Author Topic: [Michael] Savage Hemorrhages Hannity’s Audience: New York’s WABC Loses 50%, Chicago Down 59%  (Read 2593 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline DCPatriot

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 45,802
  • Gender: Male
  • "...and the winning number is...not yours!
Savage Hemorrhages Hannity’s Audience: New York’s WABC Loses 50%, Chicago Down 59%
Jeffrey Lord

It’s the kind of conservative media story only conservatives understand.

The latest numbers are out for Michael Savage’s radio show. Recall that Savage was a key player in the battle between Sean Hannity and Cumulus radio. A battle that had an exasperated Hannity finally firing Cumulus, as reported here in NewsBusters at the time.  But not before Savage, whom Cumulus had in the wings to replace Hannity in the latter’s Cumulus slots, took shots at Hannity, gloating at taking Hannity’s slot.



The Savage numbers tell a revealing tale of conservatism in the media. So let’s start with the brand new numbers themselves, numbers supplied by Nielsen Audio. They are the numbers for April – last month -, and cover 52 of America’s major radio markets. We will directly compare them here with Sean Hannity’s last numbers before being replaced on Cumulus stations  - which is to say Hannity’s numbers for December, 2013.  The percentages cited – again, these are from Nielsen Audio (formerly known as Arbitron) – are nothing if not startling.
 
New York – WABC – Savage numbers drop by 50%.
Chicago – WLS – Savage numbers drop by 59%
San Francisco – KSFO – Savage numbers drops by 26%
Dallas-Fort Worth – WBAP FM – Savage numbers drop by 13%
Houston-Galveston – KSEV – Savage numbers drop by 55%
Washington, DC – WMAL – Savage numbers drop by 17%
 
One could go on here through the entire devastating list that includes one major market after another all across the country. Markets with names like Seattle-Tacoma (-40%), Kansas City (-21%),  Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Newport News, Virginia (-50%) and Memphis (-75%). But we’ll mercifully stop by saying that the average percentage drop in those 52 markets from the Hannity December 2013 numbers to the Savage April 2014 numbers is 47%. – again, according to Nielsen.

Why is this happening? The answer is as simple as it is predictable.  Cumulus radio  - at the express direction of its Dickey brother managers – has earned itself a reputation as despising its conservative talk radio audience. While Rush Limbaugh – also a longtime Savage target as was and is Hannity – eventually re-signed, in fact he was for months made the public target of the Dickeys. The attacks launched an endless round of stories in the liberal media depicting Rush as a “drag” on company earnings and more.  One can write all this off as mere “contract negotiating in public” – but in fact the only possible outcome of this was to raise the hackles of  Rush’s fans when it came to Cumulus itself. Many of Rush’s fans being, unsurprisingly, also being Hannity fans.
 
Hannity is an indelible voice of the modern conservative movement. His very persona – upbeat, optimistic, straight to the ideological point at hand – is, as they say in conservative shorthand, decidedly Reaganesque.  But as we mentioned in this space last week, Cumulus has a perpetual problem that in fact has nothing – yet everything – to do with its conservative audience.
 
Perhaps the most astute reader of the Cumulus tea leaves is Inside the Music’s Jerry Del Colliano, who is a veritable encyclopedia on the behind-the-scenes of the radio business. Back in August of last year, as the Hannity-Cumulus relationship began to crash on the rocks quite publicly, Del Colliano presciently wrote that if Hannity departed New York’s Cumulus-owned WABC for WOR  (along with Rush) the result would be the “eviscerating (of) whatever ratings WABC had left.” Del Colliano went on to predict Big Trouble for WABC , saying “if Savage replaces Hannity on WABC, Savage will be number one in angry men, 70 years old and older” adding “some advertisers think (Savage) is unsellable on the air in prime time.”  Hannity and Limbaugh did in fact depart WABC for WOR, and Savage now holds Hannity’s once-sterling 3-6pm WABC time slot.

more at link:



Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/jeffrey-lord/2014/05/17/savage-hemorrhages-hannity-s-audience-new-york-s-wabc-loses-50-chicago

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline SouthTexas

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,665
I listened to Michael Savage years ago but his shows contained far too much BS.  Gave up long before this set of rumbles hit the air waves.

Offline Politics4us

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 506
I don't know why people didn't investigate Savage's claims about how he was destroying Hannity. Hannity moved to stations that weren't as powerful as Savage's stations. Some things that I disagree with Lord on are that Hannity should still be beating Savage in NY, even though he moved to WOR. WOR and WABC have have same power, and Hannity had been on in afternoons since the late 90's. The author also leaves out that although Savage has lost 50% of Hannity's WABC audience, Hannity's numbers weren't great anymore like they were after 9/11. He wasn't doing great with advertisers. When Bob Grant was fired from WABC in 1996, half of WABC's audience went with him to WOR. Eventually his rating declined, but not when he moved over.

Offline DCPatriot

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 45,802
  • Gender: Male
  • "...and the winning number is...not yours!
Personally, I've grown tired of Sean Hannity.

IMO, Michael Savage is a breath of fresh air.  He covers interesting topics that Sean would never touch.

....and his bumper music is cooler.   LOL!
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline NavyCanDo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6,496
  • Gender: Male
I never did like Savage.  He's the loud guy at the end of the bar but with a microphone. And he has no unwavering conservative philosophy, as he tends to be all over the place depending on his mood - or medication. I remember him using at least a week of his show calling for the impeachment of George W. Bush, and when I tuned in a few weeks later he said President bush was the best President of his lifetime. He also lashes out at other conservative talk show host, calling them frauds and imposters, and he has developed a derogatory name he uses for each, like Hush Bimbo.
A nation that turns away from prayer will ultimately find itself in desperate need of it. :Jonathan Cahn

Offline 240B

  • Lord of all things Orange!
  • TBR Advisory Committee
  • ***
  • Posts: 25,960
    • I try my best ...
When I am writing code at work I listen to Hannity only because he comes on after Rush. He does get annoying after a while.
 
