Monday, June 25, 2007

CAP/FP Report Drives Right-Wingers into a Frenzy

Since the release of the release of a report entitled "Structural Imbalance of Political Talk" by the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress and Free Press, a media reform group, the right wing noise machine has been operating in high gear.

From the halls of the Senate to top radio executives to Fox News to a slew of right wing bloggers to every conservative talk radio host, the noise has been loud, angry, and more often than not, filled with lies and half truths.

For example, Senator Jim Inhofe, told KFI/640 in Los Angeles', right-wing talker, John Ziegler on Thursday night, that he had overheard Senators Hillary Clinton and Barbara Boxer say (in an elevator ride) that a "legislative fix" was needed to control talk radio. This was extensively reported on Fox News and picked up by virtually every right-wing talk host.

However, a few days later when it was revealed that Clinton was hundreds of miles away when her conversation with Boxer was alleged to occur, Inhofe, who has called congressional moves to curtail global warming a ploy to increase the ratings for the Weather Channel, back-tracked. He said the conversation did not happen "the other day" but rather "three years ago!"

Of course Fox never really cleared up this matter. Rich Lowry, substituting for Sean Hannity, failed to make a correction on Friday. As he spoke, the screen showed Boxer above a chyron that read, "Left-wing group tries to silence conservative talk radio."

Inside Radio published comments from several radio industry executives that kept the misinformation flowing.

Former New York Post radio writer and journeyman programming director John Mainelli warned "it's clear that these people want to bring the Fairness Doctrine back as soon as possible in order to force their viewpoints down people's throats."

Mainelli clearly has not read the 40-page CAP/FP report, which does not call for the re-introduction of Fairness Doctrine. In fact, the report calls the Fairness Doctrine "irrelevant" and instead calls for a revision of the station ownership caps and license renewal procedures.

Tom Traddup is VP News/Talk Programming for Salem Communications, one of the five companies that were evaluated in the CAP/FP report, which offers zero hours of liberal talk on their 43 talk radio stations.

Traddup also thought the report was about the Fairness Doctrine.

"Those… in need of the Fairness Doctrine or more restrictions on media ownership do so to make up for their lack of appeal to the American radio audiences," he said.

He then showed why he does such lousy of programming for Salem, which is the lowest rated talk radio network.

"Failed radio personalities—including Mario Cuomo, Alan Dershowitz, Al Franken, former Texas agriculture commissioner Jim Hightower and others—have attempted to force-feed liberal ideology and dour, unentertaining doctrine to American radio audiences."

Does Traddup realize that it has been over ten years since Cuomo, Deshowitz, and Hightower attempted to do talk radio. Is this clown even aware of Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz, Thom Hartmann and Randi Rhodes?

Clear Channel is by far the number one owner of talk radio stations. According to CAP/FP 86% of the talk radio hosts on CC stations are conservatives.

So it is not surprising that Matt Scafaldi, programming coordinator for CC’s Brevard County, FL stations doesn’t think much of lib talk.

"When you really break it down, the vast majority of liberal positions cannot be defended against the fact, logic and common sense brought forth by listeners. The host then looks like an idiot, and the audience moves on," Scafaldi said.

But the last words go the yahoos who listen to right wing talk radio.

Several of them weighed in on the Breitbart.tv message board which posted the link to the lie Senator Inhofe blurted out on the John Ziegler Show about the elevator conversation that never happened between Senators Boxer and Clinton.

Here are a few that we found

Rodham: your ass is grass.

I will take to the streets, for the first time, if Clinton, Boxer, or any others try to stifle reasoned voices from their right or left…TYRANTS!!…Wanna play rough?

I have heard it said that attempts to stifle radio talk shows (which means conservatives and free speech generally) may result in assassinations on behalf of freedom. Could there be such a thing provoked by these tyrants?

Evil traitorous wenches. Let the revolution begin…rats like these two need to be exterminated.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Evil traitorous wenches. Let the revolution begin…rats like these two need to be exterminated.

Posted by barooosk at 11:23 PM 0 comments Links to this post

Uh Mr. Imhofe, that there is a terrorist threat, and threatening a senator will land you in jail. Don't believe me?


http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a39ac96b66a2b.htm

"The New York Times reported a caller on the Howard Stern radio show threatened to kill Senator Lieberman. After the caller's arrest, the caller's uncle reportedly said it was just a "joke gone bad."

So I would apologize for your rant or the left will file charges against you to the FCC and jeopardize Mr. John Ziegler's career

raccoonradio said...

Who sponsored the study anyway?
"'Mr. Woodhull was a founding member of Big Eddie Radio Productions, LLC (BERP), the producers of the #1 liberal talk show in the country The Ed Schultz Show...Mr. Woodhull is a founding member of Bill Press Partners, LLC, the producers of The Bill Press Show.' Moreover, his wife is an executive with Jones Radio Network."-- via boreamerica

raccoonradio said...

Jon Keller of WBZ-TV Boston on why he feels Kerry is wrong about the Fairness Doctrine.

http://www.wbztv.com/kellerblog

"...Third, Kerry and his fellow whiners are completely missing the point about the new media landscape. A million flowers are blooming there...Just because the marketplace wouldn't support Air America doesn't mean that a vast right-wing conspiracy has hijacked the airwaves, is suppressing liberal thought, and needs to be reined in by federal cops. Air America did a poor job of programming and promotion. Some of its hosts were too shrill; others were too dull."

barooosk said...

"Just because the marketplace wouldn't support Air America doesn't mean that a vast right-wing conspiracy has hijacked the airwaves, is suppressing liberal thought, and needs to be reined in by federal cops. Air America did a poor job of programming and promotion. Some of its hosts were too shrill; others were too dull."

First of all AAR programs, generate less than half of the listenership to lib talk radio.

Second, lib talk ratings increased by 11.4% over the past year, while conservative talk declined by 3.7%

Isn't it funny that right-wing pundits always find lib talk to be too "shrill" and "dull."

Anonymous said...

perhaps Congress can help force Progressive Talk to succeed...

look at what they did for Amtrak!

Communications guru said...

You are doing a great job here. Please keep it up. Can Sean Hanity get any more shrill? Conservatives talk about the free market of ideas and let the market decide if liberal talk radio will succeed, but at the first sign of success they pull the plug. All I want is a level playing field and to be able to listen to the radio again.

raccoonradio said...

from a
libertarian/Right-leaning site
:

"Three Republican Senators, John McCain, John Thune, and Norm Coleman have stepped forward to introduce the Broadcaster Freedom Act... McCain said that the Broadcaster Freedom Act 'would prevent the Federal Communications Commission from reinstating' the Fairness Doctrine. He said the federal government should not be required to 'police the airwaves to ensure differing viewpoints are offered.'"

Mark Green of Air America is quoted as saying he doesn't want "the government to mandate speech" but he
does want diversity to be represented.

barooosk said...

"Three Republican Senators, John McCain, John Thune, and Norm Coleman have stepped forward to introduce the Broadcaster Freedom Act... McCain said that the Broadcaster Freedom Act 'would prevent the Federal Communications Commission from reinstating' the Fairness Doctrine."

The passage of Pence Bill in the House and this proposed bill in the Senate are totally meaningless. Next year when a Democractic President is elected and the Democratic majorities in Congress are expanded, the FCC will be restructured and there will be pressure for serious reform of radio broadcasting industry. Suddenly, the big stations ownership groups like Clear Channel and Citidel will figure out how to offer more lib talk and this whole controversy will blow over.