Editing Talk radio (section)

==United States==
Talk radio is most popular on the [[AM band]].  "Non-commercial", usually referred to as "[[public radio]]", which is mainly located in a reserved spectrum of the [[FM band]], also broadcasts talk programs. Commercial all-talk stations can also be found on the FM band in many cities across the US. These shows often rely less on political discussion and analysis than their AM counterparts and often employ the use of pranks and "bits" for entertainment purposes. In the [[United States]] and [[Canada]], [[satellite radio]] services offer uncensored "free-wheeling" original programming. [[ABC News & Talk]] is an example of "repackaging" for the digital airwaves shows featured on their terrestrial radio stations.

===History===
Expressing and debating political opinions has been a staple of radio since the medium's infancy. [[Aimee Semple McPherson]] began her radio broadcasts in the early 1920s and even purchased her station, [[KFSG]] which went on the air in February 1924; by the mid-1930s, controversial radio priest Father [[Charles Coughlin]]'s radio broadcasts were reaching millions per week. There was also a national current events forum called [[America's Town Meeting of the Air]] which broadcast once a week starting in 1935. It featured panel discussions from some of the biggest newsmakers and was among the first shows to allow audience participation: members of the studio audience could question the guests or even heckle them.<ref>Tona J. Hangen, ''Redeeming the dial: radio, religion, & popular culture in America'' (2002).</ref>

Talk radio as a listener-participation format has existed since the 1930s. John J. Anthony (1902–1970) was an announcer and DJ on New York's WMRJ. It was located in the Merrick Radio Store at 12 New York Boulevard in Jamaica, Long Island. After some marital troubles, refusing to pay alimony and child support, he sought professional help and began his  radio series where listeners would call in with their problems in 1930. Radio historians consider this the first instance of talk radio.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://knowotr.blogspot.com/2008/09/john-j-anthony-1902-70.html|title=Know Old Time Radio: John J. Anthony (1902–70)|last=Loyaltubist|date=1 September 2008|access-date=13 February 2017}}</ref>

While working for New York's [[WMCA (AM)|WMCA]] in 1945, [[Barry Gray (radio)|Barry Gray]] was bored with playing music and put a telephone receiver up to his microphone to talk with bandleader [[Woody Herman]]. This was soon followed by listener call-ins and Gray is often billed as "the hot mama of talk radio". [[Herb Jepko]] was another pioneer.<ref>Miles Romney, "The Voice in the Night Unheard by Scholars: Herb Jepko and the Genesis of National Talk Radio." ''Journal of Radio & Audio Media'' 21.2 (2014): 272–289.</ref>

Author Bill Cherry proposed George Roy Clough as the first to invite listeners to argue politics on a call-in radio show at KLUF, his station in Galveston, Texas, as a way to bring his  political views into listeners' homes. (He later became [[Free State of Galveston|Mayor of Galveston]]). Cherry gives no specific date, but the context of events and history of the station would seem to place it also in the 1940s, perhaps earlier. The format was the classic mode in which the announcer gave the topic for that day, and listeners called in to debate the issue.<ref>{{cite web|first=Bill|last=Cherry|url=http://www.texasescapes.com/BillCherry/George-Roy-Clough-Invents-Call-in-Radio.htm|title=George Roy Clough Invents Call-in Radio|publisher=TexasEscapes.com|access-date=2008-11-24}}</ref>

In 1948, Alan Courtney – New York disk jockey and co-composer of the popular song "Joltin' Joe DiMaggio" – began a call-in program for the Storer station in Miami, Florida (WGBS) and then on Miami's WQAM, WINZ and WCKR. The "Alan Courtney Open Phone Forum" flourished as an avowedly conservative and anti-communist political forum with a coverage area over the Southeastern U.S. and Cuba.

[[Joe Pyne]], [[John Nebel]], [[Jean Shepherd]], and [[Jerry Williams (radio)|Jerry Williams]] ([[WMEX (AM)|WMEX]]-Boston) were among the first to explore the medium in the 1950s.

