Hannity says he, Utah County listeners share same values

PROVO — Utah County is Hannitized.

The phenomenon that is Sean Hannity has taken the predominantly conservative county by storm.

Hannity's nationally syndicated radio show, heard locally on KSL Newsradio 1160, is the top-rated program in Utah County. And with more than 14 million nationwide listeners, the hard-hitting conservative is becoming a household name.

To say Hannity is popular in Utah County is an extreme understatement. His radio talk show dominates the airwaves.

According the recent ratings figures, Hannity's show pulls in a 27.3 share among 35- to 64-year-olds in Utah County. By comparison, a show on an FM station that competes with Hannity's pulls in an 8.2 share.

Carl Bacon, executive director of America's Freedom Festival at Provo, said he handpicked Hannity to host this year's Stadium of Fire because of his patriotic views and his overwhelming popularity in the area.

"He just connects with people," said Rod Arquette, vice president of news and programming at KSL Newsradio. "I think it's a very good program, and it is important to the success of KSL Radio. He's extremely popular here."

Hannity said he believes one of the reasons he is so popular in Utah County is because he shares the same politically conservative values as his listeners.

Nearly 90 percent of residents in Utah County are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The majority of Utahns, one of the most Republican states in the country, are also church members.

"When I think of Salt Lake City, I think of a city that places God, faith, family and country as their top priorities," Hannity said in an interview with the Deseret Morning News. "Well — that's me. So there is a common bond there."

As the youngest of four children in an Irish Catholic family, those conservative values came naturally to Hannity.

"I was raised an Irish Catholic kid in middle-class Long Island, N.Y., and values, honor, truth and dignity, all those things were ingrained in us from the time we were kids," Hannity said. "It's still a very important part of who I am."

The kid from Long Island learned the value of hard work early on. He started his first newspaper route at age 8.