Smart radio programmers ask the "Howard Stern question" - is your station's appeal based on its music, its personalities, or both equally?
jacobsmedia.com
It mentions how some listeners choose the station for Howard and others for music. Two quick thoughts:
1) This is probably part of the reason why Howard started the show before 6 and ended well after 10. It forced people to listen to those timeslots, thus boosting ratings for them. The only person on TV I can think of who "runs long" is Rachel Maddow and only for about 2-3 minutes to transition to the next host. And actually, the 11pm local news runs to 11:35...but in my area, they technically end with commercials...which seems weird, as it gives people a chance to change the channel. This then sets off a late-night chain reaction, as other shows go past the :00 or :30 marks.
Most other shows either end "on the dot" or they end a few minutes early.
2) Choosing the station for music also reminds me of how O&A were on in afternoons. That wasn't a mistake. If people wanted music all day, CBS/Viacom gave them that option. If they wanted "Hot Talk" all day, that option was also available.