As several readers have pointed out, (in e-mail and comments), Talkers is anything but the "bible" in the radio trade dept. They mostly feature stations and air talent that buy most of the advertising on both their online and print edition. Coincidence? Perhaps...you be the judge.
Furthermore, they are run by a self-acknowledged ultra right-wing publisher whose posters often write multitude pieces on people like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, who, yes, just coincidentally are heavy advertisers.
Those in the industry who count know Talkers is a joke. They're not in the same league, either editorially or otherwise, as a, say, Inside Radio or All Access. Just ask around. It's not an opinion, it's a fact.
So I don't take much stock in their rankings. Some of the shows they put on their list are good. The broadcasters have substance and style too. Others are merely posers whose companies, as I have noted, buy ads on their site.
Before some of my trolls rip me because, I too, have advertisers, you'll notice that the current advertisers are non-broadcast related. And 415 Media is largely reader-supported via donations.
And yes, I'll admit it: I'm not a fan of the program Talkers lists as #17. They don't impress me. I'm not alone. Maybe it's simply a matter of taste.
*My terrestrial radio rant received a lot of response. I advocated listening to satellite and the Internet as an alternative to some of the dreck you hear in the Bay Area. That wasn't a knock on some of the more enlightening programs that still exist of which there are many
I like a lot of the shows on KKSF-AM, such as Len Tillem and Gil Gross. Rothmann's political talk is great and Wattenburg's Sunday night show are often worth listening to. I like Alan Colmes and Michael Savage. I love the big band-heavy KCSM. I've often been quite complimentary toward KCBS and KQED. Damon Bruce is the very best sports talk radio host in the market. Hands down.
So when I said that I "sparingly" listen to commercial radio here, it may have given the wrong impression. A reader said, correctly, that if that was the case, I might as well shut down. After all, this is "415Media." In actuality, I still peruse the local offerings. I have to. And I'll continue to bring you the news, opinion, and breaking stories you look forward to and depend on.
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*Tips/E-mail: Rich.Lieberman@Gmail.com
