The Sean Hannity Show
Nationally syndicated conservative talk-radio show hosted by Sean Hannity. It entered national syndication on September 10, 2001 — the day before the 9/11 attacks — and marked its 25th syndicated year in September 2026 on 700+ stations across 99% of the United States.
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- Location
- New York, New York
- Country
- United States
- Host
- Sean Hannity
- Syndicator
- Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia
- Airtime
- Weekdays, 3:00–6:00 pm ET
- Format
- Conservative political talk; news commentary, interviews, listener call-ins
- National syndication launch
- September 10, 2001 — the day before the September 11 attacks
- 2026 footprint
- 700+ stations, 99% U.S. coverage, 250M+ podcast downloads (Premiere Networks)
- Major awards
- Two NAB Marconi Awards for Nationally Syndicated Personality of the Year; three consecutive Radio & Records National Talk Show Host of the Year wins; inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2017
Overview
The Sean Hannity Show is the rare national institution whose birth date doubles as a historical marker. The conservative talk-radio program entered national syndication in September 2001 — its syndicator, Premiere Networks, frames the launch itself as “a storied syndication launch the day before the 9/11 attacks,” which dates it to September 10, 2001 (Premiere Networks; Inside Radio). A quarter century later, the show remains the format’s anchor: in September 2026 Premiere announced the program’s 25th year in syndication on more than 700 stations reaching 99% of the United States, with Premiere calling Sean Hannity the most-listened-to talk radio host in the country and the show’s podcast feed past 250 million downloads (Inside Radio). The program airs live weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. ET on iHeartRadio and Hannity.com (Everand).
From college radio to national syndication
Hannity’s radio career began inauspiciously. His first talk-radio experience came in 1989 as a host on KCSB-FM, the volunteer college station of UC Santa Barbara; he then placed advertisements in radio publications billing himself “the most talked about college radio host in America,” which won him a job at WVNN in Athens, Alabama, before he succeeded Neal Boortz at WGST in Atlanta in 1992 (The Sean Hannity Show (archived)). His break came in September 1996, when Fox News founder Roger Ailes hired him to co-host Hannity & Colmes, and the radio show’s New York flagship was WABC (AM) by 2012 (The Sean Hannity Show (archived)).
The station history took a dramatic turn in January 2014, when Hannity shifted the program from WABC to WOR in New York, with Michael Savage taking over his old slots (The American Spectator). The early Nielsen returns vindicated the move: comparing January 2013 with January 2014, the WOR audience in Hannity’s time slot was up 22% in the coveted 25–54 demographic while Savage’s inherited WABC audience was down 34.9%, with a similar pattern in Dallas, where Savage fell 40% and Hannity quadrupled his new station’s ratings (The American Spectator).
The audience, the awards, and the microphone
The show’s business case has always been its audience, and the numbers in its own anniversary materials are the most defensible: at the 20th anniversary in September 2021, Premiere put the program on more than 650 stations reaching “tens of millions” of listeners, with a +19% audience gain in adults 25–54 (Nielsen Audio, FA’20) and a #1 ranking among news/talk stations in New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Tampa, Raleigh, Norfolk, Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Houston, San Antonio, Phoenix, San Diego, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and other markets (Premiere Networks). Trade recognition followed the scale: the TALKERS industry ranking placed Hannity No. 1 on its Heavy Hundred list of the most important radio talk hosts in 2021 (Premiere Networks), and Premiere says he has held that No. 1 spot for five consecutive years through 2026 (Inside Radio). The trophy case includes two National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Awards for Nationally Syndicated Personality of the Year, three consecutive Radio & Records National Talk Show Host of the Year wins, and a 2017 induction into the Radio Hall of Fame (Premiere Networks; Inside Radio).
The program’s reach shows up in the episodes that became news events. On October 10, 2019, the show broadcast live from the Minnesota Trump rally, with Fox News contributor Lawrence Jones and author Trisha Hope as guests — and Hope used the airtime to announce a fundraising tie-in with Bikers for Trump: $5.00 of each sale of her book Just the Tweets would go to the group when buyers used the coupon code “bikers” (Everand). A talk show that launched the day before 9/11 had become, two decades on, a rally floor with its own merchandise economy.
What this profile does not claim
It does not assert a single current weekly-listener figure — estimates in older coverage range from roughly 11 to 16 million depending on the era and the source, and this profile instead uses Premiere Networks’ own 2021 and 2026 framings with attribution. It does not give the years of the two Marconi Awards (commonly cited as 2003 and 2007), because those years were not verified to a source read in full. It does not repeat reported contract figures, including a widely cited 2008 five-year, $100 million deal, for the same reason. The early career history comes from the host’s own archived site — usable for uncontested dates and stations, but first-party. And the “most-listened-to talk radio host” claim is Premiere’s, reported by the trade press — not an independent audit.
