
4. Bill O’Reilly
2010 Power List
As the Conservative agenda spreads, so too does the pervasive Fox News. And while Glenn Beck has been the most talked-about Fox News personality of late, Manhasset resident O’Reilly is still its most bankable. The O’Reilly Factor is reportedly on track to record its highest ratings ever, averaging 3.7 million viewers per week, up 8 percent over last year, according to Nielsen. (Those numbers are reflected in O’Reilly’s salary, which the L.A. Times reports is “well north of $10 million a year.”) By comparison, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann is reportedly averaging 984,000 viewers. Perhaps surprisingly, in an era of Tea Parties and Sen. Scott Brown, some feel O’Reilly has drifted away from the right and more toward the middle. That may be more perception than reality, but either way, the power wielded by O’Reilly right now is undeniable, especially on an island whose own political identity has shifted back toward the right over the last year.