A breakthrough in talk radio occurred in 1960 at KLAC in Los Angeles. Alan Henry, a broadcaster in his early thirties, had been hired by John Kluge, president of Metromedia in 1963. Henry had previously worked in such diverse markets as Miami, Florida; Waterloo, Iowa; Hartford, Connecticut; and St. Louis, Missouri. KLAC was dead last in the ratings but Kluge wanted a big Metromedia presence in Los Angeles. He sent Henry from New York to Los Angeles to turn KLAC into a success. The first thing that Henry did was hire the legendary morning team of Lohman and Barkley. Henry had built a strong relationship with programmer Jim Lightfoot, who had joined Henry in Miami.  A unique opportunity presented itself when Joe Pyne, who had begun his career as a radio talk personality in Pennsylvania, was fired by KABC in Los Angeles. The speculation was that Pyne was too controversial and confrontational for the ABC corporate culture.  Henry hired Pyne on the spot and paid him $25,000 a year, which was then a huge salary for a radio personality. Pyne was given the night show on KLAC. Part of the agreement with Pyne was that Henry and Lightfoot would give him broad control of his program content.

The show was an immediate success. Henry encouraged the confrontation with listeners and guests for which Pyne became famous. Pyne coined the line "Go gargle with razor blades," for guests with whom he disagreed. The Pyne show was the beginning of the confrontational talk format that later spread across the radio spectrum. At one point in the 1960s, the Joe Pyne show was syndicated on over 250 radio stations in the United States.

In an odd turn of events, Pyne's radio show led him to television. Henry suggested to John Kluge that Joe Pyne should be put on Metromedia's newly acquired TV station in Los Angeles, KTTV-TV. Kluge told Henry to speak to KTTV-TV general manager Al Kriven, but Henry had already done that, and Kriven had adamantly refused. Kluge telephoned Kriven, and Pyne soon became the nation's first controversial late-night talk television host. ''The Joe Pyne Show'' on KTTV-TV quickly shot to the top of the ratings. The format later proliferated on cable television with a variety of new hosts, many of them taking on a similar persona to Joe Pyne. Joe Pyne and Alan Henry were major factors in establishing a new trend in radio and television programming. Alan Henry elaborates on the launching of Joe Pyne on KLAC radio and KTTV-TV in his memoir ''A Man and His Medium''.

Two [[radio station]]s – [[KMOX]], 1120 [[AM radio|AM]] in [[St. Louis, Missouri]], and [[KABC radio|KABC]], 790 AM in [[Los Angeles]] – adopted an all-[[talk show]] format in 1960, and both claim to be the first to have done so. KABC station manager Ben Hoberman and KMOX station manager [[Robert Hyland]] independently developed the all-talk format. [[KTKK]], 630 AM in Salt Lake City, then known as KSXX, adopted a full-time talk schedule in 1965 and is the third station in the country to have done so. KSXX started with all local talent, and KTKK, which now airs on 1640 AM, has a larger portion of its schedule featuring local talent than most other stations that run a full schedule of talk.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, as many listeners abandoned AM music formats for the [[high fidelity]] sound of [[FM radio]], the talk radio format began to catch on in more large cities. Former music stations such as [[KLIF (AM)|KLIF]] ([[Dallas]], [[Texas]]), [[WLW]] ([[Cincinnati, Ohio]]), [[WHAS (AM)|WHAS]] ([[Louisville, Kentucky]]), [[WHAM (AM)|WHAM]] ([[Rochester, New York]]), [[WLS (AM)|WLS]] ([[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]]), [[KFI (AM)|KFI]] ([[Los Angeles]], [[California]]), [[WRKO]] ([[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]), [[WWKB|WKBW]] ([[Buffalo, New York]]), and [[WABC (AM)|WABC]] ([[New York City|New York, New York]]) made the switch to all-talk as their ratings slumped due to listener migration to the FM band. Since the turn of the 21st century, with many music listeners now migrating to digital platforms such as [[Pandora Radio]], [[Sirius XM Radio]], and the numerous variations of the [[iPod]], talk radio has been expanding on the FM side of the dial as well.

===Shock{{anchor|Hot_talk}}===
'''Hot talk''', also called '''FM talk''' or '''shock talk''',<ref>{{cite journal|title=Ed Tyll Fires Up Growing 'Hot Talk' Category|journal=[[Mediaweek (American magazine)|Mediaweek]]|date=1999-04-05|volume=9|issue=14|page=16|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/services/business-services-miscellaneous-business/4805045-1.html|last=Bachman|first=Katy|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512012328/http://www.allbusiness.com/services/business-services-miscellaneous-business/4805045-1.html |archive-date=May 12, 2011}}</ref> is a talk radio format geared predominantly to a male demographic between the ages of 18 and 49. It generally consists of [[popular culture|pop culture]] subjects on [[FM radio]] rather than the political talk found on AM radio. Hosts of hot talk shows are usually known as ''[[shock jock]]s''.

