Beginning in the 1980s, political talk radio became a major force in presidential politics. With increased competition for music programming from FM stations in the 1970s, many AM stations had converted to talk radio formats by the 1980s. One characteristic of the talk radio format is that it permitted listeners to call in and vent their frustrations with elected officials and with the political system at large. While this format had been common on local stations for decades, by the 1980s, nationally syndicated talk shows were beginning to use it as well. Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh was an early pioneer of this format on the national scale, arraying an army of devoted listeners whom he affectionately referred to as “dittoheads.” The popularity of Limbaugh’s show attracted a slew of conservative competitors, including Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Hugh Hewitt, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, and for a time, Bill O’Reilly, who is now exclusively a television and print personality. While liberal talk radio show hosts such as Jim Hightower, Stephanie Miller, Robert Kennedy, Jr., and Amy Goodman have also drawn listeners, political talk radio has predominately been the domain of conservatives.
It has become the custom of political candidates to do interviews with radio talk show hosts as part of their campaign strategy. For example, Republican incumbent George W. Bush and his running mate Dick Cheney were occasional guests on Limbaugh’s show during the Campaign of 2004 (and at other times as well). Because political talk radio is ideological in nature, listeners tend to be those individuals who are already committed to a particular political party. Democrats do not listen to Rush Limbaugh, and Republicans do not listen to Jim Hightower. Thus, while some of the most vicious attacks in presidential election campaigns can be heard on talk radio, there is little evidence that such attacks persuade voters. There were no real campaign consequences when Senators Obama and Clinton were besmirched by conservative talk radio personalities, for example, as the likely voters who would support either candidate were less likely to set their dial to a conservative broadcaster. This is programming that, as it were, “preaches to the choir.” Nevertheless, some candidates, such as Mitt Romney in 2012, considered talk radio sufficiently important to devote at least some time to broadcast appearances. Romney, perceiving that former Republican nominee John McCain may have lost potential voters due to his lack of support among radio talk show personalities, made an effort to preempt a similar situation in 2012 by reaching out to talk radio listeners. But again, the candidate’s actions were an example of solidifying his position within the party rather than drumming up new supporters.
Political scientists have examined whether talk radio results in better-informed citizens or whether the format tends to promote disinformation and misperceptions about how government works. They have found that for people who already have a basic understanding of how the political system works, and a high level of interest in politics, exposure to talk radio can enhance voter knowledge at election time. For those who are less informed at the onset, and who are less interested in politics, the opposite occurs, and levels of misperception and inaccuracy increase among these individuals. Political talk radio’s most enthusiastic audience is primarily composed of white males, potentially due to the structure of the format itself (e.g., alarming claims, angry callers, ranting hosts, dramatic catharsis), and the type of content that is usually involved (e.g., negative views about political institutions).
Barker, David and Kathleen Knight. “Political Talk Radio and Public Opinion.” The Public Opinion Quarterly 64, no. 2 (Summer 2000): 149–70.
Bolce, Louis, Gerald De Maio, and Douglas Muzzio. “Dial-In Democracy: Talk Radio and the 1994 Election.” Political Science Quarterly III, no. 3 (Autumn 1996): 457–81.
Mintz, John. “Gore Team Assails Bush’s Record in Texas.” Washington Post, October 14, 2000, p. A10.
Troy, Gil. See How They Ran: The Changing Role of the Presidential Candidate. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996.