Comparison

Thom Hartmann vs KBLA Talk 1580

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Thom Hartmann

Access political news, opinion, and debate from a prominent talk radio host. Stream live broadcasts, listen to audio podcasts, and read daily political commentary via email newsletter.

Highlights
  • Live weekly broadcasts
  • Audio podcast
  • Daily political commentary
  • Email newsletter
  • Multiple streaming platforms
Features
Read full description

The Thom Hartmann Program is live weekly and covers political news and talk. Thom Hartmann is the #9 most important radio talk host and broadcasts on YouTube, X, Facebook, Free Speech TV, and hundreds of FM and AM stations across the United States. The program has an audio podcast available. In addition, the Hartmann Report covers Thom's 'Daily Take' on political news and is provided as an email newsletter.

About

KBLA Talk 1580

This progressive talk radio app offers an enlightening and empowering platform for listeners, particularly African Americans and people of color. It provides a safe space for dialogue, community building, and sharing diverse perspectives 24/7.

Highlights
  • Progressive talk radio
  • Enlightening content
  • Empowering platform
  • Community dialogue
  • Listener-focused
  • 24/7 access
Features
Read full description

ENLIGHTENS – We are engagement radio, not outrage radio. Our station fosters an enlightening, sustainable, and restorative language that challenges listeners to reexamine the assumptions they hold, and expand their inventory of ideas. We are unapologetically progressive, but we prefer good ideas over ideology. Our guests and listeners share the wisdom of a lived experience that serves to enlighten others. Because our audience is so diverse, each day is like a live town hall meeting over the airwaves. If you want to know what the citizenry is really thinking, meet us in the public square at KBLA Talk 1580. The KBLA App is in your hands wherever you go; it’s easy to use and best of all it’s FREE! EMPOWERS – We are a progressive radio station uniquely, specifically, and unapologetically geared towards African Americans and other listeners of color; soon to be the majority in America. What can a Blues nation learn from a Blues people? This season of political polarization and racial reckoning has made dramatically clear the deepening political, social, cultural and economic divide across America. Black folks and other people of color have always been the conscience of this country. Now, more than ever, the nation would do well to hear the voices of those who have learned to love America in spite of, not because of; fellow citizens who have never given up on this democratic experience. ENCOURAGES – We provide a platform, 24/7, for folk to express their fears and frustrations, as well as their hopes and aspirations. Fellow citizens need a safe space where they feel comfortable expressing themselves. A space where their views will not be disparaged, dismissed, or demeaned. A station where the hosts look like you, live near you, and value what you value. Our station aims to take more listener phone calls than any other talk station serving the Southern California region. We believe in dialogue, not monologue. We believe that what comes from the heart, reaches the heart. When one listener hears another listener boldly share feelings and concerns similar to their own, that’s what we call making connection; that’s what we call building community.

Screenshots

Thom Hartmann4 screens
KBLA Talk 15804 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: KBLA Talk 1580 at 4.6 against Thom Hartmann's 3.8. KBLA Talk 1580 also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 40%) and ratings volume (36 vs 11). Thom Hartmann's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 7 months) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 16.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

KBLA Talk 1580 holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 11 and 36 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of Thom Hartmann's written reviews are positive against 78% of KBLA Talk 1580's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thom Hartmann ships an update every 3 weeks, KBLA Talk 1580 every 7 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Thom Hartmann versus KBLA Talk 1580: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThom HartmannKBLA Talk 1580
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (11 ratings)4.6 (36 ratings) — better
Positive reviews39.7% of reviews77.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1136 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 7 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supportedAd-supported
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size125 MB55 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperTHP Media Productions, llcSmiley Radio Properties

Customer experience

Thom Hartmann

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive39.7%
Neutral7.9%
Negative52.4%

KBLA Talk 1580

All ratings35 ratings
Positive88.6%
Neutral5.7%
Negative5.7%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%

Bugs and requests

Thom Hartmann

Reported bugs

28 issues
  • AI songs disrupt flow
  • App constantly glitching
  • App immediately starts fast forwarding
  • App beeps non-stop while listening
  • Play/pause audio stream does not function from iOS control center
Show 23 more
  • Live podcast still plays rather than pausing when AirPods are removed
  • No back button to return to episode list
  • Audio stops playback when the phone Lock Screen appears
  • App won't play in background
  • Audio only plays while app is on screen
  • Unstable and audio fails unpredictably
  • Missing 'News' button with links to articles
  • App tells user to purchase another subscription
  • Podcast subscription content not unlocked
  • Unable to log in despite being an active member
  • Missing progress bar
  • App has lost audio
  • Podcasts have disappeared
  • Podcasts won't load
  • App doesn't stream live on iPad
  • Download error messages
  • Cannot delete podcasts
  • White on white podcast labeling
  • No support for multitasking
  • No improvement in podcast download functions
  • App doesn't work in landscape mode
  • Incompatible with iOS 11
  • Parser error message

Requested features

7 requests
  • Stack AI songs at the end
  • Restore back button
  • Add bookmark feature
  • Support for older iOS versions
  • Improve podcast download functions
Show 2 more
  • Allow landscape mode
  • Improve podcast labeling readability

KBLA Talk 1580

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Thom Hartmann

No in-app purchases

None

KBLA Talk 1580

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thom Hartmann free?
Thom Hartmann is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is KBLA Talk 1580 free?
KBLA Talk 1580 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Thom Hartmann or KBLA Talk 1580?
KBLA Talk 1580 is rated higher. Thom Hartmann averages 3.8 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while KBLA Talk 1580 averages 4.6 from 36 ratings.
Do Thom Hartmann or KBLA Talk 1580 have ads?
Both Thom Hartmann and KBLA Talk 1580 show ads.
Which is updated more often, Thom Hartmann or KBLA Talk 1580?
Thom Hartmann ships an update every 3 weeks, and KBLA Talk 1580 every 7 months. Most recently, Thom Hartmann was updated on November 2, 2026 and KBLA Talk 1580 on November 3, 2026.

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