California: Effort afoot to steer talk radio to left

Sacramento Bee ^ | Mar 15, 2003 | Ed Fletcher

[John Jorsett]

As the California gubernatorial race neared the home stretch last fall, the Bill Simon campaign had been calling Gov. Gray Davis a "debate dodger" for weeks on end without drawing much interest in the theme. But while the Republican candidate met one afternoon with a newspaper editorial board, several of his staff members waited outside in the campaign van, gleefully listening to the radio.

[John Jorsett]

Hey, the man who brought California Gray Davis wants to do the world a similar favor! What a guy.

[JohnEBoy]

Here is liberal talk radio in action, taking calls from two callers:

Hello, you're on the LIB network.

Hey, Dude, this is Jack from Berkley. Bush is like so stupid, man.

Yeah, Jack you're so right.

And, dude, he was like selected, not elected.

That's absolutely correct.

And like, man, all he wants is to like give tax breaks to his daddy's rich friends and like have war for oil.

Well, Jack, thanks for those insightful comments! Now we have a call on the LIB network from Dallas, Texas.

Hello, this is Jill from Dallas. What I believe is that people should be held responsible for their own actions because ... CLICK!

Well' sorry about letting one of the right-wing Christian knuckle-dragging homophobic racist crazies in to disrupt our talk show. We'll go to break sponsored by our best sponsor ... Trojan Condoms! Take it away!

[Drango]

There are plenty of liberals on the radio...it's just that no one listens to 'em.

NPR gets millions of dollars in TAX money and tilts to the left ...

And Pacifica, the propaganda voice of the ultra left, received $1.3 million in TAX dollars.

[longtermmemmory]

You will note the liberal/left proposal does not include interaction. It just telling people what to think.

The democrat party must realy realy be scared. This is the second story about a a liberal/left radio effort.

"Its about the ideas stupid!"

[Amerigomag]

I saw a hit piece on Clear Channel last night on network television. You can bet that the left is going to come at commercial radio from all angles.

[Mister Baredog]

liberals need to stop being so polite.

This statement shows more than anything that these people are delusional. They think they are too nice. Since the "liberal" ideas they are so fond of don't sell to the American people and they have underhandedly used the courts and "lies" to get their way, it is no wonder they can't find a way to "expose" the public to these ideas.WE AREN'T BUYING, AND THIS WON'T WORK

[madprof98]

But rather than try to "out-Rush Rush" with prepackaged skits and satire, shows on his network will feel more like a variety TV show such as "Saturday Night Live" or a David Letterman or Jay Leno monologue, Sinton said.

Probably put on some naked dancing girls too.

[John Jorsett]

I saw a hit piece on Clear Channel last night on network television. You can bet that the left is going to come at commercial radio from all angles.

They're already being sued for the Rhode Island night club fire. The theory goes that the concert was advertised on a Clear Channel station, which means (in the trial bar's eyes, at least) CC had an obligation to send people out to see if the venue was safe. I'm sure that the fact that RI is a "joint and severable liability" state (meaning CC will be on the hook for most of the damages, since the other defendants are comparative paupers) has nothing to do with it.

[demkicker]

"While South said he agrees with much of the vision described by Sinton, he said liberals need to stop being so polite."

Bwaaaaaahaaaaahaaaaaa!!!!! And this fool probably said it with a straight face.

[.38sw]

Added Ward: "I think they are going to lose their shirts. I'm the most successful liberal in the country. With all of this talk, I don't know why no one has come to me."

Am I wrong? Didn't Bernie Ward have a shot at a nationally synidicated radio a few years ago? I have a recollection that he did, and he didn't last very long. He isn't even on "prime time" radio in San Francisco! The man is obnoxious.

[longtermmemmory]

Will the jury buy the argument?

Right: Dialogue and exhange of ideas
Left: Monologue and we tell you what to think.

[alloysteel]

Liberal talk radio=one long paid campaign ad.

No rebuttal allowed.

CLICK (sound of radio being turned off, as I turn to XM satellite radio).

[Hildy]

Are you kidding me about suing Clear Channel? That's ridiculous. That better get thrown out immediately. Can you imagine the ramifications of that?

[jim35]

Honestly, I don't know why liberal radio has never even come close to getting off the ground. God knows there are plenty of them around. Why is it that it's never made any kind of splash? Is it because liberals get all they need in the mainstream media, maybe? Anyone got any ideas? I know it's not from lack of libs. Maybe they just aren't able to verbalize, honestly, their views without pi$$ing off even their own base. My theory is the base of lies that supports liberalism cannot stand the light of day, i.e. actual callers with real questions, demanding cogent answers.

[jim35]

Yeah, next thing you know someone will be suing McDonald's for "making" them fat! Pretty ridiculous stuff, eh?

[longtermmemmory]

Who drives and listens to AM radio? What kind of political junkies discuss political articles.

They are not in it to make money, they are in it to be a campain ad. There is a local left hosts I know of, but she super screens calls and if a conservative gets through she will shout them down, will hand up, and then harang after she hung up.

[Moonmad27]

The program director of LA's KFI keeps bringing on liberal talk show hosts in the "test" time slots on weekends. I can last about 30 seconds listening to them, when they invariably start Bush-bashing. Even one of KFI's major weekday talk show hosts said that the program director apparently loves one of the liberal guys since she's giving him an extraordinary number of chances to catch on. You'd think she would realize that these liberal hosts she apparently is wild about are not acceptable - there's no public outcry to have them replace Bill Handel, John & Ken or Rush on weekdays.

[cabbieguy]

What a great idea, a point- counterpoint segment, Monica Lewinsky vs Linda Tripp

[rustbucket]

Honestly, I don't know why liberal radio has never even come close to getting off the ground.

Someone noted that people listen to talk radio in their cars back and forth from work. Enough said.

[Gritty]

The shows would make points with humor rather than a hammer, Sinton said

The Liberals don't have a chance with making "humor" work.

For one thing, they have none. For another, one of the driving forces behind humor is it's ironic relationship to reality. It is "believeable" and "light-hearted". As what Liberals will try to pass for their "humor" will undoubtedly be lies and mean-spirited, vicious personal attacks, they don't have a chance making anybody with a genuine sense of decency laugh. The only ones laughing will be the most jaded Liberal types who laugh at things like abortion pictures.

Liberals making "jokes" will become a joke in itself!