[[Clear Channel Communications]] (which became iHeartMedia in 2015) has a select few hot talk stations under the moniker ''Real Radio'', while [[CBS Radio]] once had a larger chain of hot talkers known as [[Free FM]], though the brand was abandoned after a post-Howard Stern attempt to network the format failed within a year. It is usually found on FM radio [[active rock]], [[classic rock]], and country stations in morning drive, as the actual hot talk formatted stations have only achieved mediocre success as a whole compared to AM or conservative talk radio, or even FM music radio. It is also effectively a format that is unviable during an average workday in North America, due to the format's tendency to discuss topics wholly inappropriate for a workplace setting, and outside of discussions of attractiveness, largely repels women as regular listeners.

In March 2018, CBS Radio's corporate successor Entercom (now [[Audacy, Inc.]]) attempted a hot talk format in San Diego with [[KWFN|KEGY]] ''97.3 The Machine''. It featured a weekday lineup devoted to hot talk programs, blocks of [[classic rock]] interspersed with comedy bits during off-peak hours, and coverage of [[San Diego Padres]] baseball. However, the station attracted controversy later that month, when an advertisement for the station's forthcoming morning show ''Kevin Klein Live'' (which invited listeners to "jump ... to a new morning show", accompanied by a picture of the [[Coronado Bridge]]) was criticized for glorifying [[Suicide bridge|suicide by bridge jumping]]. The ensuing controversy prompted the Padres to scrutinize KEGY's direction; executive [[Ron Fowler]] voiced concerns over the team being associated with KEGY's "shock jock" content, threatening to possibly cut ties with the station and Entercom.<ref name="ut-couldend">{{Cite news|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/sd-sp-ron-fowler-says-padres-could-end-radio-relationship-0328-story.html|title=Ron Fowler says Padres could end relationship with new radio partner|last=Kenney|first=Kirk|work=San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date=2018-03-29|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="ut-nowshow">{{Cite news|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/sd-sp-padres-radio-station-morning-show-host-kevin-klein-a-no-show-0330-story.html|title=Radio host who caused uproar on new Padres station is a no-show|last=Kenney|first=Kirk|work=San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date=2018-03-30|language=en-US}}</ref> Kevin Klein's program never premiered, and the hot talk format was ultimately dropped on April 12, 2018, in favor of a conventional sports format as ''97.3 The Fan''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/sd-sp-padres-radio-station-now-all-sports-973-the-fan-0412-story.html|title=Padres flagship radio station goes all-sports and rebrands as 97.3 The Fan|last=Kenney|first=Kirk|work=San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date=2018-04-12|language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2019, [[JVC Media]] began to establish a hot talk network in Florida branded as ''Florida Man Radio'' (in reference to the "[[Florida Man]]" [[internet meme]]), beginning with [[WDYZ (AM)|WDYZ]] in Orlando. The network has picked up personalities such as [[The Shannon Burke Show|Shannon Burke]] and [[Ed Tyll]], with the syndicated ''[[Bubba the Love Sponge]]'' serving as its morning show.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-08-19|title=The Answer Completes Its Move In Orlando|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/179473/salem-begins-orlando-format-shuffle/|access-date=2019-08-23|website=RadioInsight|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-08-23|title=JVC Media To Launch Florida Man Radio In Orlando|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/179941/jvc-media-to-launch-florida-man-radio-in-orlando/|access-date=2019-08-23|website=RadioInsight|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-11-05|title=Florida Man Radio Expanding To Gainesville; Adds Ed Tyll|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/181550/florida-man-radio-expanding-to-gainesville-adds-ed-tyll/|access-date=2019-11-06|website=RadioInsight|language=en-US}}</ref> In 2022, after receiving the station in a trade from Audacy, [[Beasley Broadcast Group]]'s [[KXTE]] in Las Vegas shifted to a hot talk format for its weekday lineup, which consists primarily of syndicated morning shows (including ''Dave and Mahoney'', for which it is the flagship station, as well as ''[[Free Beer and Hot Wings]]'', and ''Dave & Chuck the Freak'' from sister [[WRIF]] in Detroit).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-19 |title=Alt 107.5 Las Vegas Returns To Former X107.5 Branding With Hot Talk Flip |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/246265/alt-107-5-las-vegas-returns-to-former-x107-5-branding-with-hot-talk-flip/ |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=RadioInsight |language=en-US}}</ref>

