The Liberal/Progressive Talk Radio Revolution

With all the stories about Kerry, Bush, Bush, Bush, Kerry, Kerry their is another factor coming into play this year, and its a Counter-Revolution on the radio.

For years those with conservative or right leaning views such as Rush, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham, Neal Boortz, Howie Carr etc etc have dominate talk radio. Liberals who tried to do on a national level have failed, but this could be the year of Liberal/Progressive Talk Radio and it may stay for a long time to come.

Part 1: The Modern liberal talk radio revolution began when Democracy Radio, a non-profit organization devoted to support and promote liberal talkers provided seed money to get Fargo, ND talker Ed Schultz set for syndication via Jones Radio Network(a few board members of Jones are also part of Democracy Radio). With the seed money they built his set made especially for the national show and whatever that was required to get it launched. Nice part of the deal, Schultz still lives in Fargo, ND, and does his national show from Fargo. In January Schultz was finally ready to go with only two charter stations. Both were in non-Arbitron markets.

We now go to part 2: A radio network devoted to nothing but progressive talkers. Air America as it's called signed on around March of this year with mostly entertainers such as Saturday Night Live alumni Al Franken, and actress Janeane Garofalo who have little experience in radio broadcasting but think their entertainment value will translate to talk radio. However AAR was smart to bring in Randi Rhodes and Mike Malloy who are radio people but with liberal views. When AAR started they did not know how to run their business and things were shaky in management. Before Rush, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity could dance their victory jigs and sing London Bridge is falling down regarding the current liberal talk radio movement, a silver bullet came along. Enter Clear Channel Communications and now...

Part 3: Clear Channel Communications which is the biggest radio company in the world decided to try Air America and Jones Radio's Ed Schultz in the Portland, Oregon market. The city is known to be liberal so why not. In one book the station went from a .4 to a 3.7 share among persons 12 years and older. Ed Schultz's talk program on the station got a 5.8 share among adults 25-54 in the first book. The fortunes were turning for AAR and Schultz (who by the way stills does a local talk show on KFGO in Fargo which is owned by Clear Channel).

Clear Channel then signed on more Liberal/Progressive Talkers in such markets as Miami, Santa Barbara, Ann Arbor, San Diego, Denver, Albuquerque, Madison, Columbus, and just this week San Francisco. Next week Boston will get the Air America/Schultz package along with Stephanie Miller who is also heard via Jones Radio Network. A rival radio company Entercom adopted a liberal talk lineup in Rochester, NY with AAR and Schultz as part of the deal. A rival station in Madison went to a liberal talk as well. The rival station also has Schultz in their staple so Clear Channel's liberal talker has to lean more on AAR, but their advantage is their station is on FM, the other is on AM.

The progressive talk trend has also been good to New York City based talker Lionel who claims to be 'neither left or right' and is heard on several of the progressive talk outlets.

Has left talk finally gained a place on a national scale??? The Right are not the only ones to have talk shows. Over the years Sports Talk (Jim Rome, Dan Patrick, JT The Brick), and Hot Talk (Howard Stern, Don & Mike, Tom Leykis, Love Line) have found their niches too.

Before Rush Limbaugh came around, syndicated talk radio was not hip nor was it really popular, plus a fairness doctrine stifled talk radio. After the doctrine was repealed it allowed Rush to do a talk show in which he could express his views. He signed on with less than 60 stations and had no help for outside sources unlike Schultz. The demand for Rush was high and he gained a loyal audience. Others of like mind also got syndication deals and the liberals were mad as hell.

During the 1990's certain liberals have tired but did not cut the mustard. Now someone came up with the ideal of a radio station with nothing but liberals. So far it works, but here is how I see it.

If liberal talk does take off, it will work only in markets in which people of liberal/progressive thought are the majority in the area. That would be mostly major and large cities. Liberal talk will not work in a market like Fargo, ND although they do enjoy listening to Schultz their.

It also will signal to us people who believe in limited government, individual freedom, and the free market to continue the fight for what we believe in. The left has their agenda. We must speak up for ours.

Now that you heard my take on Progressive Talk here are some insights from Denver radio talk show host Mike Rosen.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/news_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_3222387,00.html