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Imbalanced on talk-radio
Jewish World Review ^ | June 26, 2007 | Rich Lowry

Posted on 06/26/2007 11:35:21 AM PDT by rhema

Rush Limbaugh, the conservative talk-radio pioneer, has been called many nasty things before, but never a "structural imbalance." That's the fancy term a liberal think tank uses to characterize his success — and to dress up its proposal for counteracting that success through new government regulation.

The report of the Center for American Progress on "The Structural Imbalance of Political Talk Radio" marks the latest phase in liberaldom's grappling with conservative talk radio. First came the attempts to create a liberal Limbaugh — Mario Cuomo, Jim Hightower, et al. — that fell flat. Then an entire left-wing network, Air America, was founded, and foundered. So there's only one option left — if you can't beat them, and you won't join them, you can agitate for government to regulate them.

The report looks at a slice of 257 talk stations and concludes that more than 90 percent of total weekday talk programming is conservative. The supposed reason for this is, essentially, that media companies are conspiring to shove conservative radio down the throats of listeners in a way they couldn't if, among other things, government required broadcasters "to regularly show that they are operating on behalf of the public interest."

This is a pinched view of radio. There are upwards of 2,000 talk stations in the country that deal with news and issues, according to Michael Harrison of Talkers magazine, and they encompass all sorts of formats from National Public Radio to urban radio to shock jocks, none of which are dominated by right wingers. Conservative talk radio is a vibrant niche within that market, but there are many other places to go for news and opinion.

What is hard to find are liberal replicas of Rush Limbaugh, and that is due to the deepest structural imbalance of all — talent.

(Excerpt) Read more at jewishworldreview.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: lowry; media; rushlimbaugh; talkradio

1 posted on 06/26/2007 11:35:22 AM PDT by rhema
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To: rhema

IMO, Liberals can go to hades! Another opinion, Liberalism is synopsis with insanity, traitor, dictators, POS.


2 posted on 06/26/2007 11:37:53 AM PDT by ExTexasRedhead
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To: rhema

With all of the radio outlets owned by mostly liberals, it seems the almighty dollar has led them to black out talk on the FM dial inplace of a lot of B.S. music.

So why wonder, if they cared about the left agenda they would make airtime available.
Ops4


3 posted on 06/26/2007 11:38:56 AM PDT by OPS4 (Ops4 God Bless America!)
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To: ExTexasRedhead
Liberals are also synonymous with deception.

Limbaugh and other top conservative talkers are silver-tongued, informative and — importantly — entertaining. These are qualities that can't be conjured out of nowhere, and designated liberal-radio saviors have tended not to have the requisite talent "on loan from God" (as Limbaugh puts it).

There have been conservative failures at talk radio for the same reason. Without the right mix of substance and entertainment, a host will fail to get ratings, and with that, be yanked from the air. "Ratings" is a word that appears only once in passing in the Center for American Progress report, because then it would have to acknowledge that conservative radio is successful exactly because it gets listeners.

4 posted on 06/26/2007 11:40:29 AM PDT by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: OPS4
So why wonder, if they cared about the left agenda they would make airtime available.

And promptly go out of business because of the embarrassing dearth of liberal talent . . . which they know.

5 posted on 06/26/2007 11:42:42 AM PDT by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: rhema
The report looks at a slice of 257 talk stations and concludes that more than 90 percent of total weekday talk programming is conservative.

And my report looks at Hollywood and the MSM and concludes that over 90% of movies, TV shows, newspaper articles and major news reports are liberal. So what's the big deal with talk radio.

6 posted on 06/26/2007 11:46:51 AM PDT by Always Right
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To: Always Right
And my report looks at Hollywood and the MSM and concludes that over 90% of movies, TV shows, newspaper articles and major news reports are liberal. So what's the big deal with talk radio.

Talk radio hosts admit their world views. Hollywood and the MSM shamelessly feign impartiality.

7 posted on 06/26/2007 11:51:58 AM PDT by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: rhema

Liberals hate the free market, don’t understand it, and want to destroy it. They don’t have a single leftie talker with one tenth of the talent of any conservative host, so they think they can compete by destroying conservative talk radio.

What happened to the left’s latest great white hope, Ed Schultz? He was supposed to be the answer to Rush, but the last time I saw him he was on some MSNBC show whining and crying about the “unfairness” of it all. Why doesn’t somebody tell these lefties that they just plain suck?


