The Center for American Progress is headed up by former Clinton White House Chief of Staff, John Podesta. (Bill Clinton may come across as moderate and reasoned but I am continually amazed by the political positions of his former White House associates.)
Two common myths are frequently offered to explain the imbalance of talk radio: 1) the 1987 repeal of the Fairness Doctrine (which required broadcasters to devote airtime to contrasting views), and 2) simple consumer demand. Each of these fails to adequately explain the root cause of the problem. The report explains:
Our conclusion is that the gap between conservative and progressive talk radio is the result of multiple structural problems in the U.S. regulatory system, particularly the complete breakdown of the public trustee concept of broadcast, the elimination of clear public interest requirements for broadcasting, and the relaxation of ownership rules including the requirement of local participation in management. […]
Ultimately, these results suggest that increasing ownership diversity, both in terms of the race/ethnicity and gender of owners, as well as the number of independent local owners, will lead to more diverse programming, more choices for listeners, and more owners who are responsive to their local communities and serve the public interest.
Along with other ideas, the report recommends that national radio ownership not be allowed to exceed 5 percent of the total number of AM and FM broadcast stations, and local ownership should not exceed more than 10 percent of the total commercial radio stations in a given market.
They simply do not believe that the market decides what is aired and what isn't. They think there is a significant market for liberal talk radio but a cabal of rich conservative owners are blocking it. So their solution is more Federal intervention. Now, it seems more people are joining Dennis Kucinich in his campaign to bring back the Fairness Doctrine. This Center For American Progress, (doesn't that name sound socialist?) report will serve as a fatwa, a call to arms for Democrat politicians. In other words, it's now "open season." I think we will begin to see an escalation as the insurgent left surges. Watch for more stories in the MSM. In fact, on Friday, DrudgeReport broke the news that Senator James Inhofe heard Hillary Clinton and Barbara Boxer clucking about talk radio and agreeing that "we need to do something about it." Clinton and Boxer both denied it and Inhofe will be discounted as a kook. I wouldn't be surprised if we begin to see news stories which tie talk radio and the blogosphere to issues such as the threat posed by right wing militia's. Remember the Michigan militia during the Clinton years when the gun control advocates were trying to make the possession of "assault rifles" illegal? They, along with the White House and the MSM did their best to make Second Amendment supporters appear as Public Enemy Number One.
These people are clever with tactics such as smear, distortion, and misdirection and have a willing media to disseminate their propaganda. The left has once again become a dangerous movement. Moderates within the Democrat party, if there are any left, are like moderate Muslims, afraid to speak out. Talk radio and the blogosphere represent a threat to the far left's pro-socialist/anti-capitalist agenda.
Listening to many leftwingers indicates that they are incapable of or simply refuse to see a left leaning bias in news organizations such as NPR or the press. I don't doubt that many are too naive and ignorant but lately, there also seems to be an active and growing undercurrent of malevolence by the far left. It is a mistake to think that the left is comprised of only "flower children". No, these people are more like Trotskyites and if they ever consolidate political power, things could get very ugly.
Vigilance is the order of the day.
Nice picture of Boxer/Clinton on Drudge
ReplyDeleteYou Can Do it Your Own Way,
If It's Done Just How I Say
Where is it all going...
Fairness Doctrine
Fri Apr 13, 09:11:00 PM EDT
Back in about World War I the government seized control of the airwaves for the "public good" because it was a limited resource, like land. Every station signs an agreement with the FCC that they will serve the public good. In 2004 Hugh Hewitt said, "My job is to defeat John Kerry." This may sound like a public good to righties, but the test of whether it is a public good is to reverse it, and imagine Ed Schultz saying in 2008, "My job is to defeat Rudy Giuliani."
ReplyDeleteTHIS has got to be driving the Russkies crazy.
ReplyDeleteThis is, actually, a very big thing, despite the fact that you haven't seen a thing about it on the internet nor heard a thing about it on TV (except for a small blurb on Fox.) They hit this sucker while it was separating. In other words the killer was able to differentiate between the warhead, and a possible decoy. Pretty impressive.
Rufus: This is, actually, a very big thing, despite the fact that you haven't seen a thing about it on the internet nor heard a thing about it on TV
ReplyDeleteGood. Loose lips sink ships. Or out covert CIA agents.
Yeah, all the special fast tracking looky loos here, some damned interesting stuff must be going on, but since my son got sworn to secrecy, I hear NUTHIN.
ReplyDeleteToo bad the higher ups and Senators/Staffs don't take their oaths as seriously as most all the people actually doing the work.
...as it has ever been, at least in "peacetime" organizations.
Good thing it's just an UnWar.
"This may sound like a public good to righties, but the test of whether it is a public good is to reverse it, "
ReplyDelete---
We get to observe that in about 90% of stuff that gets broadcast, ie CBS TV, PBS, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, and etc.
The people advocating this so-called “Fairness Doctrine” are fascist garbage. Kucinich, Boxer and the PIAPS? DhimmicRATS don’t surprise me, but Trent Lott? He is a shameful disgrace.
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that the phony and failing so-called liberal and progressive agenda is a sham and more people are waking up to it. The Left has a very weak argument that comes across even worse on the radio, and people just end up changing the channel.
Also, conservative talk on radio and cable always addresses and discusses so-called progressive ideology so they can logically show how inferior and flawed it is.
No one is stopping George Soros from buying up radio stations or from pumping millions into a money-losing Air America and keeping it going forever. But left-wing talk radio has proven to be such a bad business model that apparently even Leftie Moonbat Soros can’t stand donating endless drops of his bucket to it.
.
absurd thought -
God of the Universe says
CONTROL the media
socialists as dangerous
should never be exposed
. .