The genre has also shown up on [[satellite radio]] and in [[podcast]]ing, which typically have more creative freedom due to the lack of indecency rules and lower reliance on corporate advertising.

Other U.S. hosts specialize in talk radio [[comedy]], such as [[Phil Hendrie]], who voices his fictional guests and occasionally does parodies of other programs.

===Political===
{{see also|Conservative talk radio|Progressive talk radio}}
The [[United States]] saw dramatic growth in the popularity of talk radio during the 1990s due to the repeal of the [[Federal Communications Commission]]'s post-war [[Fairness Doctrine]] of 1949, in 1987. The mandate of the [[Fairness Doctrine]] was to require that audiences were exposed to a diversity of viewpoints.

It had required the holders of broadcast licenses to "present controversial issues of public importance" and to do so in a manner that was, in the commission's view, "honest, equitable and balanced". Its repeal provided an opportunity for a kind of partisan political programming with commercial appeal that had not previously existed.

The most successful pioneer in the early 1990s' talk radio movement in the US was the [[American conservatism|politically conservative]] commentator [[Rush Limbaugh]]. Limbaugh's success demonstrated that there was a nationwide market for a passionately delivered conservative polemic on contemporary news, events, and social trends, and changed the face of how the talk radio business was conducted. Unrestrained (by the Fairness Doctrine), cheering for one's political party, and especially against the other, had become popular entertainment which rapidly changed the way politics nationally was discussed, perceived, and conducted.

Other radio talk show hosts (who describe themselves as either conservative or [[Right-libertarianism|libertarian]]) have also had success as nationally syndicated hosts, including [[Hugh Hewitt]], [[Sean Hannity]], [[Jon Arthur (radio host)|Jon Arthur]], [[Glenn Beck]], [[Michael Medved]], [[Laura Ingraham]], [[Neal Boortz]], [[Michael Savage (commentator)|Michael Savage]], [[Bill O'Reilly (commentator)|Bill O'Reilly]], [[Larry Gaiters]], and [[Mark Levin]].

The [[Salem Radio Network]] syndicates a group of religiously oriented Republican activists, including [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] Christian [[Hugh Hewitt]] and Jewish conservatives [[Dennis Prager]] and [[Michael Medved]]; these are mostly distributed in a 24-hour network format among Salem's stations, and they generally earn ratings much less than their syndicated counterparts.

In the summer of 2007, conservative talk show hosts mobilized public opposition to the [[Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007|McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill]], which eventually failed.<ref>{{cite web|first=Duncan|last=Currie|url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/628wcxju.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123222723/http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/628wcxju.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 23, 2008|title=Beyond the Border|publisher=Weeklystandard.com|date=2008-01-22|access-date=2008-11-24}}</ref> Conservative hosts Limbaugh, Ingraham, Bennett, Prager, Hannity, Beck, Levin, and Hewitt coalesced around endorsing former Massachusetts governor [[Mitt Romney]] for [[President (government title)|president]] at the end of January 2008 (after [[Fred Thompson]], the described favorite of some of the hosts, dropped out), to oppose the nomination of Senator [[John McCain]];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dotan.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/limbaugh-ingraham-bennett-prager-beck-hannity-levin-and-hewitt-plan-concerted-attack-on-sen-mccain-over-the-airwaves-to-promote-romneys-candidacy/|title=Limbaugh, Ingraham, Bennett, Prager, Beck, Hannity, Levin, and Hewitt plan concerted attack on Sen. McCain over the airwaves to promote Romney's candidacy|date=3 February 2008|access-date=13 February 2017}}</ref> however, Romney suspended his campaign in February of the same year and endorsed McCain. During the primaries, Limbaugh in particular had endorsed a plan to do whatever it took to prolong the Democrats' nomination by encouraging political conservatives to cross over to the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] and voting for the trailing candidate, a plan he called "[[The Rush Limbaugh Show#Operation Chaos|Operation Chaos]]".

