Nothing new from Fred.
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Nothing new from Fred.
Please stop the personal attacks.
"Alexandria, VA -- In a news conference held October 11 at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, otolaryngologists Drs. Antonio De la Cruz and Jennifer Derebery discussed the diagnosis and treatment for the hearing loss incurred by their patient, nationally renowned radio commentator Rush Limbaugh."
Now that you bring it up... Dr. Derebery is my allergist (her specialty within the field mentioned) and she is extensively published on the subject of allergy and autoimmune system related hearing loss.
In Dr. Derebery's office at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles there is a map showing the nearly 100 different countries from which patients travel for treatment.
As you say, another lie posted in this thread is nothing new... but this one is high in the list of infamy.
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I have also dealt with "consultants", in several different industries. Some of them do come across as sincere, honest, and willing to tell the truth even if that's not what the client wanted to hear. Such consultants were rare. Most of them were brought in by middle management to reinforce the decisions they made so that senior management would have more confidence in them. In several companies, in different industries, consultants and/or market research firms were basically hired as a CYA move, so that if things didn't work out, the decision makers could always fall back on the excuse, "But we checked with consultants and we tested everything." That way, instead of the manager getting fired for making a bad decision, he could just promise to use a different consultant next time.
I have trouble believing that the radio industry is all that much different from any other industry.
No, but I can read.
Watch this: "heroin", "cocaine" and the big kahuna, "methamphetamine".
I never did any of those, yet I spell them effortlessly.
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The difference is neither management nor the consultant matter if the ratings suck.
Having an all-conservative talk station is one thing. Having a talk station that regularly spreads fear-mongering lies is a completely different issue.
Show me research that says talk stations need to air demonstrably false information in order to keep an audience.
That's what we call a leading question.
Only if you believe the President is in fact a Muslim terrorist sympathizer born in Kenya. Or you believe that FEMA is working on some re-education and/or death camps. Or that Obama still intends on unleashing a civilian police force to kick in doors and take guns.
Are you really not acknowledging the degree of needless and demonstrably untrue dog-whistle garbage that has been allowed to air since this President came on the scene? Really?
This isn't about an ideologically based talk format. It's about willful recklessness and flat-out flagrant dishonesty. It's not defensible on any level.
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Wanna start a pool on how long before that lie is posted again? The level of hate here is pathological.
As we've discussed in this thread, the questions asked when doing research are as important as the answers. One of the first things I look at when assessing research is the question list. If a research company won't share their question list, I don't accept their findings at all. The wording of your question would bias the answer. You need to rephrase your question.
What we have noticed is the tribal behavior of talk listeners. They tend to group together. Our job is to target large groups.
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Doncha just love straw man arguments? It's so much easier to make it look like you're correct when you mischaracterize what others have said and twist their ideas into something unrecognizable, then claim that those twisted mischaracterizations are wrong.
There should be room in every radio market for at least one or two stations that take the high road in airing quality programming instead of pandering to the lowest common denominator. If every station were to attempt that, then the results would be very different. There is no earthly reason why a well-run broadcast operation couldn't succeed at being profitable by taking the high road, provided it's done correctly. One of the most important aspects of something being done correctly is reacting to the competitive situation within the market. Another is the specific peculiarities of the market. When it comes to taking the high road, there is no blanket, one-size-fits-all approach that is guaranteed to work everywhere.
Pandering to the lowest common denominator is different. Peddling the radio equivalent of McDonalds pseudo-food works everywhere.
There should be room in every radio market for at least one or two stations that take the high road in airing quality programming instead of pandering to the lowest common denominator. If every station were to attempt that, then the results would be very different. There is no earthly reason why a well-run broadcast operation couldn't succeed at being profitable by taking the high road, provided it's done correctly. One of the most important aspects of something being done correctly is reacting to the competitive situation within the market. Another is the specific peculiarities of the market. When it comes to taking the high road, there is no blanket, one-size-fits-all approach that is guaranteed to work everywhere.
Pandering to the lowest common denominator is different. Peddling the radio equivalent of McDonalds pseudo-food works everywhere.
Feeding those groups flagrant and base-riling lies isn't necessary. Again, this isn't about ideology, it's about not fanning ridiculous flames of absurd demonization. There is no research that says these idiots have to go that far to keep an audience. There's just been a lack of governing by management and it's now biting them in the wallet.
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You're right...it's NOT about ideology. It's about making money.
And there ARE at least one or two stations in every market that don't care about ratings, that don't care about demographics, that don't pander, and focus on quality. They're called non-commercial, public stations. Unfortunately, you feel they're biased. That's the problem: You want to remove the financial motive, but you're not happy with the result.
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Yes, it is. So why did stations let many of these hosts go so far to the extreme, that they've alienated a growing list of sponsors, not to mention listeners? Seems like a flawed plan, pending AM demise or not. And this idea that it's somehow OK to be so reckless as long as it's for the sake of money, is despicable.
It's a free country. If a host wants to self-destruct, it's his right to do so. Ultimately HE has to bear the consequences.
You mean like telling people Rush went deaf because he had a painkiller addiction?
No, society in general bears the consequences. Our body politic has been damaged by this insanely unchecked on-air vomit-fest.
But you don't know, and you have likely never dealt with radio management or radio consultants.
In all my experience, I can say that your portrayal of consultants in general is jaded and exaggerated. Your supposition about radio consultants is, for the most part wrong.
Radio consultants are not hired by "middle management". They are hired by the owner or corporate management in tandem with the local management team.
In some cases, program consultants are kept on retainer because they have much greater experience with a particular format and can give depth that the local programmers can benefit and grow from. An example would be the Jacobs firm from Detroit for Classic Rock. Such consultants give guidance based on a deep number of similar stations with whom they facilitate sharing.
In other cases, if research has shown that a different format is needed, a consultant may be hired on a short or long term basis to guide the station into a new arena, and to help with structure, promotion, staffing and other things.
Since consultants today are not hired by "middle management" (and seldom ever were), much of what you posted about them being brought in to cover the hiney of a local manager is just not true. Were there exceptions? Maybe, but I never heard of one... and I've known many broadcaster that used consultants and many consultants who offered services to station ownership.
Was that a crazy supposition for anyone to make? He was the abuser of some pretty strong painkillers, which when taken in excess, can cause hearing loss.
Awfully strange coincidence that his "autoimmune ear disease" developed at exactly the same time that his drug abuse was in full swing. Such bad luck. Uncanny, actually.
Doctors, by the way, have never assumed the cause of an ailment was one thing when in fact it was another thing. Especially not when the patient is a high-profile celebrity whose image and reputation is hanging in the balance.
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