And The New Leader of Radio's Influential Talkers Is...

Sean Hannity has supplanted Rush Limbaugh on Talkers Magazine’s annual Heavy Hundred list of influential radio talkers.

This is only the second time time this has ever happened in the 24 years the magazine has compiled the list. The only other time Limbaugh was not at top was in 2006 when Howard Stern held the top spot during the period he was transitioned from terrestrial to satellite radio.

Hannity’s influence and friendship with Pres. Donald Trump made this a call they had to make said Michael Harrison, Talkers magazine editor. The pair talk nightly, according to a recent New York magazine piece

“Sean has had an unprecedented year in talk radio,” Harrison told Rodney Ho at ajc.com. “Even last year we had a very intense discussion among our editors whether Sean should have been on top. We held out another year out of our respect for what Rush Limbaugh means to the industry and to the format.”

Indeed, Limbaugh basically invented talk radio as we know it in the late 1980s and remains the most popular host in America.

Harrison said he is willing to take the heat for the change in the rankings though he said his audience is inside the radio business, not consumers.

Check out the full Heavy Hundred list here.

The list is compiled with the following factors in mind: revenue, courage, effort, impact, longevity, potential, recognition, service, talent, and uniqueness.

Here is the top 5:

1. Sean Hannity
2. Rush Limbaugh
3. Dave Ramsey
4. Mark Levin
5. Howard Stern