavy Hundred. Evidently, there must be a reason for that to the chagrin of the Blatherwatch and Blatherwatch junkies...

OR do you think it is because the judgment of Talker's Magazine is flawed ? (To me, it is what it is and it doesn't really matter)

[Tommy008]

As far as Savage goes- anyone who is seriously disliked or hated by O'Reilly, Levin, and Medved can't be all that bad. In Medved 's case, I think it's mostly jealousy. Savage will do a show about his bad Chinese restaurant meal the previous night, stories we in his audience love to hear, and Litterman (Medved) will come on the next afternoon kvetching about how he dislikes hosts who talk about their bad restaurant meal the night before (although Medved's hamster-sized balls preclude him from mentioning Savage by name). Savage is number three and Medved is, well, , "America's number one show on politics and culture"-whatever that means.

[blathering michael]

KS: could be it's because overwhelming number of the 5000 talk hosts in this country are conservative. Talk show hosts are to liberals what creative and intelligent people are to conservatives- mutually exclusive.

[KS]

OK, On a national level, there are way more talk show hosts that are conservative, but on a local level (esp. urban areas) there are probably just as many if not more liberal talkers. I'd like to see some actual numbers that confirm this nationwide.

Contrary to the urban myths that you seem to buy hook line and sinker, there are a good number creative intellingent conservatives (not an oxymoron in the real world). If your sphere of conservatives is only talkers, pulezze ! that is a skewed sample - ya think ?

[blathering michael]

just pulling your chain, KS, I don't really think conservatives are dumber, and less creative... although where's the right-wing Jon Stewart? the conservative Bill Gates? the Republican Soupy Sales?

[Andrew]

Who is dumber; the people who make the irrelevant list or the people who publish blog articles about that irrelevant list?

[Stephen Colbert]

I always thought Dense Miller tried hard to be that Soupy Sales...I could be wrong.

[blathering michael]

I'm dumber- they're selling ad space and paying themselves...

[joanie]

agree, Michael. :) and you gave them publicity . . . you should have called them "an unnamed source."

[Tommy008]

Rabbi Lapin, show Rabbi of the racists, and "the man who mentors Medved" (could he be responsible for Litterman's ludicrous superiority complex, or was Medved just that obnoxious from birth onwards?) is fillling in for big Kirby this morning on KVI. Don't be fooled by the faux jolly, jovial persona- he's a hateful toad underneath the bloviating banter. Among other things, watch out for Kennedy family bashing. The good "Rabbi" has been known to veer into venomous and vicious tirades against various members of the clan, both living and dead. After the skiing accident death of one of the Kennedy cousins in the late nineties, Lapin could barely contain his glee, as he chortled that this death was "a cleansing of the gene pool".

[sartre]

Hood--you're a fucking cucumber.

[P1SternFan]

Touche Tommy... Touche .. There isn't enough said on the Bull Shit Medved spews daily.. I now believe he trully passed out copies of his "pathetic" book to little ghosts and goblins on Halloween!!