Posted on 07/02/2005 12:47:49 PM PDT by raccoonradio
An interview the late Jerry Williams (WRKO Boston) did with Ted Kennedy in 1990. Ted keeps referring to the Boston Herald's publisher as "Rudolph" Murdoch. A year earlier, the FCC repealed the Fairness Doctrine (the libs love it) and there was also talk of changing rules to prevent cross- ownership. Ted pushed to change the cross ownership rules with "sneaky means" in the "dead of night". Was it a way of punishing an enemy?
TK:"Mr Murdoch thinks he should be the only publisher..." JW: "Senator, you're filibustering"
If the Fairness Doctrine were not repealed, talk radio as we know it would not exist! The libs would love to bring it back...which would mean that stations would not put on controversial topics (they wouldn't want to give "equal time") and we'd have gardening shows instead of Rush.
Though this excerpt is more about the cross-ownership policy. Ted wanted Murdoch to be forced to sell either the Boston Herald (enemy of Kennedys!) or Fox affiliate Ch 25. Ted would have loved to see the Herald either sold or put out of business!
"And will you put a good word for me with the Boston Herald because I saved all their jobs"--Ted (?!?)
"Your sarcasm is unbelievable, Senator"
I miss Jerry. He was a hard liberal who gradually became a moderate--he HATED Dukakis. I really like Rush, but Jerry was much different--his knowledge of Massachusetts government was enormous and he could be funny and cranky but he had a solid grasp of how government works on the street-level. Sure, he wasn't a conservative but he had some surprisingly conservative ideas for a former liberal icon. He was a very strong anti-tax-hike crusader, and when confronted by liberals for not voting for Dukakis said "I'm voting for the guy who's gonna do the least amount of damage." He's probably the guy responsible for me going from a young liberal to a conservative, because he showed that if your REALLY cared about a better America, the left wasn't for you.
I agree.
>>he HATED Dukakis
He may have helped to get the word out about the Duke and perhaps contributed to his defeat. 16 years later Howie's
protege Howie Carr may have helped, in some way, to do the
same to Kerry. I remember a woman calling up Jerry and singing "Unelectable" to the tune of "Unforgettable"...
I have a little snippet of Jerry's induction into the Radio Hall of Fame (it was broadcast on WRKO), put together I think by his producer Nancy Shack (these days known as
"Sandy" on Howie's show). It had everything from the famed
call by the Vietnam veteran to the "washing machine lady"
during the sex survey.
"I'm definitely getting OUT of the business."
"They're out there."
>>He's probably the guy responsible for me going from a young liberal to a conservative, because he showed that if your REALLY cared about a better America, the left wasn't for you.
My eternal shame: a photo in a college yearbook (from a couple years before I graduated) showing me wearing an I'M UP FRONT FOR MIKE DUKAKIS T-shirt my Dad have given me. Hey, I was
20 at the time and you know the Churchill quote: not a liberal at 20 and you have no heart, not a conservative at 40 and you have no mind. Fortunately I drifted right WELL before 40!
Thanks Jerry and Howie!
according to JerryWilliams.org there will be a book coming out called "Burning Up the Air - How Jerry Williams Lit a Fire in Talk Radio"
The topic which pushed Jerry and a lot of other people over the edge was Dukakis using state troopers to search cars returning from New Hampshire in order to 'pay their fair share of taxes', to the 'Duke' of 'The People Republic of Taxachusetts!
Hey, I was 20 and foolish... (1982)
Churchill said it best: 'If you are young and are not liberal you have no heart, if you are older are not conservative you have no brain'.
The clip I mentioned is also at the Jerry Williams tribute site. It's from Jerry's induction into the Radio Hall of Fame, complete with intros from Dr. Laura and Casey Kasem:
http://www.jerrywilliams.org/audio/Misc/misc02.m3u
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