I've shied away from entering this debate. Dand5780 obviously doesn't get public radio and apparently never will. I just don't want to engage with him and his ill-informed opinions. Thanks to those of you on this board who are calling him put on this. I will say any list of talk shows that does not include Tom Ashbrook and Diane Rehm is suspect. These two public radio hosts have audience numbers that would put them in the top ten if you're going by that metric. Just one public radio host appears on this list, Terry Gross at 51. And I would argue she's an interviewer, not a talk show host in the conventional sense. She doesn't take calls. Tom and Diane do. We get to hear Tom's excellent hosting skills in our market. Diane's voice problems can make listening to her a challenge, especially for new listeners. But man, is she incisive and intelligent!
It's been interesting reading some of the comments here on the future of WBEN. People have been predicting its demise for years because its aging audience. Yet, it still ranks #2 12+ year after year. WBFO does a much better job of covering local news because of the number of reporters it has on the street. But in times of breaking news, WBEN relies on its built-in advantage of having a stable of talk show hosts who are able to engage listeners in conversation on an issue, whether it's a snowstorm or the Lancaster mascot controversy. That gives people the impression that WBEN is providing non-stop coverage when the reality is WBFO is doing more actual reporting. It's foolish to predict where things will be 10 years from now because of evolving technology. But for now, WBEN seems to be meeting the needs of its audience.