8 posted on 06/26/2007 12:03:03 PM PDT by ozzymandus
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To: rhema

If this legislation is successful, I would anticipate something similar coming out of the Brotherhood of Buggywhip Manufacturers, because the overwhelming popularity of motor vehicles has dern near run them out of existence...


9 posted on 06/26/2007 12:03:05 PM PDT by Hegemony Cricket (It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the round in the chamber.)
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To: rhema

Airhead America supposed to bring down Limbaugh’s influence..../sarc


10 posted on 06/26/2007 12:05:33 PM PDT by NRA1995 (Hillary sings like Granny Clampett auditioning for "American Idol")
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To: ozzymandus
Why doesn’t somebody tell these lefties that they just plain suck?

They could, of course, read their unerringly accurate reviews right here . . . from unimpeachable sources. :-)

11 posted on 06/26/2007 12:08:20 PM PDT by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: NRA1995
Airhead America supposed to bring down Limbaugh’s influence..../sarc

It probably carved three people out of Rush's audience, all of them insomniacs who needed a soporific.

12 posted on 06/26/2007 12:11:27 PM PDT by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: Hegemony Cricket
If this legislation is successful, I would anticipate something similar coming out of the Brotherhood of Buggywhip Manufacturers, because the overwhelming popularity of motor vehicles has dern near run them out of existence...

If any of them operate manufacturing plants in Nancy Pelosi's district, they can count on her support.

13 posted on 06/26/2007 12:13:49 PM PDT by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: rhema

I listen to Air America sometimes, trying to figure out what the heck they’re doing over there. Truth is, their talking heads are dull, tell unfunny jokes, and really don’t know what they’re talking about. The other night, one of their creeps was bemoaning the fact that he still had an hour to go. Guess he’d run out of material and couldn’t ad lib.

Anyway, the “imbalance” is the fault of the leftists, who really can’t hold up their end.

Or ends, as the case may be.


14 posted on 06/26/2007 12:19:19 PM PDT by Veto! (Opinions freely dispensed as advice)
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To: Veto!
The other night, one of their creeps was bemoaning the fact that he still had an hour to go.

What a propitious time to call and suggest to him that he cede his last hour to a taped rerun of Sean Hannity's program.

15 posted on 06/26/2007 12:32:13 PM PDT by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: rhema; Hegemony Cricket

Pelosi would send over all her wetbacks just to see the Brotherhood of Buggywhip Manufacturers doing the jobs that Americans won’t do...


16 posted on 06/26/2007 12:32:26 PM PDT by Froufrou
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To: rhema

liberaldom’s grappling with conservative talk radio.”

liberaldumbs grappling with conservative talk radio.


17 posted on 06/26/2007 12:48:49 PM PDT by Islander2
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To: rhema

It’s called entertainment. The Libs are trying to slay a ghost that they conjured by trying to compete with talk radio with their message. What the Dems don’t understand is that Rush & Company are entertainers first and foremost. Since the Libs do not get this - what entertains people - they run their mouths thinking they are accomplishing something while losing audience.


18 posted on 06/26/2007 1:46:30 PM PDT by VRW Conspirator (The reason they call it 'golf' is that all the other 4 letter words were used up. - Leslie Nielsen)
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To: VRW Conspirator
What the Dems don’t understand is that Rush & Company are entertainers first and foremost. Since the Libs do not get this - what entertains people - they run their mouths thinking they are accomplishing something while losing audience.

But they're also erudite entertainers, with common sense, visions for a better society, and a good grasp of facts. Liberals just moan about the unfairness of a society that doesn't perpetually exalt and enable victims.

19 posted on 06/26/2007 1:53:23 PM PDT by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: rhema

btt


20 posted on 06/26/2007 2:03:56 PM PDT by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: rhema
I’ve wondered if the liberals realize this can be a double edged sword. They’re trying to get heard on conservative talk radio, but if this law gets passed then Air America could potentially be slap with a Federal Suite and forced to have Rush Limbaugh aired on their stations. Wouldn’t that be a hoot!

-Traveler

21 posted on 06/26/2007 3:30:34 PM PDT by Traveler59 (Truth is a journey, not a destination.)
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To: ozzymandus
Liberals hate the freedom market, don’t understand it, and want to destroy it.
22 posted on 06/26/2007 5:23:06 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the occupation media.)
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To: rhema

The market talks. And the market of conservative talkers talks better than liberals.

That was easy.


23 posted on 06/26/2007 8:39:21 PM PDT by period end of story (You're an Errand Boy, sent by Grocery Clerks, to collect a Bill.)
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