Conservative talk show hosts also lent their unified support for congressional candidate [[Doug Hoffman]], a conservative third-party candidate who was running in [[New York's 23rd congressional district special election, 2009]], against a liberal Republican ([[Dierdre Scozzafava]]) and a mainstream Democrat ([[Bill Owens (congressman)|Bill Owens]]). The unified support from the conservative base helped propel Hoffman to frontrunner status and effectively killed Scozzafava's campaign, forcing her to drop out of the race several days before the election. This effort backfired on the conservative hosts, as the Democratic candidate Owens won in part thanks to Scozzafava's endorsement of Owens. Local hosts, such as Los Angeles's [[John and Ken]], have also proven effective in influencing the political landscape.

[[Libertarianism|Libertarian]]s such as [[Dennis Miller]] (based in [[Los Angeles]]), Jon Arthur, host of ''Jon Arthur Live!'' (based in Florida), Patti Brooks [[KGMI]] (based in the Pacific Northwest), Free Talk Live (based in [[New Hampshire]]), [[Penn Jillette]] (based in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]]), [[Jay Severin]] (based in [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]]), and [[Mark Davis (talk show host)|Mark Davis]] (based in [[Fort Worth]] and [[Dallas]], [[Texas]]) have also achieved some success. Many of these hosts also publish books, write newspaper columns, appear on television, and give public lectures.

Politically [[liberal talk radio]] aimed at a national audience also emerged in the mid-2000s. [[Air America (radio network)|Air America]], a network featuring ''[[The Al Franken Show]]'', was founded in 2004. It billed itself as a "progressive alternative" to the conservative talk radio shows.

Some prominent examples of liberal talk radio shows either previously or currently in national syndication include: [[Dial Global]] talk show hosts [[Ed Schultz]] (who moved on to hosting on [[MSNBC]] and later on [[RT America]]), [[Stephanie Miller]],<ref>The Stephanie Miller Show http://www.stephaniemiller.com/</ref> [[Thom Hartmann]],<ref>The Thom Hartmann Show http://www.thomhartmann.com/</ref> and [[Bill Press]];<ref>The Bill Press Show http://www.billpressshow.com/</ref> [[Norman Goldman]]<ref>The Norman Goldman Show http://normangoldman.com {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417200639/http://www.normangoldman.com/ |date=2015-04-17 }}</ref> (not with Dial Global and is a self-described independent) is still included on syndication stations – see [[WCPT (AM)]]. Goldman began as the high-rating fill-in host and "Senior Legal Analyst" for Ed Schultz before launching his show; [[The Young Turks (talk show)|The Young Turks]]; Fox former co-host of Hannity and Colmes, [[Alan Colmes]], First Amendment Radio Network libertarian host [[Jon Arthur]], and [[Mike Malloy]], progressive radio [[WFTE]] FM's [[Dorothy And Dick]], and Premiere's [[Randi Rhodes]] (not on radio 2015).

In some markets, local liberal hosts have existed for years, such as the British talk host [[Michael Jackson (radio commentator)|Michael Jackson]] (who was on the air at [[KABC (AM)|KABC]] in Los Angeles beginning in 1968 and is currently at [[KMZT (AM)|KMZT]]); [[Bernie Ward]] in [[San Francisco]]; Jack Ellery in New Jersey and Tampa; [[Dave Ross]] in Seattle, and [[Marc Germain]] in Los Angeles. A few earlier syndicated programs were hosted by prominent Democrats who were not experienced broadcasters, such as [[Jim Hightower]], [[Jerry Brown]], [[Mario Cuomo]], and [[Alan Dershowitz]]; these met with limited success, and Air America has been faced with various legal and financial problems.

Air America was sold to a new owner in March 2007, hired well-known programmer David Bernstein, and began its "re-birth." Bernstein subsequently left in early 2008, but the struggling network remained on the air with a revamped line-up.

