If you look at Cowherd, or LeBatard, or even Jim Rome you'll find a common theme: their shows drive Internet traffic a lot more than they make someone tune in to their live broadcasts.
Part of that comes from a strong production team and knowing what sites, what people, and what platforms to "share" their opinions with/on. Part of that comes from knowing what buttons to push. All of it comes from talent.
People may not like their content. People may think "they suck." But, no matter what people have as an impression, all of these guys are very successful in what they do.