Most Listened-To Radio Shows in US

On both mainstream radio and public radio, radio listening is measured by Arbitron and others in the United States. Arbitron and related services have a regional business and regular daytime forecasts but do not collect national host data. Since Arbitron’s coverage in rural areas has substantial gaps, and since there are only a few areas where Arbitron’s proprietary statistics can be measured to rival rating measurers when seeking to assemble a list of the most listened-to radio shows in the United States, there is a great deal of calculation and interpolation.

What Are the Most Listened-To Radio Shows in US?

News

This list contains, based on the Arbitron P12+ Cume Calculation, the top 5 news radio stations in the United States.

WINS-AM – 1010 WINS – New York, NY

WINS, branded 1010 WINS (official website), is a New York City authorized radio station and is owned and managed by Entercom. The studios of WINS are housed in the merged Entercom building in lower Manhattan’s Hudson Square neighborhood, and its converter is in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

WCBS-AM – Newsradio 880 – New York, NY

WCBS is a New York City-licensed radio station that is owned and operated by Entercom. The facilities of WCBS are housed in the consolidated Entercom facility in lower Manhattan’s Hudson Square neighborhood and its antenna is located in the Bronx on High Island.

WBBM-AM – Newsradio 780 – Chicago, IL

WBBM is a Class A station that uses a non-directional antenna to transmit on a clear-channel AM range, operated by 35,000 watts during the day and 42,000 watts at night. Its daytime signal provides most of the northern two-thirds of Illinois as well as significant parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, and Indiana with at least grade B coverage.

KFI-AM – KFI AM 640 – Los Angeles, CA

Its signals can be heard in all of Southern California by day and can be collected throughout the western portion of North America at night. KFI is approved by the U.S. Federal Commission on Communications to transmit in HD format (hybrid).

KNX-AM – KNX1070News Radio – Los Angeles, CA

In Los Angeles, California, KNX (1070 AM) is a licensed radio station. It airs a radio format with all news and is operated by Entercom. KNX, having earned its first broadcasting license, is one of the oldest stations in the United States.

Talk shows

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According to regular cumulative listenership, a list of the 5 most-listened-to radio talk shows in the United States is shown, accompanied by a range of shows of varying types that are most-listened-to within their genre, which in this case, includes only talk shows.

The Rush Limbaugh Show	The Rush Limbaugh Show, which was hosted by Rush Limbaugh, is an American conservative talk radio show. The Rush Limbaugh Show has been the highest-rated talk radio show in the United States ever since its nationally syndicated debut in 1988. The show airs worldwide on almost 600 radio stations.
The Sean Hannity Show	Hosted by Sean Hannity, The Sean Hannity Show is a conservative talk radio show. Every day, from 3 p.m., the programming is broadcast live. Towards 6 p.m. ET. The et. The show is recorded at the radio station WOR’s New York City studios and is often broadcast via ISDN through Hannity’s home in Centre Island, New York.
The Glenn Beck Radio Program	The Glenn Beck Radio Program is an American conservative talk radio show broadcast on more than 400 radio stations throughout America by analyst Glenn Beck, his company’s own TheBlaze Radio Network, and a weekday live television broadcast on TheBlaze TV. The program has been one of the top rating radio shows since its launch as a nationally syndicated show in 2002.
The Mark Levin Show	Mark Levin hosts the Mark Levin Show. According to an estimate from Talkers Magazine, the show is broadcast nationally on Westwood One and attracts an approximate seven million weekly listeners. The Talkers estimate ties Levin’s audience to The Glenn Beck Radio Program with the fourth-most-heard-to-talk radio broadcast in the U.S.
The Mike Gallagher Show	Mike Gallagher is a conservative political analyst and American radio show host. He is the host of The Mike Gallagher Show, a nationally syndicated radio program that broadcasts on Salem Radio Network in the United States, and is both a producer and the guest host of the FOX News Channel.

Sports

Generally, radio programs include cult adherents, listeners who are only loyal to a handful or only one broadcast. It is not easy to tolerate many of the talking heads, but it helps the show’s consistent fans make them much more like the main character. Here are the top 5 most famous sports radio shows in the US.