On January 21, 2010, Air America radio ceased live programming citing a difficulty with the current economic environment and announced that it would file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy production and liquidate itself. The network ended operations on January 25, 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2010/01/air_america_radio_goes_silent.html|title=Air America Radio Goes Silent, Makes Bankruptcy Filing|website=NPR.org|date=21 January 2010 |language=en|access-date=2019-09-23|last1=James |first1=Frank }}</ref>

Clear Channel/iHeartMedia, with nearly 1,300 radio stations under its ownership – along with other owners – has in recent years added more [[liberal talk]] stations to their portfolio{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}. These have primarily come from the conversion of AM facilities, most of which formerly had [[adult standards]] formats. Many complaints (all radio stations are required by the FCC to maintain, in their public files, copies of all correspondence from the public relating to station operations – for a period of three years from receipt) have been received from fans of this musical genre ([[Tony Bennett]], [[Frank Sinatra]], [[big band music]]," etc.) – but the left-leaning talk programming leans toward a much younger [[demographic]]{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}, a group that advertisers covet. More recently, however, Clear Channel has been dropping liberal formats in favor of their own [[Fox Sports Radio]] network. By 2014, most liberal talk stations had abandoned the format, forcing hosts to find other ways to distribute their programming.

Liberal opinion radio has long existed on the [[Pacifica Radio|Pacifica]] network, though only available in a small number of major cities, and in formats that more often act as a volunteer-run community forum than as a platform for charismatic hosts who would be likely to attract a large audience. The one major host to become popular on the network is [[Amy Goodman]], whose ''[[Democracy Now!]]'' interview and journalism program is broadcast nationwide.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

Conservative critics have long complained that the long-format news programming on [[National Public Radio]] (NPR) shows a liberal bias, although this was disputed once in 2004 by [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]] (FAIR), a ''progressive'' media criticism organization, which found that, for example, "representatives of think tanks to the right of center outnumbered those to the left of center by more than four to one: 62 appearances to 15."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1180|title=How Public Is Public Radio?|publisher=FAIR.org|date=May–June 2004|access-date=2009-05-01}}</ref>
National Public Radio itself denies any partisan agenda.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/about/ethics/ |title=NPR News Code of Ethics |publisher=National Public Radio |date=n.d. |access-date=2009-09-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090917095958/http://www.npr.org/about/ethics/ |archive-date=September 17, 2009 }} Section III of the code states that NPR "...separate<nowiki>[s]</nowiki> our personal opinions – such as an individual's religious beliefs or political ideology – from the subjects we are covering. We do not approach any coverage with overt or hidden agendas."</ref> Politically oriented talk programs on the network are in the mold of ''[[Talk of the Nation]]'', which was designed to be a soundboard for the varied opinions of listeners.

While politically oriented talk is still heard on the AM dial (mostly the conservative format), it has seen some expanding onto the FM dial. One notable example was [[WPGB]] in [[Pittsburgh]], which switched to a talk format in 2004 after years of having several different music formats, branding itself as "FM News Talk 104.7" due to the relative uncommonness of politically oriented talk on the FM side of the dial even in 2013 while FM talk, in general, has expanded. Owned by Clear Channel and stylized as one of Clear Channel's typical conservative-leaning AM talk stations, WPGB's ratings were steadily high during its time as a talk station, whereas the station's numerous music formats were among the lowest in the Pittsburgh market before switching.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/tv-radio/radio-notes-wpgb-tops-morning-drive-ratings-256997/ | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | title=Radio notes: WPGB tops morning drive ratings – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette}}</ref> Clear Channel, which owns WPGB, has shifted some of their talk stations from full-power FM signals to lower-range translator stations which use AM or [[HD Radio]] subchannel stations to originate those broadcasts; WPGB fired its [[The War Room with Quinn and Rose|morning show]] in December 2013 and switched back to music in August 2014, selling the format rights to AM station [[WJAS]].

===Insults, advice and mystery===
There had been some precursors for talk radio show stars, such as the Los Angeles-area controversialist [[Joe Pyne]], who would attack callers on his program in the early 1960s – one of his famous insults was "gargle with razor blades"; the similar [[Bob Grant (radio host)|Bob Grant]] in New York City; and [[Wally George]] in Southern California.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americanfilms.com/play.cfm?clipid=86&cid=0 |title=Wally George vs. Morton Downey, Jr |access-date=November 24, 2008 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080717085246/http://www.americanfilms.com/play.cfm?clipid=86&cid=0 |archive-date=July 17, 2008 }}</ref>

Talk radio also included personal relationship consultants such as [[Laura Schlessinger]] and [[Barbara De Angelis]] both heard on [[KFI]] AM in Los Angeles. Host [[Larry Elder]] on [[KABC (AM)]] was a lawyer before entering the talk radio market. [[Leo Laporte]] offers consumers computer advice. Business and real estate advice shows, paid health supplement presentations and religious programs are widely available.

