DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

[joshzz]

What percentage of talkers actually do intensive research prior to getting on the air?

Case in point: Rush Limbaugh has threatened to move or get his healthcare in Costa Rico should Obama's healthcare legislation pass. ..He's going to leave the US because of socialized healthcare and move to country with socialized healthcare already in place.

The real problem is NOT his lack of knowledge, but that there isn't anyone else live in the studio to contest statements like these & the only people that are allowed to get thru on the phone line are those that agree with their positions.

I personally find it disconcerting that those influencing many people in this country via talk radio are not adequately educated.. For the most part these are not world economists or experts on politics, they're people with communications degree.

I have nothing against Limbaugh but this is an example of what I perceive to be a major problem. We have entertainers giving political advice to the masses.

With that said, "My question is, "Would it be in the best interest of this nation, to replace most talkers with people that have actually done extensive research on these topics their entire lives and do not have any political leaning?

Brilliant, independent thinkers educating the masses without any political bent, DEM or GOP.

Look forward to your comments. josh

 

[joshzz]

Re: DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

FORGOT TO PROOF READ: CORRECTIONS MADE

What percentage of talkers actually do intensive research prior to getting on the air?

Case in point: Rush Limbaugh has threatened to move or get his healthcare in Costa Rico should Obama's healthcare legislation pass. ..He's going to leave the US because Obama is moving this country in the direction of some socialized healthcare (insurance companies will still exist and flourish). He is then going to move to a country with socialized healthcare already in place... I believe he just killed beyond any shadow of a doubt any argument he had.

The real problem is NOT his lack of knowledge, but that there isn't anyone else live in the studio qualified to contest statements like these & the only people that are allowed to get thru on the phone line are those that agree with the position of the host.

I personally find it disconcerting that those influencing many people in this country via talk radio are not adequately educated.. For the most part these are not world economists or experts on politics, they're people with communications degrees.

I have nothing against Limbaugh but this is an example of what I perceive to be a major problem. We have entertainers giving political advice to the masses.

With that said, "My question is, "Would it be in the best interest of this nation, to replace most talkers with people that have actually done extensive research on these topics their entire lives and do not have any political leaning?

Brilliant thinkers educating the masses without any political bent, DEM or GOP.

Look forward to your comments. josh

 

[johnbasalla]

Re: DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

The direct answer to your question is a resounding 'no'. Who does the 'replacing'? Big Government?... or forced on broadcasters by Big Government? How many Big Government bean counters, or goons, if it gets really bad, will be needed to be sure all talk show hosts fall right in line? This would be the near complete destruction of a major part of Freedom of Speech. Dictatorship, here we might be coming. To expect people who have "studied the issues their entire lives" not to have developed opinions on them, and want to share their opinions is not realistic. Some may want to share in a bombastic way, like a Rush Limbaugh. Should they be outlawed from simply speaking their mind? Is it realistic to expect radio stations to put on a boring host that nobody wants to listen to instead of a popular host that can bring in ratings, and from there, revenue? We don't need to be concerned with the effect of radio talk show hosts. President Obama's election, and the passing of his health care bill, are proof of that. The radio talk show world is full of big egos who think they are more important to the process then they actually are. President Obama's election, and the passing of his health care bill, are proof of that as well.

 

[One Who Knows]

Re: DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

I guess what we have to define here is: what is the original poster's definition of "real" research?

Most talk show hosts spend anywhere from 3-4 hours a day looking at the day's stories, reading reports on the internet, reading columns from newspaper or magazine journalists, bloggers from both sides, as well as reports issued from various think tanks, polls, etc.

If you're asking if a talk host actually commissions a poll, oversees the calls being made then crunches the numbers himself or herself, the answer's no.

And, it's also not true that hosts don't get challenged on these shows, they do. Just many times, the challenging caller doesn't have his/her facts straight, or just throws verbal bombs in which case they become mince-meat for the hosts. That, however, does not mean (to me anyway) that I wouldn't like to see, let's say, a Limbaugh in a serious discussion with someone from the present administration in the White House, provided both sides would/could be frank and candid with the conversation and the questions asked.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

Re: DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

I guess what we have to define here is: what is the original poster's definition of "real" research?

My guess is "research he agrees with".

Limbaugh (and any other political talker of any bent) has a staff. That staff researches stories and picks stuff for him to talk about. It's called show prep and anyone who is in the radio business does it, or they don't last long in the radio business.

