Savage Dethrones Rush for the Top Spot in Streaming Talk Radio

[TalkerTom]

http://tomdonahue.blog.com/2012/10/08/savage-dethrones-rush-in-streaming-talk-radio-rankings/
(Click above to read the full story)

Savage topples Rush’s rule of the streaming airwaves. Savage topped Rush to become the most listened to talk show for the 3rd Q 2012 measured by the metrics of Talk Stream Live. Ironically, this happens as Savage departs the airwaves for awhile...

Rush still maintains his monopoly grip on the media marketplace via 600 plus stations, due in large part to his syndicators Clear Channel-Premiere Radio Networks (Bain Capital). Rush is further propped up by his embedded, perhaps even inbreeded relationship with the GOP. This too may change for reasons that go beyond Rush’s role as the mouthpiece for the Republican party or because his act has become so predictably stale. It is possible that Savage may change his time slot to coincide with Rush or Hannity as he has recently alluded...

The Savage Nation will once again succeed with a sizable audience in spite of the media monopolies and the fraternity of beholden GOP hosts.

 

[DToTheJ]

I see Tom Donahue has finally found the board... Welcome, Tom!

 

[MC]

Savage website seems a little primative to me, kind of cheap looking, but maybe that is good google did well making things look simple.

 

[Legend City]

So, Savage is the tallest dwarf?

 

[Ultimajock]

...as Tom Leykis pointed out last week, Leykis still gets several times the listenership that The Savage Wiener does. Just more hype and bullspit from Mikey...

 

[denverradiodude]

Someone help me understand these numbers. I see that they offer congrats to Savage:

Third Quarter 2012

Rank / Share

1 Michael Savage 10.9
2 Rush Limbaugh 9.6

The Savage Nation has become the #1 talk show on the internet for the 3rd quarter 2012. We have watched Michael consistently grow his audience over the last several quarters. All of his numbers are way up especially via Mobile and Social Radio. Congratulations to Michael Savage and the Savage Nation.

http://talkstreamlive.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/the-top-25-share-report-2/

His share is 10.9, while Rush is 9.6 for third quarter 2012. Well, good.

But now consider this:

Second Quarter 2012

Rank / Share

1 Rush Limbaugh 13.7
2 Michael Savage 11.0

http://talkstreamlive.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/the-top-25-share-report/

So from the second quarter to the third quarter, Savage actually had a very small drop.

Now let's go back another quarter:

First Quarter 2012

Rank / Share

1 Rush Limbaugh 12.9
2 Laura Ingraham 8.1
3 Michael Savage 7.9

http://talkstreamlive.wordpress.com/2012/04/01/the-top-25-talk-shows-on-the-internet/

OK, we see a Savage gain from there.

And another quarter -- this one will be pre-Fluke:

Fourth Quarter 2011

Rank / Share

1 Rush Limbaugh 18.4
2 Michael Savage 13.5

http://talkstreamlive.wordpress.com/2012/01/01/top-25-streaming-talk-radio-shows-3/

Ahhh, so the low Savage number was an anomoly. Savage is remarkably steady over the period of a year, with just one blip downward.

But check out that other dude. Rush has dropped from 18.4 pre-Fluke, to 9.6 most recent squarter. That is nearly a fifty percent drip!

Seems to me the real story here isn't how Savage has come from nowhere to beat Rush. It is, rather, a very strong statistical revelation with Limbaugh losing his audience share in the aftermath of his notorious attack on a college coed! Is this the real news that some in our industry (here specifically, talkstreamlive) are afraid to talk about?

 

[DToTheJ]

I know for a fact that Savage has a loyal Internet following. When I went on TalkStreamLive last night at 9 PM on the dot, traffic was s-l-o-w. That could have more to do with previous terrestrial listeners just looking for an Internet stream to hear the first show back, but still...

 

[umfan]

A change is likely now that he'll be back on traditional radio.