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Sean Hannity edges Bill O'Reilly in ratings war

Two Irish Americans now battle for top spot on cable 'news'

By
BUZZ BRADY
,
IrishCentral.com Showbiz Columnist

Published Friday, November 27, 2009, 9:32 PM
Updated Friday, November 27, 2009, 9:45 PM

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Sean Hannity edges Bill O'Reilly in ratings war | Irish News | IrishCentral




Read more: Sean Hannity, Media, Television, TV News Shows, Bill O'Reilly
Presidential run? Sean Hannity would be a solid Republican choice for 2012
Sean Hannit

Let the battle begin.

The two Celtic warriors, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, are now officially in a duel to the death after Hannity surpassed O'Reilly as the top cable newscaster of the past week.

Sean Hannity's Wednesday interview with Sarah Palin averaged 4.2 million viewers, which was sufficient to crack the top ten telecasts in all of cable last week. O'Reilly's interview with Palin averaged 4.12 million viewers.

It marks one of the first times that "Hannity" has ousted "The O'Reilly Factor" from the top spot and sets up a showdown between the two opinionated personalities, who both hail from Long Island, NY.

O'Reilly has been  king of the hill for so long that it was always assumed he would stay as the No. 1 cable news broadcaster. But now it appears than Hannity is closing in.

Since Hannity dropped the liberal Alan Colmes, his ratings have continued to climb. He now seems within striking distance of ousting the venerable O'Reilly.

The two men actually get along well, but if O'Reilly senses a younger challenger -- that might change. O'Reilly is arguably the more moderate of the two, and often has good things to say about Barack Obama, for instance.  Not so Hannity -- who despises the commander in chief and has been leading the charge against his policies.

There has also been talk of Hannity pursuing a political career, chatter that he does not seek to dampen down. Perhaps his rise in the ratings is what has spurred O'Reilly to do regular slots with Glenn Beck, the fire-eating conservative who is moving fast up the Fox rankings.
 

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Sean Hannity edges Bill O'Reilly in ratings war | Irish News | IrishCentral


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Posted by IrishAndProud on Jan 20, 2010, 02:54 PM EST
Groggo9, a person's 'Irishness' does not depend on if they personally agree with YOU, or not. Sean Hannity does not have to 'try' being relevant; the sheer numbers of his viewers back him up (did you even read the article, above?). Heavily Irish Massachussetts just openly and enthusiastically put a conservative Republican in Ted Kennedy's old seat. You're on the outs, my (wo)man.
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Posted by Groggo9 on Jan 15, 2010, 07:31 PM EST
so sorry...just a note of information...all other news shows in the US are covering the tragedy in Haiti and Seanny boy is try to be relevant having a " chat " with Sara Palin.. OH yea he's Irish alright..oh I just got sick.....yea baby . Why don't you do something positive yourselves " IRISH CENTRAL " and do a piece on a good Irishman named Marc Carroll... now He"s a real Irishman... good luck..!
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Posted by Groggo9 on Jan 15, 2010, 07:23 PM EST
One more note...why would you idolize this beady eyed clown anyways?? Oh, because he's on TV.. so sad...
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Posted by Groggo9 on Jan 15, 2010, 07:20 PM EST
Here you have it folks...Who really gives a fly crap about either of these pucks that wrap themselves in the Irish flag...They work for a garbage collector and think they are relevant...Seriously the only people they spew their hatred to are the ignorants of this fine country...OHH and how we love to HATE.....especially our fellow Americans..Look around an see the sh-t storm that they have created and now are blaming The President of the United States...Who are these guys...freaking whimps for sure. But hey now they have a new contender ---Sara Palin, and I bet she can kick both their candy white asses...
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Posted by ciarrai on Nov 30, 2009, 05:20 PM EST
They are newscasters like Sarah Palin visited Ireland. They are frauds and are a disgrace to the Irish. They really are a shame. Hannity has helped spread a great deal of anti-Obama sentiment and ought to be looked at by the Secret Service.
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Posted by sheilamcdougal on Nov 30, 2009, 11:17 AM EST
Please do not refer to Hannity, O'Reilly or Beck as "newscasters" or as hosting "news" programs. Fox itself admitted that the News on their station is broadcast only during certain short times, none of the times when these "hosts" are on air. They are entertainment. Such a pity that instead of finding out the facts, we Americans prefer to be entertained. I have taken to watching News Hour with Jim Lerher. You get intelligent,in depth stories which give a clear unbiased view of the news. I still read 2 newspapers, look occasionally at some blogs and read up as best I can. However, I have understood various issues far better with News Hour than by listening to sound bytes on network TV,or listening to pundits and entertainers on Cable.


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