 

[quadraphonic]

Re: DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

What percentage of talkers actually do intensive research prior to getting on the air?

It depends.

Case in point: Rush Limbaugh has threatened to move or get his healthcare in Costa Rico should Obama's healthcare legislation pass. ..He's going to leave the US because of socialized healthcare and move to country with socialized healthcare already in place.

He said he'd "go" there, not "move."

The real problem is NOT his lack of knowledge, but that there isn't anyone else live in the studio to contest statements like these & the only people that are allowed to get thru on the phone line are those that agree with their positions.

How big would the studio have to be to fit in enough people, much less experts, to question the nuances of every statement they make?
Who would come up with that format clock?
How boring would that be for the listener?
How much would that cost? The only experts who can work for free have some kind of an agenda or political bent. Or they won the lottery. Or they're "not that educated."

I personally find it disconcerting that those influencing many people in this country via talk radio are not adequately educated.. For the most part these are not world economists or experts on politics, they're people with communications degree.

People with communications degrees can play productive roles in society, too, can't they? [One day, even I hope to. "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!"]

I have nothing against Limbaugh but this is an example of what I perceive to be a major problem. We have entertainers giving political advice to the masses.

That would be "something against Limbaugh."

We also have quite a few trust fund babies and former actors and people who married wealth giving the masses political advice from inside the government. How are they "adequately educated?"

With that said, "My question is, "Would it be in the best interest of this nation, to replace most talkers with people that have actually done extensive research on these topics their entire lives and do not have any political leaning?

Where would you find these people who made it through college, graduate school, doctoral programs, whatever employment they could attain afterward, and who never formed a political opinion in addition to their topical education? That person would be rare, and probably suspect, because their education wasn't "well-rounded" enough.

Brilliant, independent thinkers educating the masses without any political bent, DEM or GOP.

Thinking and educating/communicating are two different things. Sit in almost any university class and you'll see the two don't often marry well.
Like print and radio are also two different things. The more you define the requirements, the smaller you're making the pool of potential talk show hosts. It's about 0.
Besides, not many listeners in the masses are looking for "education without any political bent" anyway. At least not while they're listening to the radio, in their car, on the way to work or whatever.

 

[jerry367]

Re: DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

What we NEED are talk hosts who can be both entertaining and HONEST.

Rush Limbaugh has no interest in being honest about everything. His goal is to shape the days news to make the republicans look good and the democrats look bad. If the truth falls victim to this process, then tough luck. THAT is the problem with talkradio these days: An oversimplification of reality to better steer opinion in your favored direction.

Unfortunately, there are enough lazy and uninformed people that the Rush Limbaughs are able to thrive.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

Re: DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

Rush Limbaugh has no interest in being honest about everything.

Again I ask, how is this any different from Jon Stewart or Rachel Maddow? Rush happens to express views that you disagree with, so you automatically label him a "liar" or somehow "dishonest". The guy wouldn't be where he is today if he were even 5% as bad as you make him out to be.

 

[joshzz]

Re: DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

Personally I find most progressives and conservative talk hosts to be a major problem in unduly influencing the citizens with lies and half truths.

That's why we really need DEBATE RADIO - to hold both accountable. josh :-*

 

[quadraphonic]

Re: DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

How would both sides be accountable in DEBATE RADIO?
Which one would you fire? The loser, I'm guessing?
How would you gauge who "won" the "debate?" Listener response? A Board of Trustees to oversee their claims? If it's Board of Trustees, then just give them a show.
Would it just be a series of suspensions, and bring in some replacements for a week for whoever loses the "debate?" Then bring back the "big name" hosts who lost the previous debate? What if the replacements "win" that week against the first week's winners? Then it'll be the first losers against their replacements the third week. So much for DEBATE RADIO.

 

[Talk_Dude]

Re: DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

What difference does it make? It's all for entertainment and getting ratings. I suspect that the people who call for some mysterious stranger to ride in and clean up the talk shows are the same people who want an investigation into allegations that the outcome of wrestling matches in the WWE are predetermined.

 

[gr8oldies]

Re: DO talkers do any "real" research before they get on the air? Qualified?

To answer the basic question, Mike McConnell, now of WGN, is about the most well read of them all. Most hosts don't have "extensive research staffs" as a poster implied. Rush has a couple at his West Palm Beach studio; one is a court stenographer who types in what the caller is saying into a prompter because of Rush's hearing loss.
By the way, Rush did not say he was moving to Costa Rica.