The New York Times reports that Fred Thompson, the “Law & Order” star turned presidential candidate, “will begin hosting a two-hour show in March, as the syndicator Westwood One is expected to announce this week. Thompson’s show would take the place of Mr. O’Reilly’s.”

As the NYT piece also notes, following eight years of “playing defense for President Bush, the conservatives who dominate talk radio are back on offense.” This despite the fact that ‘lagging questions about the business remain. A sharp advertising downturn is limiting revenue for stations. And some hosts are worrying about the relevance of talk radio in a digital age.”

Nonetheless, as the Times accurately notes, radio “still acts as a national megaphone for influential voices. This year, news talk ranked as the most popular radio format in the United States, surpassing country music for the first time ever.”