Talk Radio is a Cancerous Blight on the Nation; Not "Entertainment".

[Joanne98]

September 14, 2009

For months radio lout Steve Malzberg screamed 10 times a day that "Folks, Barack Obama HATES! this country and his WIFE HATES! this country".


And when for over ten years, every day, Hannity couldn't survive a fact check in the average kindergarten class, and when he violated Abner Louima with the equivalent of a verbal plunger after Louima had been worked over with a physical plunger, that was nothing else but Vile Poison.

Prior to low-brow, rightwing, dishonest, and hate fueled talk radio, the political culture of our country would have prevented Joe Wilson from screaming insults at the President of the United States in the midst of an address to a joint session (or anywhere else).

This culture of relentlessly dishonest and utterly ignorant pure hate which is ubiquitous all over low-brow, rightwing radio is nothing other than Vile Poison, even though right wing apologists try to cosmeticize this swill as merely "entertainment".

These transparently political apologistsareno doubt descended from those fine folks inancient Rome who made the casethat throwing Christians to lions was alsomerely "Entertainment".

While it ispossible to do a radio program that is truly entertaining, honest, intelligent, funny, and informative, doing that requires some amount of ethics and talent and diligent application, and that does not describe the low-brow, rightwing, hate fueled, dishonest, and power hungry slobs who bleed pure poison all across ourpublic spectrum.

Employing the most ugly and persistently untruthful political slurs about crucial public policy questions along with ugly and false personal character assassination in furtherance of a bigoted and feudal political agenda that couldnever existon the meritsabsenttheir relentlesstsunami ofcalculated lying,would not in anyrationalenvironmentbeconsidered even remotely as"entertainment".

As but one illustration,on this idiotic and malicious low-brow, rightwing radio the President of the United States is a Marxist who HATES! this country along with his wife. What I ask any decent citizen can be the purpose of repeating such a statement multiple times a day on an individual's radio program? And what can be the purpose of sponsors who purchase advertising on such a "show". And what can be the purpose of an station licensee who right now features this Malzberg in addition to Savage, Dobbs, and Beck all on one station; WOR-AMin New York.

Color of Change, are you listening !?

That's just one example...some others: Death panels, birthers, the USA couldn't live without attacking and occupying Iraq (3 Trillion dollars later of tax payers money), Sarah Palin is a genius who loves America even as she makes speeches of love to the Alaska Independence Party whose whole existence is devoted to LEAVING the country she makes believe she loves.

And an endless torrent of theseirresponsiblegargoyleshurlingthered meatof hateand slanderto the least informed, most hate filled cadres in an increasingly ignorant demographic consumed in the malice and stupidity that makes license holders money today as it eats the country up from the inside in the long term.

This is the message that goes out all over talk radio on the Public's Air, minute by minute, day after day after day.

It is killing the country theyclaim they love so much.

1 | 2
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Talk-Radio-is-aCancerous-B-by-Jay-Diamond-090914-114.html

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I used to love listening to Jay Diamond on WEVD and WWOR in NYC.

He had an edge, a wit, and compassion. He wasn't for everybody, but he challenged his listeners.

[Sukie]

2. "It is killing the country they claim they love so much."

I concur with the op piece. It is up to the rest of us to cut this cancer out of the belly of our country.

[Kerrytravelers]

3. "Hannity couldn't survive a fact check in the average kindergarten class"

The sad thing is, when they are fact checked (i.e. no illegal aliens will be a part of the new health care reform) they don't care, they just keep going with their story. It's amazing.

[whathehell]

4. I agree..and I think it is a Major reason for the spread of Racist/Right Wing Ideology

I believe we need to either reinstate the Fairness Doctrine (this stuff would NEVER have aired during that period -- at least not without an EQUALLY incendiary response from the Left)..or we need something like it, some type of Media Reform.

I'm afraid that Hate Radio + Easy Access to Guns is a recipe for violence and Tragedy.

Maybe I'm particularly fearful for having experienced all of the tragic assassinations of the Sixties (and those were BEFORE Hate Radio)..We've got to clamp down on the hatred -- or the guns. The combination is horrific.

[Jkid]

13. The only problem with reinstating Fairness Doctrine.

The FCC will have to exempt political-opinion talk shows. Despite the fact that many right-wing talk shows grew under the Doctrine, they are ungrateful for that.

