Why there are no liberals on talk radio

[ck4829]

Conservatives often make fun of Liberals for not having mastery of the radio waves, the reason behind it may not be all that humorous.

1962 - WBAI broadcasts expose of J. Edgar Hoover, almost immediately followed by threats of arrest and terrorism
1962 - FCC withholds license renewals for KPFA, KPFP, and KPFK, citing "communist affiliations"
1962 - Son of Pacifica President and two other activists are murdered while working for the Civil Rights movement
1970 - Transmitter tower used by progressive radio station KPFT is bombed by the Ku Klux Klan
1980 - Sister Ita Ford is murdered a few days after giving an interview to progressive Pacifica by a right wing Death Squad
1984 - Liberal talk show host Alan Berg assassinated by the Far Right group known as The Order
2007 - KPFT station shot at, the bullet was less than 2 feet away from Mary Thomas
2007 - Randi Rhodes "mugged" in an unusual incident

[Clark2008]

1. To be honest... it's because business won't support

it with advertising.

I think the shows would do just fine - even in some "reddish" areas - but advertisers are reluctant to help it get off the ground because they're either right-wing themselves OR - and this is probably mostly why - they're afraid of getting slimed by the right-wing in the same vein as what happened to that 12-year-old S-CHIP boy.

Even if you have a great following - like Phil Donahue did on MSNBC, for example - you can still get canned by the over-zealousness of the right to supress any and all speech they don't agree with.

[Gman]

3. Largely true abouit advertisers but

people that would listen to liberal talk radio work for a living and don't have time or access to a radio during the day. Yeah, a lot of us listen to AAR but we are a comparatively very small group.

[SparkyMac]

4. It goes a little deeper. imo.

People who like talk radio are the kind who need to hear their opinions validated by others (such as Rush and Sean). Liberals tend to have a high regard for their own intelligence and don't tend to need reinforcement.

In a way it's a shame. Talk radio does not win new support, but they are able to motivate and mobilize their listeners in a way that moderates and liberals can't.

Those guys will even sober up and refuse to drink for 24 hours in order to get to the polls for Rush. A sacrifice unheard of before talk radio.

[BridgeTheGap]

2. Who owns the media outlets and do they have an agenda?

Clearly rightwing claptrap.
They have their market saturated. It's the people who can be swayed that we should be concerned about, particularly when the right starts picking on 12 year old kids. This exposes them for what they are and, hopefully, the people who listen in but aren't completely in their camp, are turned off by this sort of attack crap.

[tnlurker]

5. What are the details on Randi?

I have not heard about this.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

6. See this thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2056883&mesg_id=2056883

[Zodiak]

7. She was mugged in Manhattan

She had no wallet or handbag, but the mugger still attacked her and knocked several teeth out.

I do not know if anything was stolen and I do not know the description of the attacker.

It could have been an unusually violent mugging, or it could have been a message (shut your mouth or we'll kick your teeth in).

Still waiting for more info, and especially, from Randi.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

8. The best explanation of the phenomenon

By the Center For American Progress:

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/06/20/radio-report/

The relaxation of media ownership rules contributed greatly to this problem, and, barring draconian divestiture action, isn't likely to reverse in the near future. The Fairness Doctrine is no panacea, either, since that sword cuts in both directions.

The future of liberal/progressive media (radio, video or print) is right where you are right now: on the internets (but I'm biased).



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