Exactly, Schmave.
And that's one of the reasons I believe WHIO continues to be successful as other stations struggle. Many of them, and their owners, have cut their news operations to various degrees. It's the first thing most bean counters try to cut, because it's the easiest thing to do. And, IMHO, it's a big mistake to just take a financial machete to them. (Now, to be honest, I'm sure our bean counters are also looking at savings right and left. But, at least from what I've seen on my side of the fence, it seems like there's at least some desire to "protect the product".)
Years back, why did WING eventually go down the tubes? Yes, there was stiff competition from FM, no argument there. But the real, final slide (and I was there) happened when they dismantled the news department and took it down to one person on AM, one person on FM. For AM stations especially, I've always had a personal belief that those stations were "information" stations that played music between the commercials or when they had no information to impart. Take the news element away and there's no competitive advantage between AM and FM. And FM will always win.
Here in Dayton, WAVI had years when they were an 8 share station, and years when they were at a 3. (I have the numbers, so don't try to spin it, ok?)
If you could take the "politics" out of this format for a minute, and simply look at it as "product", like any format, newstalk will have good times and not so good times. It's a pendulum that always swings back. It's easy, if all you want to do is be partisan to look at the election returns and chortle, "Well, that rich, fat slob Limbaugh's gonna get his now!" But, those who do forget that long ago, in 1971, Rush, for instance, was a DJ who I would expect was making about $125 a week living on Campbell's Soup and Mac N Cheese. (I started in the biz professionally 3 years later at $80 a week, by the way.) He's still a performer. And many of you who look at this only from left/right forget that. Don't count any of them out yet.
Will "change come to conservative talk radio"? Absolutely. Those of you who don't work in it might be interested to know change happens all the time in it. And, lest you forget, the Rush's and Hannity's of the world get their best ratings when they have a liberal foil to rant against.
I've also read a number of articles lately that talk about a growing group of young, college aged conservatives. Could the next Limbaugh come from their ranks? It's possible.
Will the discussion change in some manner? I would expect so. It's the natural progression of things.
There will always be two sides to such discussions in America. That's what we're about. And talk radio will be there to talk about it...on AM AND FM. (Not to mention satellite and the internet. And radio will be there, too...unless I miss my guess.)