dying AM radio

[b-turner]

The Fairness Doctrine is frequently misunderstood. Opinion programs that offered only one opinion, that of the host, were allowed. Radio stations had to devote a time to tackling controversial issues and present different views on the issue. This is akin to the Public Affairs programming stations still do. In other words, you might have a weekly show that counted as 'content' applying to the Fairness Doctrine. Outside this time, opposing views were not offered nor required. Some mention Equal Time, however this applied only to political candidates. Some radio stations encouraged opposing opinions, likely as a gathering of information for their program that dealt with the Fairness Doctrine dictates or the program host encouraged it. A talk show, and there was talk radio on radio 50 years ago, was considered regular programming and sometimes the whole idea of the host was to present the program's stance and shred opposing callers to pieces. The FCC never has never dictated programming. The FCC has required radio stations to present some programming, such as public affairs programs, which it still does, usually aired while you're sleeping in on Sunday morning because there is such little interest among listeners.

The station always had control. For example, if you were a Christian station, you usually didn't choose to do a program opposing Christian views and beliefs to apply to the Fairness Doctrine. A station might allow a panel, for example, to discuss the immigration issue or health care and it might seem much like a TV program like Meet The Press under the Fairness Doctrine. The station simply would invite some local leaders offering a cross-section of views. Most were pretty tame and restrained meaning nobody threw a chair but I'm sure some might have felt like it. Equal time for each view did not apply.

 

[MickeyD]

Liberal talk does just fine and has had the benefit of being on FM for decades. It's called NPR.

I've always wondered if Air America could've served as a launching point for a progressive talk star if it had had a better business model. Al Franken was probably more in it to start a political career, but either he or Randi Rhodes might have been able to do something if the network had displayed a little common sense. As an example, I had a friend who ran a station that carried Ed Schultz. Despite being in the conservative Ozarks of heavily rural southwest Missouri, Schultz did pretty well. He had no trouble selling out the show. He wanted to see if he could add Franken or Rhodes to his lineup. Air America said no. He had to take both if he wanted one, and he had to run both of them between 6 AM and 6 PM. The only way he could've carried both while keeping the successful parts of his lineup would've been to tape delay Rhodes to 6 PM - 9 PM. That was a deal breaker.

Liberal radio si doing fine? Where? Even MSNBC and CNN or heading to the right. When your audience is less then the Cartoon Network you are doing something wrong. Franken's only job was as a writer as SNL. I worked with him. A nice guyt but as dumb as a door stop!

 

[TheFonz]

I guess that's possible, but it could play out another way. Without Talk Radio, maybe the stranglehold the Tea Party crowd has on our political system would go away, government could get back to work doing legitimate governance, the economy would pick up, and either there would be more revenue for AM radio in an improving economy, or there would be jobs available that beat working for an AM radio station.

Playing the "what if" card is just full of all kinds of wild card possibilities.

Here's a non-"what if". The Democrats have been in charge of government for the last 6 years! Why aren't any of the thing you mentioned happening??

 

[TheBigA]

Here's a non-"what if". The Democrats have been in charge of government for the last 6 years! Why aren't any of the thing you mentioned happening??

Last time I read the Constitution, the President isn't "in charge" of anything except his staff. If Congress can't pass a bill, nothing happens.

 

[b-turner]

I collect some old small town newspapers as a hobby. I read in an old newspaper, I think from 1903, an editorial from the editor talking about a politician coming to town, how it got him a couple of quality cigars, a good beer and a front row seat to watch him kiss babies. The editor explained his speech was all about his inability to perform his job in the past 4 years, which he promptly blamed on others but asserted a promise to accomplish all his shortcomings if he had just another 4 years. The editor pondered if the man simply delivered the speech he delivered 4 years prior as it seemed quite familiar. Finally the editor exclaimed politics was the only business he knew of where not doing your job was reason to keep him on.

Over a century later, the words of the small town newspaper editor seem to demonstrate politics hasn't changed much. That's not right, left, of tea and parties, but simply the nature of the game.

As for AM radio, love or hate conservative talk radio and/or Rush Limbaugh, Rush alone breathed life in to the AM dial and caused the rebirth of talk radio on an entirely different level. I have to wonder where AM radio would be if Rush had given up and sought another line of work. I am pretty sure none of us would be arguing about those right wingers or left wingers if Rush never stayed with radio. I doubt we'd be talking much about politics at all. In fact, love or hate Rush, we likely know more today about our Government's day to day operation than ever before because of him. Likewise, politically, we are likely more divided than we ever were because, I suppose, we feel we must fit nicely in some stereotypical political box.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Here's a non-"what if". The Democrats have been in charge of government for the last 6 years! Why aren't any of the thing you mentioned happening??

