[BC] Building an audience

[Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>]

>it was said--
>
>52 stations a year, roughly.  They will have to do much better than that to
>compete.  It will take them an estimated 57,692 weeks or 1,109 years to
>match Rush's audience of 3 million.

Umm, Rush didn't come on the air with 3 million and I can show you 
the clippings from his first couple of years-- he was not some 
overnight sensation.  It really does take time to build a fan base 
and to build sponsorship.  AAR now has 70 affililiates, the Ed 
Schultz show has reached 100, Stephanie Miller has at least 50 (or it 
may be more by now)... So give it time, and let's see if the format 
has any influence in the long-term.  And for those on the list who 
don't like the politics on the left, that isn't the issue.  Not every 
right wing show is brilliant and not every left wing show is 
vile.  And the listeners, given a chance to hear both sides of the 
issues, will make up their own mind, especially if liberal shows have 
good signals and good promotion as well as interesting hosts.  But 
continually insulting these shows on this list serves no purpose.

I accept that Rush and Sean and O'Reilly have built their audiences 
and they have a right to be there.  But competition is a good thing, 
and new formats with new points of view are okay with me.  I simply 
ask my friends on the right, please stop looking for "proof" that 
liberal talk is a failure.  It's not.  It's a viable format in some 
markets and time will tell what happens to it, as well as whether it 
can develop its own stable of local talk hosts to carry it on in the 
markets where it is doing well.  Happy new year and I'm off to temple now.