I've been wondering how left wing radio could be more successful, and figured that some insight might be gained by mimicking how Republican Radio does it, except from the Democratic perspective.
Follows is a typical outline of a Hannity style Democratic show during this election cycle.
Make sure a segment does not pass without reminding the audience that John McCain abandoned his wife because he no longer deemed her attractive enough after she was in a car accident ("He abandoned her in her time of need because she wasn't pretty enough anymore!") Repeat this over and over and over.
Screen callers for people to express their outrage and disbelief at McCain's behavior. Remind everyone over and over and over that even Nancy Regan found McCain's behavior despicable. After doing this for a couple months and people think you're about to give it up, keep repeating it anyway.
Repeat over and over and over that McCain called his current wife the C word ("I can't say it on the radio, but it starts with a C and rhymes with Bunt.") Express outrage, have callers express outrage. Repeat repeat repeat.
Have a sound track that you play over and over of a woman screaming as she is beaten black and blue and tell everyone, glibly, "McCain thinks that's funny. I don't think that's funny. But McCain thinks that's funny. Unbelievable. Unbelievable."
Repeat over and over that McCain's wife stole charity money so she could illegally buy and consume drugs.
Get a caller to express dismay that you're dragging the wife into this and say, "I've got a question for you. It's a yes or no question. Do you think stealing charity money to buy illegal drugs is good behavior for a first lady? Just answer yes or no." Ignore that maybe the wife has changed, payed for her crime and has been rehabilitated. Do not let facts or even relevance to current times get in the way of throwing slime, ever!
Put together an audio track that strings together incidents where McCain has stumbled, lost his place or become incoherent. Play that over and over and over. Conclude with saying, "And some people think this person is ready for a 3 AM phone call. Unbelievable. Unbelievable."
Have fans of the show call in and say, "You're the great voice of America, Tod (host's name.)" Act humble and say, "You're the great voice of America! What's on your mind today?" Make "the great voice of America", or "the voice that keeps America great" you're calling card. There's no room for humility or modesty here.
Basically be as hateful (without sounding angry: the voice should generally always sound bemused), mocking and extremely thoughtless and repetitive and disparaging of McCain in every way you can. Don't muddy things by going into complicating detail or adding substance. Don't get bogged down with context or nuance. Keep it very simple.
Turn facts into half truths, and half truths into quarter truths, all for the singular purpose of disparaging and insulting McCain's character. If McCain publicly complains, play the sound track of the complaint while laughing mockingly in the background. Be sure and have a caller come in after this saying, "You're the voice that keeps American great!"
Check the news occasionally. If McCain or a McCain supporter has done something that can be made to look very bad (even if distortion and leaving out context is necessary), make that your lead line. If nothing like that happened, go to the standards, "McCain abandoned his wife in her time of need," etc.
There you go. Democratic radio Hannity style!
I kind of wish some one on the radio would actually implement just this formula. The problem is, people on the left tend to have good hearts and would find it very difficult to be so consistently despicable. But one can alway hope.