Perhaps a pro-Trump bump?
Sean Hannity has dethroned conservative talk show king, Rush Limbaugh, in at least one ranking of most influential radio hosts provided by Talkers Magazine.
The selection is a bit of a shock, since Limbaugh has held the title every single year since 2006, and has only been knocked out of the top spot twice in the 24 years the list has been compiled.
“Sean has had an unprecedented year in talk radio,” Talkers editor Michael Harrison explained in a statement to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Even last year we had a very intense discussion among our editors whether Sean should have been on top. We held out another year out of our respect for what Rush Limbaugh means to the industry and to the format.”
Congratulations, Sean. Media Matters and the Big Media have done all they can to smear him the last 18 months, as have numerous NeverTrumpers. But Sean has stood tall through it all. https://t.co/dr87s2KIi0
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) May 23, 2018
While the two broadcast heavyweights battled for the top spot, conservative hosts, in general, dominated the top 10 portion of the list. Hannity and Limbaugh came in at 1 and 2, while Mark Levin was at 4, Michael Savage at 6, Laura Ingraham at 8, and Mike Gallagher at number 10.
“Aside from the hosts whose sheer numbers and fame demand their inclusion in this list, the selection process is subjective with the goal being to create a list reflective of the industry’s diversity and total flavor as well as giving credit where credit is due,” the magazine explains in choosing their rankings.
“We acknowledge that it is as much art as science and that the results are arguable.”
Talkers mag’s annual list of the 100 most influential voices in radio is out… for the first time ever, Sean Hannity is #1 and Rush Limbaugh is #2 pic.twitter.com/jyZUw3yJVx
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) May 22, 2018
“Hannity – always an influential talk radio host — has seen his profile skyrocket since President Trump took office,” writes Jon Levine of The Wrap. “The president is said to be a regular viewer of Hannity’s prime-time Fox News show and the two are known to speak frequently after he comes off the air.”
Hannity also joined Trump on Time’s list of the 100 most influential people. (RELATED: Ted Cruz Writes Glowing Entry For Donald Trump’s ‘Most Influential People’ List).
Defining him as a “principled conservative” former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich wrote Hannity’s entry.
“One of his biggest fans is President Donald Trump, who routinely watches the TV show and talks with Sean as a fellow New Yorker,” Gingrich said. “Hannity played a major role in helping Trump get the nomination and win the general election.”
Now he sits alone atop a major list of influential radio hosts.
Well done, Sean!
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