The ratings show: People are tired of right wing sludge on air. [View all]

[alp227]

Wanted to follow up Garion_55's post The Rise and Fall of Talk Radio where he said "I truly believe we are nearing the end of any kind of legitimacy for AM talk."

Well guess what? To answer the question I present in my subject line here are the latest Arbitron ratings shares for NPR stations and right wing talk stations in some of the biggest media markets in the USA. While most major cities in the nation elect Democrats to city government as well as state legislature and Congress, I wonder if the same pattern exists in cities in red states i.e. Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, etc.

So let's look at the latest Arbitron PPM ratings, starting with the #1 market New York City.

Each item reads as follows: Station name, then ratings in November '13, Dec. '13, Holiday '13 (Xmas/New Years), and Jan. '14, bolded.

(#1) NYC:
WCBS-AM, all-news: 3.7, 3.3, 3.8, 4.9
WINS-AM, all-news: 3.3, 3.5, 3.3, 4.4
WNYC-FM, NPR: 2.3, 2.3, 2.3, 2.7
WABC-AM, RW talk: 3.0, 2.9, 2.5, 2.4
WOR-AM, RW talk: 1.2, 1.4, 1.4, 1.7
WNYC-AM, NPR: 0.7, 0.6, 0.6, 0.5

Note: Until 1/1/14, WABC was NY's Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity affiliate; both hosts moved to WOR. Curtis Sliwa and Ron Kuby have reunited for a left/right point/counterpoint show in Rush's time part on WABC, and WABC replaced Hannity with Michael Savage. WABC is also home of Mark Levin.

Also, WNYC programs its FM and AM stations differently whenever they aren't simulcasting the standard NPR fare, with the AM having more spoken/syndicated programs while the FM has music and local shows.

Salem-owned WNYM does not even show up on this ratings sheet.

(#2) Los Angeles:
KFI-AM, local talk: 3.4, 3.3, 3.1, 3.1
KNX-AM, all-news: 3.0, 3.0, 3.0, 3.1
KPCC-FM, NPR: 1.9, 2.0, 2.1, 2.3
KCRW-FM, NPR: 1.1, 0.9, 0.9, 1.0
KABC-AM, RW talk: 0.7, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5
KEIB-AM, RW talk: N/A, 0.2, 0.1, 0.4
KRLA-AM, RW talk: 0.3, 0.3, 0.3, 0.4

Notes:
KFI was the City of Angels' Rush Limbaugh affiliate until January 2014 and replaced Rush with a local show. Because of this KFI has a "live & local" format from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Hosts lean right.
KEIB was a progressive talk station named KTLK before Jan. 2, 2014 and picked up Rush from KFI and Hannity from KABC. KEIB has a majority syndicated lineup except a local show 3-7 p.m.
KABC has local shows from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. except Mark Levin 6-9 p.m.
Seems that right wing talk
KRLA has a local morning show then carries Salem syndicated shows (Prager, Medved, Hewitt, etc.) the rest of the day.

(#3) Chicago:

WBBM-AM/FM, all-news: 6.0, 5.9, 5.6, 6.2 (top share in market)
WGN-AM, local talk: 3.9, 3.9, 3.6, 4.0
WLS-AM, RW talk: 2.4, 2.0, 1.7, 2.1
WBEZ-FM, NPR: 1.7, 1.6, 1.5, 1.8

Notes:
WGN has a 24/7 live & local format and carries Chicago Cubs baseball and Blackhawks hockey. Not sure about the political leanings of that station.
WLS has a mostly local lineup 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. except Rush from 11 to 2. Sean Hannity and Mark Levin evenings. (This station used to have Mike Malloy late nights as a local host.)
Salem-owned (Christian conservative) WIND-AM and independently owned progressive talker WCPT do not show up here. But the African-American station WVON-AM is here at a 0.3.

(#4) San Francisco:

KCBS-AM, all-news: 5.3, 5.1, 4.8, 5.3 (top share in market)
KQED-FM, NPR: 5.0, 4.9, 4.5, 5.2 (second place)
KSFO-AM, RW talk: 2.8, 2.8, 2.4, 2.2
KGO-AM, local news/talk: 2.7, 2.2, 2.1, 2.1
KKSF-AM, local talk: 2.1, 1.5, 1.2, 1.0
KNEW-AM, RW talk: 0.4, 0.4, 0.3, 0.8

Notes:
KSFO has local shows 6 to noon then Michael Savage and Mark Levin afternoons. Used to have Huckabee and Hannity before January.
KGO has mostly news weekdays as well as a local talk show and has local talk shows on weekends including a progressive host Pat Thurston.
Before January, KKSF was the Rush Limbaugh affiliate and had another right wing host after his show. Now, KKSF has a mostly local lineup and has national progressive hosts Randi Rhodes and Alan Colmes.
KNEW used to have a wide spectrum of shows before January: Glenn Beck (RW), Dave Ramsey (financial), Randi, Norman Goldman, Stephanie Miller, and Thom Hartmann. Now it's the Bay Area's Rush and Hannity affiliate and has a bunch of other syndicated RW shows.