Scott Van Pelt Show	College Football is discussed at length in the show that airs on ESPNEWS from 1 to 3 Eastern Time Zone. The 11 p.m. co-anchor was Scoot Van Pelt. SportsCenter Version on ESPN, co-hosted by SVP & Russillo along with Ryen Russillo on ESPN Radio, hosts numerous network golf tournaments.
The Herd with Colin Cowherd	Colin Cowherd, another ESPN talking head, normally has totally devoted followers or individuals on ESPNEWS from 10 to 1 Eastern Time Zone. In a friendly way that connects with audiences and listeners, The Herd involves sports gaming because Cowherd also bets on his Flaming Five picks that he announces every Friday.
WEEI FM	WEEI-FM (93.7 FM) is a commercial sports radio station authorized to Lawrence, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and most of New England’s surroundings, labeled SportsRadio 93.7 WEEI-FM. WEEI-FM broadcasts over two channels of HD Radio and is accessible via Radio.com online.
The Dan Patrick Show	The retired ESPN mainstay hosts this simulcast of his weekday talk radio show, in which, in his trademark sardonic, irreverent style, Dan Patrick interviews the top personalities in the world of sports. He also invites entertainers and political personalities to the show on occasion, and he is famous for making playful bets with his guests.
The Mike Francesa Show	Every weekday afternoon, Mike Francesa, who’s WFAN radio show was originally seen nationally on the YES Network, shifts the broadcast of the show to Fox Sports 1 and 2. For more than 25 years, Francesa has been a fixture in New York sports media, being known for polarizing views and, to others, an uncanny tendency to get the bulk of big-game forecasts dead wrong.

Radio Stars

Here we have the most famous radio stars in different genres of their radio shows.

Rush Hudson Limbaugh III	Rush Hudson Limbaugh III, a conservative political analyst, author, and television show host, was an American radio personality. He became best known as the host of The Rush Limbaugh Show on AM and FM radio stations, which was nationally syndicated. From 1992 to 1996, Limbaugh presented a nationwide television program.
Ryan Seacrest	Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio actor, producer, and co-host of Kelly and Ryan’s Live. He hosts programs with Ryan Seacrest on numerous television outlets as well, including American Idol, American Top 40, and On Tv. Seacrest became co-host and executive producer of New Year’s Rockin ‘Eve for Dick Clark in 2006.
Sean Patrick Hannity	Sean Patrick Hannity is a conservative political analyst and American talk show host. Hannity is the host of a public radio talk radio program called The Sean Hannity Show. He also hosts Hannity, a commentary program, on Fox News. His shows are the go-to spot for conservation and revelations with the GOP elite on radio and on Fox.
Glenn Lee Beck	Glenn Lee Beck is a conservative political analyst, conspiracy theorist, radio personality, and television producer. He is the CEO, chairman, and owner of TheBlaze, the parent company of his television and radio network, Mercury Radio Arts. Despite its brand, Mercury Radio Arts, Beck’s media empire, encompasses more than radio—stretching to Cable, publishing, and even e-commerce.
Howard Allan Stern	Howard Allan Stern is a host, comedian, and author of American radio and television. He is mainly remembered for his radio program, The Howard Stern Show, which gained attention from 1986 to 2005 when it was syndicated nationwide on terrestrial radio. Since 2006, Stern has been broadcasting on Sirius XM Satellite radio.

FAQ

Can radio stations tell how many listeners?

Radio stations syndicated their broadcast to online distributors such as IHeartRadio (official website) in the internet era and will provide the channel with highly detailed statistics about how many people listen. It is becoming an important marketing tool for stations to send specific listener forecasts to their audiences.

How do radio stations know you’re listening?

Radio rating systems, including Arbitron and Nielsen, are available in the field of radio and television. In a certain area, the company polls a certain number of radio listeners. Then, by statistical analysis, the rating agency extrapolates the survey findings and decides how many people listen to each particular radio station in the city or in a state.

How does a radio station make money?

The listening audience is the product being marketed to advertisers, equivalent to a TV audience and social media users. This is how, by publicity, radio stations raise profits. The extra money also comes from supported content and activities (this is also an advertisement type, however), as well as from charging callers. So evidently, the exact benefit of your radio station will depend on variables that range from the size of the audience to the cost of programming to the number of advertisers.

How much do radio stations pay to play songs?

Both songwriters and recording artists are the ones that are usually paid royalties in most markets if their music is broadcast on the radio. Therefore, only songwriters and their publishers (owners of the composition intellectual property) are paid production fees for airplay in the American-based music industry. The present average today is 9.1 cents (typically separated with co-writers and publishers).