[whathehell]

16. Why would they have to exempt them?....I believe it was the Lack

of a Fairness Doctrine which allowed the Right Wing Radio shows to come into being...I remember absolutely none until the mid to late eighties (Regan's term when Democrats tried to re-instate The FD and had it vetoed by Regan)

[wpelb]

19. I believe you're correct

Conservative talk radio, at least on a national scale, started with Rush Limbaugh, who went national in 1988. It was as a result of the "Fairness Doctrine" (I don't recall if it was given that name or some other formal title), which meant that local stations that aired a lot of conservative talk shows wouldn't have to air at least some liberal talk shows, even in the late hours when no one was listening except for a couple of insomniacs.

[wpelb]

20. Correction

It was as a result of the "Fairness Doctrine"...

I meant to say "the end of the 'Fairness Doctrine'"...

[DinahMoeHum]

5. Propaganda Piggies, all of them. . .

"...clutching forks and knives to eat their bacon..."

"...what they need's a damn good whacking..."

:grr:

[raccoon]

6. Off to greatest! nt

[PHIMG]

7. Hartmann, Miller, Yong Turks, Shultz

The antidote to right-wing hate radio.

[Festivito]

9. If they were on in areas they are not.

Here in Detroit, only one station, only handles the south end of the Detroit area, lose reception downtown, lose reception on nearby expressways by airport.

The big money moved to the north end decades ago, they get NOTHING.

[PHIMG]

12. Its true

We need to do something about the disparity in access to left wing talk versus right wing talk. The righties bought up all the radio stations and only gives us access to a few token markets.

A very long term solution is to covert all radio spectrum over to internet over radio (like WIFI) so that you have Internet everywhere. Radios and TVs can all be Internet over Radio devices. In the digital age is silly to have spectrum dedicated to limited formats and content providers. Make it all Internet spectrum and you use the spectrum more efficiently and you limit the scope of the media monopolies.

Your TV at home could be wired to your home broadband connection (this exists now.)

There is a technology called Software Radio - where your device can communicate over any frequency -- FM, UHF, VHF, Wifi, CMDA, GSM, WiMax, etc -- your device would automatically choose the "least expensive" (least scarce) frequency to use. So when you are at home or near an open Wifi hotspot it uses that. If you have a strong UHV/VHF frequency, use that, if you are in range of your cellular network use that. All these frequencys are turned over to internet use. With seamless roaming agreements between the various infrastructure providers. That way you can have access to any TV channel any radio channel anywhere in the country. No local monopolies.

To be using UHF and VHF for TV only is silly. Make low-cost income based access to Internet via wired at home and wireless everywhere a right of citizenship. And move all the applications over to the Internet.

[Jkid]

14. What is the FCC waiting for?

Greatest idea ever!

[Festivito]

18. A great idea that the currently corrupt will not allow.

Single-payer is a great idea. Costs less, offers better care, better future care, solves economy problems, let me repeat: costs LESS. Yet, look at the "debate" -- no debate at all, just shouting and posing arguments that don't respond to opposing arguments.

We have to find a new way to fight or resort to the old way of fighting which I'd hope we could avoid.

[cognoscere]

8. Not just talk radio.

The entire right wing Republican/conservative corporatocracy and anyone else who supports lying, cheating, stealing, and murder over democracy is a cancer. Unfortunately for our country, we don't treat them like real cancer.

[young_at_heart]

10. One gets physically ill listening to "Fox "News"

Keith played their commentary about Obama speaking to kids a week ago and it was painful to watch. The word "shameful" doesn't their hate-filled words justice!

[Enthusiast]

11. As a country, the greatest problems we face

are a result of the biased unfair media. We can trace every issue to a torrent of half truths, exaggerations, lies and obfuscation.

[Jkid]

15. Sad truth

Radio programs that is truly entertaining, honest, intelligent, funny, and informative: Profitable

Low-brow, rightwing, hate fueled, dishonest, and power hungry slobs: Way more profitable

[Kablooie]

17. And they are WINNING because there is no resistance to their slime.

They already are having a horrendous effect on America that is spreading.

Something will have to be done about them or we will have to live in a total Fox News society.

But attacking their freedom of speech is not viable. It's the sort of tactics they would use.

It will have to be some kind of McCarthy moment where they are exposed for what they are.