Every year, Don Barrett has
taken a poll of subscribers and visitors of his radio “watercooler,” LARadio.Com. The results
have been trickling out over the past week or so, and as it turns out, they are
a list of the heavy-hitters in Los Angeles radio. Barrett says that over 200
people participated in the poll this year.
The morning favorite was
Doug McIntyre of KABC (790 AM) followed by Bill Handel of KFI (640 AM), KROQ’s
(106.7 FM) Kevin and Bean, KNX’s (1070 AM) morning duo of Vicky Moore and Dick
Helton, Joe Benson of The Sound (KSWD, 100.3 FM), Colin Cowherd on KSPN (710
AM), KPWR’s (105.9 FM) Big Boy, KRLA’s (870 AM) Brian Whitman, Ben Shapiro and
Elisha Kraus, and Sirius/XM Satellite Radio’s Howard Stern (Channel 100).
Favorites from 9 am to 12
noon were, in order, favorite Dennis Prager (KRLA), Jim Carson (KRTH 101.1 FM),
Rush Limbaugh (KEIB, 1150 AM), KABC’s Bryan Suits, KFI’s Bill Carroll, Linda
Nunez and Tom Haule of KNX, Andy Chanley of The Sound, KFWB’s (980 AM) Jim Rome,
Kat Corbett (KROQ) and Kychal Thompson (KSPN).
From Noon to 3 the winners
were John Phillips and Jillian Barberie (KABC), Mason and Ireland (KSPN), Jim
Carson (KRTH) Sean Hannity (KEIB), the wild mixture of people on KNX, Andy
Chanley again (his shift overlaps), Michael Medved (KRLA), Larry Mantle (KPCC,
89.3 FM), Jack on KCBS-FM (93.1), and KFI’s Thompson and Espinosa.
And finally, just this
week, afternoons came out with the winner being John and Ken (KFI) followed by
Diane Thomson and Jim Thornton (KNX), “Shotgun” Tom Kelly (KRTH), Larry Elder
(KABC), Julie Slater (The Sound), Hugh Hewitt (KRLA), Rich Capperela (KUSC, 91.5
FM), Gary Moore (KLOS, 95.5 FM), Deborah Howell (The Wave, 94.7 FM), and Petros
Papadakis and Matt “Money” Smith (KLAC, 570 AM).
Heavy hitters, yes. But did
you notice something interesting? If you go by this list, AM radio is on par
with FM in popularity, and talk and sports dominated. Obviously there is a
little skewing going on.
And of course, there is.
The responses came from readers and subscribers of LARadio.Com, a website that tends to attract radio
fans (fanatics?), probably (read: definitely) skews older than the average radio
listener and in general attracts people like me. Would my votes be the same as
the results? In some cases yes, but for the most part, interestingly, no. But
that is because of my aversion to political talk radio.
Yet without exception (or
perhaps more accurately with few exceptions), I respect and admire every
broadcaster on the list. And it does make you realize that radio is still a
powerful medium that reaches the hearts and minds of listeners. As we celebrate
Thanksgiving this week and spend time with our families, I, for one, am thankful
that I can still hear my “radio family” on the air. No other medium is so
intimate, so personal.
Happy thanksgiving, and I
hope you enjoy the start of the holiday season.
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