Neal Boortz Coming to Charlottesville

No doubt I am not the first to note this, since it was announced Wednesday morning on WINA, but talk-show host Neal Boortz is coming to Charlottesville next month to promote his new book, Somebody's Gotta Say It, which (as of a few minutes ago) is ranked sixth on Amazon.com's top sellers.

In addition to a book-signing at the Omni, Boortz will be hosting his syndicated show from the WINA studios on March 22.

Boortz, based in Atlanta, is the co-author (with Congressman John Linder) of the New York Times bestseller, The Fair Tax Book, which lays out the case for a national sales tax to replace the income tax as the federal government's primary means to raise revenue.

Except for John Stossel, Neal Boortz is probably the most prominent libertarian in the news and opinion broadcast media. According to a Talkers magazine compilation of Arbitron ratings, Boortz is the sixth-highest-rated radio talk-show host (tied with Mike Gallagher), with a minimum weekly audience of 3.5 million. (By contrast, top-rated Rush Limbaugh gets 13.5 million and Air America's Al Franken -- now a Senate candidate in Minnesota -- had about 1.5 million listeners.) Another Talkers ranking -- based on a survey of industry insiders -- puts Boortz ninth in a list of the "250 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America," explaining

The TALKERS magazine editors who painstakingly compile this super-list draw upon a combination of hard and soft factors when evaluating candidates. These include (in alphabetical order): courage, effort, impact, longevity, potential, ratings, recognition, revenue, service, talent, and uniqueness. We acknowledge that it is as much art as science and that the results are arguable.

In terms of his plans to visit Charlottesville, WINA's web site explains, rather excitedly:

If you've ever wanted to see Neal in person and hear the incredible things he says while sitting a few feet from him, the opportunity has come. Thanks to our friends at the Omni Hotel, Ambassador Limousine, and your local Pepsi Cola Bottlers, Neal will appear at the Omni at 7pm on March 21st and will be signing copies of his new best selling book, "Somebody's Gotta Say It" which is number one on Amazon dot com. You CAN BE THERE, keep listening for details to find out how! Admission to the event is by ticket only!

You can hear Rob Schilling's on-air interview with Neal Boortz, discussing the upcoming trip to Virginia, here. According to a book tour schedule posted on boortz.com, the Talkmeister will also be signing books at a Barnes & Noble in Virginia Beach on March 20.