
7. Bill O’Reilly
2009 Power List
Love him or hate him, the guy is addictive. Whether it’s his confrontational interviews or his sharply one-sided, opinionated commentaries which some say is gospel, while others find loose with the facts. Maybe it’s his “We’re looking out for you” likeability or his occasional—no, frequent—blowups on Fox News Channel’s nightly The O’Reilly Factor, O’Reilly has millions of devotees across the globe (from both the right and left) absolutely captivated. It’s no surprise that his show has been rated No. 1 in cable news for more than 100 consecutive months now. O’Reilly, a graduate of Chaminade High School in Mineola, has also frequently been at the top of The New York Times bestseller lists. As President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress continue to deal with the global economic crisis, we can be sure this LI resident will continue to bloviate about the whole ordeal—and frequently grill House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) in the process.