[[Paranormal radio shows]] have had a place on radio for several decades; while the format has never been successful on a full-time basis, it has proven popular in the overnight [[graveyard slot]]. Long John Nebel's program was one of the first to devote itself to the concept before it was further fleshed out by [[Art Bell]], whose ''[[Coast to Coast AM]]'' went on to have comparable popularity to daytime talk hosts of his era. Bell had a long-running, on-and-off relationship with the show he founded, often leaving the show and returning on an erratic basis, also starting up new shows such as ''Dreamland'', ''[[Art Bell's Dark Matter]],'' and ''Midnight in the Desert'' only to quit them a few weeks into their run; Bell died in 2018. ''Coast to Coast AM'' continues with [[George Noory]] as the permanent lead host, with a rotating host on weekends. Clyde Lewis and [[Jason Hawes]] also host nationally syndicated paranormal shows.

===Sports===
[[Sports radio|Sports talk radio]] can be found locally and nationally in the US; as of 2013, five national full-time sports talk networks exist. The oldest existing network, dating to 1991, is [[SportsMap]] (although it has only been branded as such since 2020 and has rebranded frequently over the years). Market leader [[ESPN Radio]] followed shortly thereafter in 1992, followed by [[Fox Sports Radio]] c. 2000 and the near-concurrent entries of CBS Sports Radio (now [[Infinity Sports Network]]) and [[NBC Sports Radio]] in late 2012 and early 2013. Most of these, however, air on weak, low-budget AM stations; the most successful sports talk stations operate primarily with local programs and supplement their programming with the [[broadcasting of sports events]], usually involving the local teams in the [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|major professional sports leagues]]. This adds significant expenses to the station's operations, and must be balanced carefully with the regular talk schedule, as an incendiary view about the team by a host can lead to that team pulling their broadcasts from the station.

Local stations may also hire personalities with [[hot take|polarizing opinions about sports topics and athletes]] to make some kind of national impact that might turn off listeners, and in large markets, sports talk stations may be made up of personalities [[brokered programming|who pay stations for their show time and their advertising]], disallowing any natural flow between each program, along with in-station competitions about whose show has the most impact.

===Ratings===
Pew researchers found in 2004 that 17% of the public regularly listens to talk radio. This audience is mostly male, middle-aged, and conservative. Among those who regularly listen to talk radio, 41% are Republican and 28% are Democrats. Furthermore, 45% describe themselves as conservatives, compared with 18% who say they are progressive/liberals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=834 |title=News Audiences Increasingly Politicized |publisher=People-press.org |date=June 8, 2004 |access-date=2008-11-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423161812/http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?PageID=834 |archive-date=April 23, 2008 }}</ref> In 2011, the [[Arbitron]] [[portable people meter]] ratings system, compiled data suggesting that out of 11 nationally rated radio formats, talk radio had lost nearly the most market share<ref>{{cite journal|last=Harker|author2=Bos |title=How's News-Talk Doing?|journal=Radio Insights|year=2011|url=http://www.radioinsights.com/2011/10/hows-news-talk-doing.html}}</ref> and ratings continue to slide.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Harker|title=Is News/Talk Radio in Trouble?|journal=Radio Insights|url=http://www.radioinsights.com/2012/06/is-newstalk-radio-in-trouble.html}}</ref>  In 2013, Arbitron's executive summary noted that " 92% of consumers aged 12 years and older listen to the radio each week" and "news-talk-information and talk-personality remained number one in PPM markets and number two in the rest of the U.S."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arbitron.com/downloads/Radio_Today_2013_execsum.pdf|title=Radio Today 2013|website=arbitron.com|access-date=2 September 2023}}</ref>

Some of the [[list of most-listened-to radio programs|most-listened-to radio programs]] in the United States are talk radio shows or have talk radio elements like ''[[The Sean Hannity Show]]'' and ''[[All Things Considered]]''.<!--See that article for sources-->