Conservative Talk Radio Recharging Itself for Obama Administration

Brian Stelter in The New York Times writes, "After eight years of playing defense for President Bush, the conservatives who dominate talk radio are back on offense." (Right: Rush Limbaugh, Photo Credit: © EIB Network)

His article, "For Conservative Radio, It’s a New Dawn, Too", points out that the election of Barack O'Bama is a great opportunity for conservative talk show hosts. The piece goes on to say, "With a Democrat in the White House, 'the conservative hosts will have more fun. There’s no doubt about that,' said Gary Schonfeld, the president of the network division of Westwood One."

More Highlights from the Article:
* Many popular conservative radio hosts have recently re-signed long-term contracts (Hannity, Beck, Savage, Ingraham)
* Rush Limbaugh is still the gold standard of conservative talk radio with a $400 million contract through 2016 and 3.58 million listeners during any 15-minute period of his show
* New talk show stars about to be made like Fred Thompson, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani
* The talent pool for middle-tier radio hosts is strong
* A bad economy and other difficult issues will create more interest in talk radio

More: Opinionated Talk Radio: Is it Fair to Require a Rebuttal?
Deeper: Does Talk Radio Move Political Agendas and Help Win Elections?