Source: The Drudge Report

Just released ARBITRON radio ratings show FOX NEWS CHANNEL's Bill O'Reilly in near-collapse -- just one year after launching a nationally syndicated rival to Rush Limbaugh.

For the completed Winter Book [January thru March '03], O'Reilly trailed Limbaugh in the same time slot by more than 5,000%, in the extreme.

Top industry insiders have kept the numbers under wraps -- until now.

While O'Reilly's nightly TV show has produced consistent wins for FOX NEWS -- topping all viewers watching current affairs on cable -- the radio FACTOR has experienced a polar opposite response, raising questions about O'Reilly's future in the medium.

ARBITRON registers just 300 listeners in a quarter hour for O'Reilly Radio in Dayton, Ohio; with 200 people in West Palm Beach, Florida.

In cities with direct microphone-to-microphone competition, among all tuners over 12-years old:

LOS ANGELES

LIMBAUGH 5.1 SHARE 125,700 [AUDIENCE IN QUARTER HOUR]
O'REILLY 2.2 SHARE 54,100 [AUDIENCE IN QUARTER HOUR]

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 132.3%

CHICAGO

LIMBAUGH 6.6 101,400
O'REILLY 0.3 004,100

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 2,373.2%

SAN FRAN

LIMBAUGH 6.2 77,900
O'REILLY 0.7 08,800

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 785.2%

BOSTON

LIMBAUGH 5.0 40,300
O'REILLY 4.5 36,200

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 11.3%

HOUSTON

LIMBAUGH 6.8 57,000
O'REILLY 1.3 10,700

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 432.7%

SEATTLE

LIMBAUGH 6.7 41,000
O'REILLY 0.4 02,500

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 1540.0%

PORTLAND

LIMBAUGH 7.7 26,800
O'REILLY 3.6 12,600

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 112.7%

PITTSBURGH

LIMBAUGH 13.4 60,200
O'REILLY 02.1 09,500

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 533.7%

SAN DIEGO

LIMBAUGH 6.8 32,800
O'REILLY 2.2 10,700

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 206.5%

WEST PALM BEACH

LIMBAUGH 4.8 10,900
O'REILLY 0.1 00,200

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 5,350%

BUFFALO

LIMBAUGH 11.0 25,200
O'REILLY 01.0 02,200

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 1,045.5%

PROVIDENCE

LIMBAUGH 5.0 15,600
O'REILLY 1.4 04,200

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 271.4%

DAYTON

LIMBAUGH 10.5 17,200
O'REILLY 00.2 00,300

ADVANTAGE: LIMBAUGH 5,633.3%