It was not my intention to suggest that Democrats could solve all the problems of the world, or that Reputlicans could solve all the problems of the world.

I will suggest that when our government operates with the two parties refusing to talk to each other, refusing to compromise when appropriate, nothing good happens. I will also suggest that when politicians are aware that any appearance that conservatives and liberals are actually talking to each other will be "outed" by talk radio and the wrath of God type treatment will rain down like Noah's flood, nothing really great can happen in Washington, no matter which party can claim to have control of anything.

If business folks including the owners of AM radio stations had any confidence on what will come out of Washington next, they could make plans to move their businesses forward.

Did you ever live in a little town where one, two or three fundamentalist preachers dominated the tone of social standards? People are afraid to turn on the light when they get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.... lest they become the subject of next weeks sermon. So today we have traded our old-time preacher who dominated our lives and replaced him with modern day talk folks (radio and tv) who thrive on reporting which politicans spend too much time in the bathroom or other trivial issues.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

As for AM radio, love or hate conservative talk radio and/or Rush Limbaugh, Rush alone breathed life in to the AM dial and caused the rebirth of talk radio on an entirely different level. I have to wonder where AM radio would be if Rush had given up and sought another line of work. I am pretty sure none of us would be arguing about those right wingers or left wingers if Rush never stayed with radio. I doubt we'd be talking much about politics at all. In fact, love or hate Rush, we likely know more today about our Government's day to day operation than ever before because of him. Likewise, politically, we are likely more divided than we ever were because, I suppose, we feel we must fit nicely in some stereotypical political box.

B-T.... my wife has to put a couple more candles on my birthday cake than you may find on yours... and I was "present and accounted for" as they used to say in the military roll-call. I lived through the days when radio was 'whacked up side of the head" by the arrival of television and the radio business was reinvented if you please. I don't what it would have been, but had Talk Radio not come along, maybe another "knight on a white horse" might have come along to the benefit of AM radio.

I usually agree with just about everything you post... but I have to take back your Blue Ribbon on this one: "... we likely know more today about our Government's day to day operation than ever before because of him." Excuse me while I step into the bathroom and barf. We have a large crowd of people who THINK they know something about our government's day-to-day operation. They have a warped highly opinionated view of how government works that is full of misinformation.

Now, that is a rather egotistical sounding statement I have made. But I spend a lot of energy downloading legislative bills to read for myself what they say. (I have a FULL COPY of the ACA on my hard drive.) I spend as much time watching hearings on C-SPAN as all the other total TV watching I do. I call people I have known through the years who are in various lines of business and ask them to explain to me their version of what is going on in their business due to legislation and day-to-day government influence.

 

[b-turner]

I have to agree with you. I admit most people have no clue how government works but think they do. What I should have said was Rush may very well awakened the idea in these folks.

There may have been another 'white knight' stroll in and revive AM radio and I am looking for another to come over the horizon. What I recall was AM was not in good shape at all, then this Rush guy showed up and lots of copycats came afterwards. I remember the first time I heard Rush I thought this might be the most dangerous guy in radio. I noticed him on mostly fringe stations and these bad signals were pulling ratings for the first time ever. There was a guy that had a talk show and had developed a network that came before Rush (his name escapes me) but he had some moderate success but the political format really did the trick for talk radio.

 

[Kent]

Liberal radio si doing fine? Where?

Again, it's called NPR. After Limbaugh, the two most listened to talk programs are Morning Edition and All Things Considered. While both shows aren't always political, they're very left-leaning, and both get more listeners than fourth place Sean Hannity.

 

[TheBigA]

Again, it's called NPR. After Limbaugh, the two most listened to talk programs are Morning Edition and All Things Considered. While both shows aren't always political, they're very left-leaning, and both get more listeners than fourth place Sean Hannity.

Neither of the shows you mention are "talk shows." They are not built around a single host expressing his views. The NPR shows are news magazines, in the style of BBC shows that have various presenters interviewing guests who cover a wide range of political thought, from left to right. You don't get that kind of broad discussion on Limbaugh, Hannity, or any other AM talk show. Just because it isn't strictly conservative doesn't make it strictly liberal.

