| “The Federal Communications Commission used to insist that radio and TV stations were public trustees of the channels they were licensed to use. As such they had an obligation to afford reasonable opportunity (or even equal time) for discussion of contrasting points of view on controversial issues of public importance. This was all washed away by Ronald Reagan.” |
Talk radio used to be mild-mannered and boring. Since 1988, it has become much wilder (Howard Stern) and popular — thousands of AM radio stations offer a continuous stream of political and moralistic talk programming. In major portions of the US, essentially the only English-language content available on AM radio comes from Evangelical Christian and Talk Radio sources.
Something like 15% of America uses Talk Radio as its primary source of news, and more people listen to Rush Limbaugh than to any individual in TV news. But Talk Radio isn’t a great source of news: it’s really a form of entertainment, a place for expressing opinions and using emotions to sway listeners. The format is dominated by people who exaggerate, distort, bluff, bluster, yell, and just aren’t careful about the facts. Limbaugh and others make no apology about their objectivity or accuracy: he expresses a passionate point of view, and has said that the heart should rule the head. Essentially, he uses the rhetorical tactics of both a TV evangelist and a TV wrestler.
The Talk Radio audience genuinely likes and respects Limbaugh, and he makes over $40M per year — more than anyone else in TV or cable news. But he’s not alone: there are over 400 talk show hosts nationwide, aired on more than 2000 stations. The fact that they broadcast on mostly AM stations — targeted at poor and rural areas — is no accident. Listeners are predominantly male, at least middle age, and conservative.
Talk radio is 95% a conservative medium — only about 20 talk show hosts label themselves as liberal. The Republican Party uses Talk Radio shows like Limbaugh’s, Hannity’s, and others as propaganda for its messages. There is no question that many talk show hosts are sent “talking points” by the Republican party on a daily basis.
Find out more…
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Rush Limbaugh: The big kahuna on 600 stations
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Sean Hannity: Second banana
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Michael Savage: The right’s wild man
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Ed Schultz: The left’s most popular talker
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Air America: The left’s radio network (less than 100 stations)
