Talk Radio Magazine Publisher: Industry Will Do Better If Clinton Wins
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Michael Harrison, the Publisher of Talkers, a magazine devoted to covering talk radio, discussed this year's election and the impact it has had on hosts and listeners as they adapt to the impact Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are having on the medium.
Harrison, speaking with Dom Giordano on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, says the industry will be more successful moving forward if the former Secretary of State emerges as the winner of election day.
"I believe, if we're looking at the self interest of talk radio as a medium out there competing for listeners and competing for buzzworthiness, etc, I think that talk radio will be better off with Hillary elected than with Trump, because then you can get back to the business of being the outsiders finding fault with the Democratic President. Talk radio did very well under Bill Clinton. As a matter of fact, I could not imagine Rush Limbaugh in the privacy of the voting booth back in '96 voting for Dole."
He thinks that this race has confused some traditionally held beliefs of listeners and that has made it harder for hosts to navigate the traditional landscape.
"If you take away the name Trump and the name Hillary and you just look at what they say and what they've done and you didn't know who they are or who is saying what, in many cases, Hillary is to the right of Trump. That makes it even more confusing for the hosts that want to be true to whatever ideals it is that's part of their platform."
Harrison pointed to the two diverging paths of national radio hosts Mark Levin, who was resistant to Donald Trump, and Sean Hannity, who chose to become one of Trump's staunchest surrogates, to judge the impact that GOP nominee, in particular, is having on the field.
"Talk Radio is a business based on ratings and revenue. It's not based on getting people elected. A lot of people think talk radio is an extension of the political parties and it's a political campaign, but no, you don't want to blow off your fans and your listeners and Levin was a great example of a host who had such a loyal following and suddenly, he found himself at odds with it. You take Hannity now, on the other hand, he went a long with his following."
