[BC] liberal versus conservative radio

[Donna Halper]

So here is what I don't understand.  I have spent over 25 years as a radio 
consultant and my clients have carried right wing shows for years-- if they 
are popular, that's the reason to carry them, and I never interfere with 
meeting the needs of a market.  And over the past year or so, I am now 
absolutely seeing certain markets where progressive and left wing shows are 
doing very well; again, if they are popular, that's the reason to carry 
them, and I advise GMs and PDs to put their own ideologies aside and make 
sure the audience feels that *their* needs are being met.   But what 
mystifies me is that some people on this list (and while I love them and 
have talked with several of them off-list, I can't understand their point 
of view about this subject) seem to only see whining and complaining and 
bad radio when it comes from the left.  If the right spends endless hours 
bashing liberals and calling them godless, unpatriotric or worse, that is 
okay.  If Rush Limbaugh insults feminists, if Michael Savage insults gay 
people, if Bill O'Reilly accuses the left of not wanting to keep America 
safe, my friends on the right thing that's just splendid-- it's not 
negative or nasty or rude, it's just the truth.  But if a liberal host 
bashes the policies of the president, or accuses right wing hosts of 
stretching the truth (or even, gasp, of lying to make a political point), 
suddenly liberal radio is a failure, it's not entertaining, and ooo it's 
bad radio.

How come my friends on the right can only see the truth of their position 
and defend their own talk show hosts, while offering only contemptuous 
dismissal of the other side?  I have yet to read an objective critique of 
today's talk radio-- partisans on both sides spin their points of view, and 
in the torrent of accusations, not much exchange of ideas occurs.  I wish I 
knew how progressive talk is REALLY doing-- and I wish I knew whether 
people are just getting fatigued by so much negativity from both sides, 
because as a programmer, I want my audience to feel they are getting both 
entertainment and information.  These days, I just don't know, and when I 
try to find out, I run into a ton of spin.  The right absolutely wants left 
wing talkers to fail.  The left absolutely dislikes the tactics of the 
right.  And on and on we go.

So, in my personal view, Rush Limbaugh is often pompous and dishonest.  So 
is O'Reilly.   But their audience loves them, and since survey after survey 
states that the majority of talk radio fans identify as conservative and 
Republican, I expect they will continue to say what they need to say in 
order to please their base.  My question is-- when liberal and progressive 
hosts try to create a base and make it happy, why is that so terrible and 
why do some of our listmembers rise up in horror?  I find it quite 
horrifying the way the right wing talk shows portray liberals and 
progressives-- I see myself as a moderate, but according to some of the 
right wing shows, I am a godless commie pinko who hates America just 
because I don't support many of the president's policies and because I 
believe strongly that the separation of church and state is a good thing. 
Still, even when these shows misrepresent my views, I don't think we should 
ban right wing talk shows.  I do however wish there were more opportunities 
for listeners to get both sides of today's issues, and right wing talkers 
still dominate the playing field.  So, whether you like Al Franken or Ed 
Schultz or Stephanie Miller or Alan Colmes, that's not the real issue.  I 
still believe a few successful left or progressive shows are just what 
America needs.  But of course, I could be wrong, and I fully expect to be 
taken to task by some of the folks on this list.  Go ahead:  bring it on!