 

[K.M. Richards]

There was a guy that had a talk show and had developed a network that came before Rush (his name escapes me) but he had some moderate success but the political format really did the trick for talk radio.

Chuck Harder, maybe?

 

[boombox4]

Hmmm...from what I can see, the internet is filled with all sides of the spectrum. Not just one.

You obviously missed my point completely. I said that most liberal people I know, and 90% of my friends and aquaintences are left wingers, they all get their info from NPR and news blogs like Daily Kos. Most of them don't even read the local newspaper, which is liberal in bent (at least on its opinion page). You mention an article in the newspaper -- any newspaper -- they are oblivious.

Sure, the internet is full of every opinion out there. But it's apparent that liberals do not listen to talk radio. Otherwise, Air America would still be around, and the surviving progressive talk shows wouldn't be struggling. And with the decreasing newspaper circulation numbers (both defacto and online), where do you think they're going for their confirmation bias feed? It's the internet, and that old standby on TV, MSNBC.

 

[semoochie]

If I may, I'd like to return to the topic. I've been wondering for some time what all these big AM stations are going to do, assuming that Conservative Talk continues to dwindle away. What would happen if they brought back Full Service AC, aimed at 35-54? The music would be somewhat incidental but would at least offer some common ground. People could be informed and entertained, without a political stigma hanging over their heads.

 

[boombox4]

Last time I read the Constitution, the President isn't "in charge" of anything except his staff. If Congress can't pass a bill, nothing happens.

True, but as exhibited by the recent controversy over immigration and pipeline veto, the president and his party still wield a lot of power. The President is in charge of much more than his staff. The departments, administrations and commissions of the Federal government all are part of the executive branch. And we are still dealing with the effects of many of his party's policies, set when they were running Congress.

 

[boombox4]

If I may, I'd like to return to the topic. I've been wondering for some time what all these big AM stations are going to do, assuming that Conservative Talk continues to dwindle away. What would happen if they brought back Full Service AC, aimed at 35-54? The music would be somewhat incidental but would at least offer some common ground. People could be informed and entertained, without a political stigma hanging over their heads.

I think AM's future will be whatever doesn't fit on FM -- programming for ethnic minorities, foreign language, sports, and some news talk. In some cities all news still does well on AM.

 

[semoochie]

I think AM's future will be whatever doesn't fit on FM -- programming for ethnic minorities, foreign language, sports, and some news talk. In some cities all news still does well on AM.

That's true and you can count every single one of them on both hands and one foot! It seems to me that there's some awfully expensive property out there that can't survive on niche programming.

 

[TheBigA]

The departments, administrations and commissions of the Federal government all are part of the executive branch.

But their budgets come from Congress, and their leaders are all approved by the Senate. A few years ago, the FCC tried to loosen the ownership rules, and Congress overruled them, and hauled the Commissioners in to get yelled at. This net neutrality thing is another hot potato that Congress will ultimately decide. Same with the immigration plan. The President can say whatever he wants, but if it costs money, it involves Congress.

 

[TheBigA]

Sure, the internet is full of every opinion out there. But it's apparent that liberals do not listen to talk radio. Otherwise, Air America would still be around, and the surviving progressive talk shows wouldn't be struggling.

The problem is that you're assuming liberals all think alike. They don't. All Conservatives don't think alike either. But there's enough of a small group to make a radio format viable. The thing that makes a radio format viable is attracting enough people for advertisers. Not a particular ideology. In the 90s, someone started a talk network for women. They figured there are a lot of women, so if we program talk programming for them, they'll listen. They didn't. It was a failure.

 

[TheBigA]

What would happen if they brought back Full Service AC, aimed at 35-54?

If there's an FM service targeting the same demo, who would YOU listen to? If they brought back horses but you can still buy cars, what will you choose? Full Service AM worked because there was no other choice. Once there was, those stations had to adapt.

 

[boombox4]

The problem is that you're assuming liberals all think alike. They don't. All Conservatives don't think alike either. But there's enough of a small group to make a radio format viable. The thing that makes a radio format viable is attracting enough people for advertisers. Not a particular ideology. In the 90s, someone started a talk network for women. They figured there are a lot of women, so if we program talk programming for them, they'll listen. They didn't. It was a failure.

I think I remember when that happened. The show failed, and the network also failed. I don't know the reason for it failing, though... unless the women listeners are listening to AC and pop music radio. What's your take on that one?