There’s a quiet question about News/Talk radio I’ve been pondering, and it’s getting harder to dodge.
Success used to be defined by reach, ratings, and recognition on the radio dial. Today, the scoreboard feels a lot more crowded, and the lines between platforms keep blurring.
Barrett Media’s Top 20 national news/talk radio shows of 2025, released this week, put that reality front and center. The top half of the list reads like a TV guide as much as a radio ranking. That isn’t an insult. It’s an observation worth unpacking.
At number one sits Clay Travis, who’s a regular presence on Fox News, who hosts his radio show alongside Buck Sexton. Sean Hannity follows at number, and he anchors a Fox News primetime show. Literally, no one in the history of cable news has appeared more than Sean Hannity. Glenn Beck checks in at number three, bringing with him a long TV résumé that includes Fox News, Headline News, and now his own Blaze Media streaming platform.
Megyn Kelly was at number four, after years as one of Fox News’ biggest stars. Dave Ramsey was number five, and he spent years on Fox Business Network. Mark Levin ranked sixth and hosts a Fox News program. Brian Kilmeade comes in at number seven with a daily Fox News gig. Scott Jennings rounds out the top eight and appears regularly on CNN.
That’s not a coincidence. It’s a pattern. You could argue it’s a clear one, at that.
So here’s the uncomfortable question. Are these hosts widely viewed as the best in the business because they’re elite broadcasters who happen to have TV exposure? Or are they dominant radio brands because television gave them name recognition, credibility, and scale that radio alone rarely provides anymore?
The honest answer is probably both. Talent matters, obviously, and nobody climbs to the top of national radio by accident. These are sharp hosts who understand what it takes to get to the top. They know how to create appointment listening, even in an on-demand world.
Still, it’s fair to ask whether radio alone could’ve built these brands in 2025. Decades ago, the answer would’ve been an easy yes. Rush Limbaugh didn’t need a nightly TV show to become a cultural force. Neither did Howard Stern in his prime. Radio once created stars that television chased, not the other way around.
That balance has flipped. Television, streaming, podcasts, and social media now act as accelerants. They widen the funnel, reinforce authority, and turn a host into a “known quantity” before a listener ever finds the station or the app.
Can you just be a “news/talk radio host” today and still win big? I want to believe the answer is yes. Talented radio-first voices are doing strong work across the country. Many connect deeply with loyal audiences who don’t care where else the host appears.
But scale is the sticking point. Influence in today’s media ecosystem is about being unavoidable. It’s about showing up in clips, headlines, panels, podcasts, and feeds. Radio still builds trust, but TV and digital amplify it faster and farther.
That doesn’t mean radio is broken. I think it just means that the job has changed. The most successful hosts aren’t thinking in terms of platforms anymore. The idea of being “just” a radio host is a foreign concept today. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is another topic for another day.
The best hosts are now thinking in terms of presence. Radio is the foundation, not the entire house.
This might say less about individual talent and more about the era we’re in. Attention is fragmented. Loyalty is harder to earn. Audiences expect their favorite voices everywhere, all the time.
Radio-only success still exists, but the ceiling is lower than it used to be. The evidence is sitting right there in the rankings. To dominate nationally in 2025, it helps to sound great on the radio. It helps even more if viewers recognize your face when they turn on the TV.
That’s not a knock on radio. It’s a reminder that today’s biggest voices don’t live on one dial anymore.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
