All's Fair in Love and Talk Radio

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., caused a stir recently when she criticized talk radio for its role in stopping the recent immigration bill. Talk radio, she lectured, "pushes people to . . . extreme views without a lot of information."

Feinstein then went on to suggest that it might be time to bring back the "Fairness Doctrine," repealed in 1987, that mandated private radio stations devote time to all points of view during discussion of controversial topics.

Unfortunately, Feinstein chose Orwellian logic to make her point: "I remember when there was a fairness doctrine, and I think there was much more serious correct reporting to people."

One wonders what Feinstein meant by "correct." Correct to whom? Democratic senators, a government auditor or New York Times editors? Aside from the central issue of stifling free speech, there are a number of things wrong with Sen. Feinstein's desire to have the government arbitrate what is "fair" and "correct" on your car radio.

Talk radio is as much entertainment as political opinion. It lives or dies by ratings. Those who master the genre -- with off-the-wall jokes, mimicry, satire and bombast --prosper and get their political message across. Those who can't, don't.

Had liberal talk show hosts of the past, like an Al Franken, Jerry Brown or Mario Cuomo, won far more listeners than Rush Limbaugh, one suspects that Sen. Feinstein would see little need for new laws. And we would probably now be spared the present sour-grapes cries about fairness.

The government is already in the broadcasting business with National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. Despite conservative whining about the leftwing biases of these two institutions, fortunately no one has succeeded in having their broadcasts monitored or in demanding equal time on them for all views.

Do you believe in term limits for Congress?

Despite a recent House vote against it, talk radio is still being threatened by the resurrection of the Fairness Doctrine. With the near evisceration of McCain - Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Act by the Supreme Court and the failure of the comprehensive "Shamnesty" in the Senate, the neoCOMs will be pushing harder for the Fairness Doctrine. Call talk radio. Use that as an opening to push for a Constitutional Amendment to give Congress term limits.

“Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., caused a stir recently when she criticized talk radio for its role in stopping the recent immigration bill. Talk radio, she lectured, “pushes people to . . . extreme views without a lot of information.”

OK, that is fair, her opinion, I mean!!!

And so is my opinion that I thank talk radio for bringing another side to an issue vs the msm or the DBM. Who, I might add drives Washington issues.

This time they failed!!!!

Discussion of "The Fairness Doctrine" is absolutely worthless with first discussing a complete dismantling and reconstruction of the Liberal/DNC controlled (via proxy) television alphabet networks.

Let's change the debate to fairness in hiring. Force the networks and newspapers to hire 50% conservatives. Then we'll work our way over to radio...

As if I expect this to happen. Heck, I'd revolt if they attempted my suggestion. Feinswine should stick to her regular method of treason and shut up about this.

Who was Rush Limbaugh before he was the biggest thing ever to hit talk radio? Of course he was a nothing. A non-entity loved only by his mother. However, through talent, drive, luck and perserverence, he has built himself up to where he is today.

Look at the Liberal side of things, and you have Al Franken, Jerry Brown and Mario Cuomo. All of these men were accomplished and successful in their fields before they made the jump to talk radio. This previous success allowed them to enter at the top of the liberal talk radio heap. Unfortunately, the talents that led to their success in other areas clearly do not apply to the business of running an effective talk radio program.

The reason Conservative talk radio elevates a talented nobody while Liberal talk radio preserves mediocre but famous people goes back to core ideology. Conservatives believe in the power of the marketplace to deliver goods and services efficiently and optimally. Therefore you have tens of thousands of Rush Limbaugh wannabes toiling in their various fields. The ones who do well predominate and the ones who do poorly fail. Rush Limbaugh climbs to the top, but there are thousands who fall, unnoticed and unlamented, on the wayside, every year.

Liberal talk radio, on the other hand, does not trust he market. It is subsidized, so it does not have to reward success. Therefore, the limited number of top slots cannot be allocated to those who claw their way out of the pack, because there is no clawing in Liberal talk radio. Everybody involved has to succeed, because failure is not permitted.

So there has to be some other mechanism for allocating the top slots. Clearly this is being done on the basis of being famous and successful in some other field. The central control picks people they feel who are likely to succeed, rather than accepting people who have already succeeded. So you get talk radio mediocrities like Franken, Brown and Cuomo, who may have no more ability in the field of talk radio than three names you could pick at random from the New York City phone book. But once they are in the position of top dog, that slot is filled, and no young, talented wannabe is going to be able to climb into that spot.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.