Top 100 Radio Host List Takeaways

Talkers released its 2020 version of the Heavy Hundred, an annual list that ranks the top 100 radio hosts in America.

The full list is found here. The top 10 is as followed:

Any radio host list that has Howard Stern ranked seventh has issues. It doesn't matter if it's 2020 or 2002 — Stern is the G.O.A.T. He's at worst, on a bad day, fourth behind the big three political hosts: Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Mark Levin. On a good day, he's still No. 1. Stern was fifth last year.

Hannity, again, topped Limbaugh. You could go either way, though, Limbaugh is still the more influential radio voice. His audience is also slightly larger. Hannity, with the second-most listened to radio program, is more impactful from his primetime show on Fox News. Limbaugh's show features the still unmatched format of three hours without guests. A skill few radio hosts ever born could pull off at a high level.

Mark Levin, again, comes in at No. 4 behind Ramsey. The genre for business talk still starts and ends with Ramsey. The Great One, Levin, is as fiery as ever. (Maybe even more so.) Most hosts can't fill three hours; the flamethrower could do double that, if need be.

Kilmeade jumps up two spots to fifth. In my mailbag this week, I was asked "who is Fox News' third most valuable talent after Hannity and Tucker Carlson?" There are three options: Kilmeade, Chris Wallace, and Laura Ingraham. Kilmeade, in part, as he's the voice of the Fox News Radio network with his eponymous daily show. By the way, is anyone in the media busier than Kilmeade? Doubt it.

While conservative talk still owns the radio airwaves, the hosts of the Breakfast Club, DJ Envy, Angela Yee, and Charlamagne tha God, came in at 20.

Fun list.