There’s an old saying that “Any ink is good ink.” But when it comes to radio talk show host Michael Savage, there’s almost no ink.
Savage is America’s third largest talker based on number of affiliates and listeners. Top dog Rush Limbaugh has “about 600 affiliates.” Sean Hannity has “over 500.” And Michael Savage reportedly has 400. Yet the difference in press coverage received by the three talk titans is startling.
We searched Google News for the year 2008. “Rush Limbaugh” and was mentioned 68,400 times. Sean Hannity was mentioned 18,600 times. But Michael Savage scored only 5,910 mentions. Obviously, Limbaugh is the king daddy and in another league compared to everyone else. But how do you explain the vast difference between the coverage of Hannity and Savage? Savage has 80% as many affiliates as Hannity, but received but gets only 31% of the press coverage. And, by the way, he is a man that has published over 20 books.
To double check our theory, we also searched Google News for the last month. The finally tally was Limbaugh 9,398 mentions, Hannity 621 mentions, and Savage a mere 137 mentions. That number puts him far closer to overwhelmingly unpopular and unsuccessful talk show hosts like Stephanie Miller (73 mentions) and Ed Schultz (44 mentions) than to peers Limbaugh and Hannity. Yet Savage has far more affiliates and a far larger audience than either of the liberal hosts.
Yes, Savage is combative. Abrasive. Harsh. Acerbic. Outspoken. But he has a large, loyal audience and there’s no logical reason for him to be ignored by the liberal and conservative press.
Here’s to you, Michael. For what it’s worth, you’re not being ignored by IHateTheMedia.com.