Timeline
- 1989
- Sean Hannity hosts his first talk-radio show at KCSB-FM, UC Santa Barbara's volunteer college station.
- 1992
- After a stint at WVNN in Athens, Alabama, he succeeds Neal Boortz at WGST in Atlanta.
- 2001
- The Sean Hannity Show enters national syndication on September 10 — the day before the September 11 attacks.
- 2012
- The show's New York flagship is WABC (AM), per the host's official site.
- 2014
- In January, Hannity shifts the show to WOR in New York; Nielsen figures show the WOR audience in his slot up 22% in the 25–54 demo versus a year earlier.
- 2017
- Hannity is inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame.
- 2021
- Premiere Networks marks the show's 20th year in national syndication: 650+ stations, tens of millions of listeners, and a No. 1 ranking on TALKERS' Heavy Hundred.
- 2026
- Premiere marks the 25th year in syndication: 700+ stations reaching 99% of the U.S., and 250 million podcast downloads to date.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- The specific years of the two Marconi Awards (widely given as 2003 and 2007) were not verified to a source read in full for this profile.
- Reported contract figures for the show, including a widely cited 2008 five-year, $100 million deal, were not verified to a read-in-full source and are not asserted here.
- A single current weekly-listener figure is not asserted; estimates vary by era and source, so the profile uses Premiere Networks' own 2021 and 2026 framings with attribution.
Sources
5 sources (2 tier 2, 1 tier 3, 2 first-party), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Statements the subject makes about itself are marked as such and are not treated as independent evidence. See the source policy.
This profile rests on Inside Radio (tier2) for the September 2026 25th-anniversary milestone, on Premiere Networks' own 20th-anniversary press release (first-party) for the syndication story and awards record, on the host's archived official site (first-party) for the early radio career, and on The American Spectator (tier3) for the uncontested 2014 station move. Exact publication days were not printed on the Inside Radio and Spectator pages as fetched, so those two source dates use the research date; listener figures are Premiere's own framings, attributed as such.
- Supports: 25th-anniversary milestone: syndicated run launched September 2001 'just before the Sept. 11 attacks'; 700+ stations reaching 99% of the U.S.; Premiere says Hannity remains the most-listened-to talk radio host in the U.S.; 250M+ podcast downloads; two Marconi Awards for Nationally Syndicated Personality of the Year; Radio Hall of Fame induction in 2017. Open original source
- Supports: October 10, 2019 episode: Lawrence Jones (Fox News contributor) and Trisha Hope ('Just the Tweets') live from the Minnesota Trump rally; Hope's $5.00-per-book fundraising tie-in with Bikers for Trump via coupon code 'bikers'; show airs weekdays 3–6 pm ET on iHeartRadio and Hannity.com. Open original source
- Hannity Radio Surges Tier 3Supports: January 2014 station change: Hannity shifted to WOR from WABC in New York, with Michael Savage taking his old slot; Nielsen January 2013 vs January 2014 — WOR audience in Hannity's slot up 22% in the 25-54 demo, Savage at WABC down 34.9%; similar pattern in Dallas (Savage −40%, Hannity 'quadrupling his new station's ratings'); Hannity beating old stations KABC (Los Angeles) and WABC. Open original source
- Supports: 20th-anniversary announcement: 650+ stations, tens of millions of listeners, TALKERS No. 1 Heavy Hundred in 2021, Nielsen audience figures (+19% A25-54; #1 in 15 markets); 'storied syndication launch the day before the 9/11 attacks'; two Marconi Awards, three consecutive Radio & Records National Talk Show Host of the Year wins, Radio Hall of Fame 2017; Premiere as an iHeartMedia subsidiary syndicating 100+ programs to 8,200+ affiliations. Open original source
- About Sean Hannity First-partySupports: Early radio career: first talk-radio experience in 1989 at KCSB-FM, UC Santa Barbara's volunteer college station; ads billing himself 'the most talked about college radio host in America'; hired by WVNN in Athens, Alabama; succeeded Neal Boortz at WGST in Atlanta in 1992; hired by Roger Ailes in September 1996; show broadcast on WABC (AM), the New York flagship; call line 800-941-7326, airing 3–6 pm ET Monday–Friday. Open original source
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