(#5) Dallas:

KERA-FM, NPR: 2.7, 2.8, 2.8, 2.9
WBAP-AM, RW talk: 2.9, 2.7, 2.5, 2.6
KRLD-AM, all-news*: 2.1, 1.8, 2.0, 1.8
KSKY-AM, RW talk: 0.5, 0.4, 0.4, 0.5
KLIF-AM, RW talk: 0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.4

Notes:
*KRLD has just plain news all day till 8 then the non-political Dave Ramsey and Clark Howard shows 8 to midnight and an overnight local talk show.
WBAP has local shows 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. (replacing Michael Savage's third hour that may not always be live), and 8 p.m. to midnight. Outside these hours, BAP has Rush, Savage, and Levin.
KLIF has local shows in the morning and afternoon drives and elsewhere Laura Ingraham and Dennis Miller in between.
KSKY is a Salem station, thus its shows have a more religious conservative bent than WBAP or KLIF.

(#6) Houston:

KTRH-AM, RW talk: 4.2, 4.0, 3.7, 4.5
KUHF-FM, NPR: 3.0, 2.7, 2.4, 2.2
KROI-FM, all-news: 0.7, 0.9, 0.7, 1.0
KPRC-AM, RW talk: 0.4, 0.5, 0.4, 0.4

Notes:
KTRH is the Houston home of Rush, Hannity, and Levin.
KPRC has Glenn Beck and other 3rd-rate syndicated trash and some local shows including a non-political tech & rec show.

(#7) Washington, DC:

WTOP-FM, all-news: 9.3, 7.5, 7.5, 9.2 (#1 in market!)
WAMU-FM, NPR: 8.3, 7.7, 6.2, 7.6 (#2)
WMAL-AM/FM, RW talk: 4.0, 3.6, 3.3, 4.3
WNEW-FM, all-news: 0.9, 0.8, 0.8, 0.8

Notes:
WMAL is home of Rush, Savage, and Levin in DC.
DC also has two right wing stations that don't even show up here: independent WTNT and Salem's WWRC (both AM).

(#8) Philadelphia:

KYW-AM, all-news: 5.6, 5.1, 5.6, 7.6
WHYY-FM, NPR: 2.3, 2.7, 2.3, 2.6
WPHT-AM, RW talk: 1.4, 2.0, 1.6, 2.1

Notes:
Salem-owned WNTP doesn't show up in the ratings book.
WKXW-FM gets a 1.1 rating in Jan. 2014 in Philadelphia, but that station is "NJ 101.5" a live & local station based in Trenton whose signal covers most of Central Jersey including Princeton University, the capital region, and Brunswick. The share must be because of listeners on the Jersey side of the Philadelphia area. So not counting that.
WPHT has mostly local shows as well as Rush and Hannity. Believe it or not, Dick Morris (a man of failed predictions like Romney winning in a landslide) actually is a host on that station.

(#9) Atlanta:

WSB-AM/WSBB-FM, RW talk: 8.1, 7.5, 6.2, 7.1 (#2 in market)
WABE-FM, NPR: 3.1, 3.3, 3.0, 3.2
WYAY-FM, all-news: 1.5, 1.5, 1.2, 1.5
WGKA-AM, RW talk: 0.2, 0.3, 0.2, 0.3
WGST-AM, RW talk: 0.1, 0.1, 0.1, 0.1 (bottom of the pile)

Notes:
WSB is Herman Cain's flagship, the Atlanta affiliate of Rush and Hannity, and has the vile misogynist Erick Erickson.
WGKA is a Salem station.
WGST is home of Glenn Beck, Andrea Tantaros, and Dave Ramsey.
WYAY used to be an oldies station but flipped to all-news in 2012. Is that the only just plain news/traffic/weather station in the Southeast?

(#10) Boston:

WBZ-AM, all-news: 5.5, 5.6, 6.0, 5.9
WBUR-FM, NPR: 4.2, 3.9, 3.2, 4.2
WGBH-FM, NPR: 2.7, 2.6, 2.4, 3.0
WRKO-AM, RW talk: 2.7, 2.9, 2.3, 2.2

Notes:
WRKO is the Boston home of Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin. Jeff Kuhner (crazy fundie Washington Times columnist) is the morning drive host; Howie Carr afternoons.

Conclusion:

The local NPR station gets higher ratings than the Limbaugh station in: Boston, Dallas, DC, LA, NYC, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. And generic news stations like KCBS and KYW beat Limbaugh talk stations in: Boston, Chicago, DC, LA, NYC, Philadelphia, and SF.

But wait. Since I only surveyed the Top 10 markets, what about even right-leaning markets? Let's try #11 Miami:

WLRN-FM, NPR: 2.8, 2.6, 2.4, 2.7
WIOD-AM, RW talk: 1.7, 1.4, 1.2, 1.3

Notes: WIOD is Miami's home for Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Sean Hannity. In fact, ex-CNN anchor Rick Sanchez has a local show there now.

What about #17 San Diego, which recently elected a Republican mayor after Democrat Bob Filner went down in flames in a sex scandal? Filner was the first Democrat to be SD mayor since the early '90s.

KPBS-FM, NPR: 5.0, 5.1, 5.1, 5.0...and is the #4 ranked station in the area!
KFMB-AM, RW talk: 3.7, 3.0, 2.5, 3.2
KOGO-AM, RW talk: 2.4, 2.2, 1.8, 2.0

Notes: KFMB is Roger Hedgecock's flagship and also has Hannity, Beck, and Levin. KOGO has a mostly local daytime lineup, the exception being Rush.

Or #38 Nashville?

WPLN-FM, NPR: 3.8, 3.7, 3.8, 3.4
WWTN-FM, RW talk: 4.1, 3.4, 2.8, 2.8
WLAC-AM, RW talk: 2.4, 2.1, 1.4, 1.9

#25 Pittsburgh?

January 2014:
All-news KDKA-AM 7.6,
WESA-FM NPR 2.3,
WPGB-FM RW talk/Limbaugh: 2.1