The Mark Levin Show

The Mark Levin Show
Genre talk radio
Running time 3 hours (6–9 p.m. ET)
Country United States
Language(s) English
Home station WABC, New York City (2002–present)
WMAL, Washington, D. C. (de facto, 2006–present)
Syndicates Westwood One
Host(s) Mark Levin
Recording studio Loudoun County, Virginia
Air dates since May 5, 2002 (local); January 30, 2006 (national)
Opening theme "Somewhere I Belong"
Website www.marklevinshow.com

The Mark Levin Show is a conservative talk radio show hosted by Mark Levin. The program is broadcast nationwide on Westwood One and reaches an estimated seven million weekly listeners, according to an estimate from Talkers Magazine. The Talkers estimate puts Levin's listenership in a tie with The Glenn Beck Radio Program for fourth most-listened-to talk radio show in the United States[1] and, counting all radio formats, tied for ninth most-listened-to radio program in the United States.

History

Mark Levin

Levin began his radio hosting career in 2002 as a Sunday afternoon host on WABC.[2] WABC assigned Levin to fill in starting on June 16, 2003 after the station dropped The Savage Nation on the 7–9 p.m. timeslot weeknights.[3] On September 2, 2003, his show moved to the 6–7 p.m. timeslot on WABC.[4] Levin's WABC program expanded to 2 hours starting May 17, 2004.[5]

On January 30, 2006, ABC Radio Newtorks began syndicating the show. Initially, ABC expanded the program to three other stations, including WMAL in Levin's local Washington Metropolitan Area.[6][7] On February 2, 2009, the program expanded to 3 hours (6–9 p.m. ET). ABC's radio assets later changed hands to Citadel Broadcasting in 2007, then to Cumulus Media in 2011; in 2013, Cumulus combined all of its radio assets under the banner of Westwood One. Levin signed a five-year contract extension with Westwood One in January 2015.[8]

The Mark Levin Show can be heard on over 150 stations and the SIRIUS XM Patriot channel. Levin's show has been rated number one in its time slot in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas–Fort Worth and Washington, D.C.[7]

Format

His radio show, a mix of political and social commentary from a conservative point of view, covers legal issues in some detail, including decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court. Levin follows the traditional talk radio model of taking listener calls throughout the show.

Levin uses his own on-air jargon, some of which he invented and some of which he popularized. He is notable for his passion and patriotism.[9] The show in particular focuses on advocacy for constitutional governance and highlights issues where various levels of government, including Congress and the Executive Branch, are acting in violation of the Constitution. The show has been equally critical of Republicans and Democrats, both while in power and out of power. Levin is a Constitutional expert with several best sellers published and whose legal foundation has successfully sued government on numerous occasions.

Each show opens with the announcer intoning, "He's here. He's here. Now broadcasting from the underground command post, deep in the bowels of a hidden bunker, somewhere under the brick and steel of a nondescript building, we have once again made contact with our leader — Mark Levin!" Levin explains that he broadcasts his show from the basement of his home instead of a radio studio.[10] The last part about "making contact with our leader" is in homage to Boris & Natasha from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show of the early 1960s.

Criticism

Former president George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum has criticized Levin for being too aggressive and negative in his analysis;[11] however, Frum has frequently attacked conservative Republicans, including Levin, and has stated that he is not a mainstream Republican.[12]

He also has been criticized for his on-air commercials for Goldline International which was successfully sued by the U.S. Government for fraud and had to repay customers $4.5 million after a judgment. [13]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.talkers.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/audiencechart_march14.jpg
  2. ↑ WABC forum post by program director Phil Boyce
  3. ↑ Hinckley, David (June 22, 2003). "Contract War Deals Savage Blow At 'abc". New York Daily news. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  4. ↑ Hinckley, David (August 22, 2003). "Laura the Lip to WABC". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 31, 2005.
  5. ↑ Edel, Raymond A. (May 14, 2004). "WABC tweaks its programming". The Record (Bergen County, N.J.). Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  6. ↑ "ABC Radio Networks to syndicate the Mark Levin Show" (PDF). Cumulus Media. January 17, 2006. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jeffrey, Terence P.; Ryskind, Allan H. (October 2, 2006). "Mark Levin Takes Talk Radio by Storm". Human Events. Retrieved September 16, 2007.
  8. ↑ "Westwood One Announces Long-Term Extension of The Mark Levin Show". MarkLevinShow.com. January 28, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2015.
  9. ↑ Lopez, Kathyrn Jean. "Jim Webb's Favorite Constituent". National Review Online. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
  10. ↑ Mark Levin, Rescuing Sprite, pp. 75–76.
  11. ↑ Frum, David (13 August 2009). "The Reckless Right Courts Violence; Hysterical Talk from TV and Radio Hosts May Be a Cynical Marketing Exercise. But It's Getting Too Dangerous to Ignore". The Week. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  12. ↑ Frum, David (12 October 2011). "Conceding One To The Critics". FrumForum. Retrieved 2014-07-01.
  13. ↑ http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/goldline-execs-charged-fraud/story?id=14857253

External links