I know this sounds crazy, and I don't blame you for thinking that.
 
But from listening to him, I expect that he will move to Florida, establish residence, and then run for some kind of office. That is my take on him.
 
Savage is a nutball, but, who cares? That loud mouth at the end of the bar makes the place fun. He is fun and engaging, which is exactly what he is supposed to be. When he gets on my nerves I just click the off button.
You cannot "COEXIST" with people who want to kill you.
If they kill their own with no conscience, there is nothing to stop them from killing you.
Rational fear and anger at vicious murderous Islamic terrorists is the same as irrational antisemitism, according to the Leftists.

Offline DCPatriot

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 45,802
  • Gender: Male
  • "...and the winning number is...not yours!

 
Savage is a nutball, but, who cares? That loud mouth at the end of the bar makes the place fun. He is fun and engaging, which is exactly what he is supposed to be. When he gets on my nerves I just click the off button.


That's the way I feel....but while Hannity (who followed Rush) would discuss the EXACT same topics as el Rushbo, Savage has topics and many life-stories that are pertinent and engaging.

Like you said, when the gets "out there", it's time to listen to Sports-talk about my NATS and Orioles.
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

Offline jmyrlefuller

  • J. Myrle Fuller
  • Cat Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 22,326
  • Gender: Male
  • Realistic nihilist
    • Fullervision
I don't know why people didn't investigate Savage's claims about how he was destroying Hannity. Hannity moved to stations that weren't as powerful as Savage's stations. Some things that I disagree with Lord on are that Hannity should still be beating Savage in NY, even though he moved to WOR. WOR and WABC have have same power, and Hannity had been on in afternoons since the late 90's. The author also leaves out that although Savage has lost 50% of Hannity's WABC audience, Hannity's numbers weren't great anymore like they were after 9/11. He wasn't doing great with advertisers. When Bob Grant was fired from WABC in 1996, half of WABC's audience went with him to WOR. Eventually his rating declined, but not when he moved over.
It's also still early on. Realize in most of these markets that Savage still has the Rush lead-in; Cumulus kept Rush on most of their stations, despite all their initial threats to the contrary. In Dallas, Hannity's relegated to a Salem station, and they get almost no listeners. If Savage still has Rush and is still hemorrhaging listeners, that's not good. Savage is crowing about ratings between 1.0 and 1.5; those are laughably pathetic, low-end ratings. If it weren't for the fact that right now, WOR and the others are even lower, it would be nothing to celebrate.

What will be telling is if WOR and KEIB (the LA station for Rush/Hannity) can start building their stars' audiences back up to where they were at WABC. WOR doesn't even have a permanent morning show yet (they were going to try and pipe in some shock-jock from DC; thankfully, they realized how dumb of an idea that was and never did follow through). In my opinion, they should have kept the relatively well-regarded Jim Quinn on the Clear Channel payroll instead of dumping him last November. Quinn was popular in the markets he aired.
New profile picture in honor of Public Domain Day 2024

Offline 240B

  • Lord of all things Orange!
  • TBR Advisory Committee
  • ***
  • Posts: 25,960
    • I try my best ...
Radio is no longer a broadcast idustry. With streaming like 'I heart radio', the idea of power and range is no longer an issue. I listen to New York and Los Angles, and Cincinnati and Alaska without ever leaving my desk.
 
My understanding is that streaming is not counted in the ratings. If that is true then all the numbers are bogus.
You cannot "COEXIST" with people who want to kill you.
If they kill their own with no conscience, there is nothing to stop them from killing you.
Rational fear and anger at vicious murderous Islamic terrorists is the same as irrational antisemitism, according to the Leftists.

Offline Chieftain

  • AMF, YOYO
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9,621
  • Gender: Male
  • Your what hurts??
I never did like Savage.  He's the loud guy at the end of the bar but with a microphone. And he has no unwavering conservative philosophy, as he tends to be all over the place depending on his mood - or medication. I remember him using at least a week of his show calling for the impeachment of George W. Bush, and when I tuned in a few weeks later he said President bush was the best President of his lifetime. He also lashes out at other conservative talk show host, calling them frauds and imposters, and he has developed a derogatory name he uses for each, like Hush Bimbo.

You nailed it...Savage is on the other sticky end of the same stick opposite Don Imus....Yin for one another's Yang.....

 :smokin:

Offline jmyrlefuller

  • J. Myrle Fuller
  • Cat Mod
  • *****
  • Posts: 22,326
  • Gender: Male
  • Realistic nihilist
    • Fullervision
Radio is no longer a broadcast idustry. With streaming like 'I heart radio', the idea of power and range is no longer an issue. I listen to New York and Los Angles, and Cincinnati and Alaska without ever leaving my desk.
 
My understanding is that streaming is not counted in the ratings. If that is true then all the numbers are bogus.
There is truth to that, although iHeart includes all the Cumulus and Clear Channel outlets, so it should have data on most of Savage's and Hannity's affiliates, especially the major ones. Unlike Nielsen (which measures the ratings for terrestrial radio), I don't think iHeart makes their listener data public-- but certainly they do have it.

I know there were a couple sites out there that kept track of things but I'm not sure they do that anymore.
New profile picture in honor of Public Domain Day 2024