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Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Lead Talk Radio Ratings

Wall Street Journal US Business •
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Clay Travis and Buck Sexton have turned Rush Limbaugh's former slot into the nation's top-rated talk show from 12 to 3 p.m. ET, reaching seven million monthly listeners across 550 stations via Premiere Networks. Their "buddy-cop movie" chemistry blends politics, sports, and culture-war commentary — from challenging the Las Vegas Aces to a $10 million game against a boys' high-school team to dissecting Democratic primary wins like Abdul El-Sayed's in Michigan. Both hosts bring unconventional paths: Sexton, 44, a former CIA analyst and NYPD officer who grew up on Manhattan's Upper East Side alongside peers like Ivanka Trump; Travis, 47, a Nashville-area lawyer and creative-writing graduate who founded OutKick, sold it to Fox for about $100 million, and once volunteered for Al Gore.

They position their show as a moderate conservative alternative to fringe voices, emphasizing electability and policy over spectacle. "How do we compete against the crazy?" Sexton asks. Their eight-podcast network and White House connections — two former staffers now serve there — underscore influence that rivals top podcasters like Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro, per iHeartMedia metrics.