There's always somebody in the line of fire in talk radio and at the moment it's Michael Savage. Savage has been harshly criticized by some for remarks he made about autistic children.

His recent thoughts included this: "You know what autism is? I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is."

Mediamatters.org reports Savage's show has been dropped from the 7 station Super Talk Mississippi Radio Network, and AFLAC, the insurance company, has pulled ads. Meanwhile, Talk Radio Network says Savage's syndicated show is heard on over 450 radio stations and his program reaches over 8 million listeners each week.

More: Radio Host Michael Savage Under Fire for Remarks on Autistic Children

The latest RAJAR audience stats are out for British radio listening including both the BBC and commercial stations. Technically, these are the stats for Quarter 2, 2008. (Graphic Credit: © RAJAR)

Rajar says radio listening has remained stable at slightly over 45 million listeners each week or 89% of the UK population 15 years and older.

Radio listening through digital platforms has increased since the same time last year. 17.9% of all radio listening is now through either DAB (11%), DTV (3.3%), or via the Internet (2.0%).

Radio listenership via cell phone is on the increase. The number of adults (15 years or older) who say they have listened through their mobile phone increased from 8.9% a year ago to 12.2% in the most current study. Those 15 - 24 years of age who listen via cell phone has jumped from 21.9% last year to 31.4% in the current RAJAR report.

For more information on RAJAR, visit www.rajar.co.uk.