Why does conservative talk work in most markets ?

[MattParker]

And conservatalk is on more stations in more markets than progressive talk because broadcast owners and managers are themselves conservatives and their friends are conservatives. Despite all the evidence showing a lot of liberals out there, in their own personal worlds everybody is conservative and conservatism, like religion in a church community, is not seriously questioned. The lack of progressive talk in most markets reflects the predispositions of the people in charge of radio (despite their claims that it's just about money).

The title of the thread is "Why does conservative talk work in most markets?" Your explanation that "broadcast owners and managers are themselves conservatives" if true might explain why more conservative radio is on, but I don't that that logic explains why it works. (makes money?)

I highlighted in bold one sentence in the quote above. If that sentence is true, then that might explain why conservative radio "works". (has audience, makes money)

You say there is "evidence" there are liberals out there but then you tell us that the evidence is not true.

Let's assume that I am going tomorrow to sign the deal and buy a radio station in a modest sized city. Tell me again why I would or would not implement Conservative Talk programming.

GRC: What I said was that owners-managers are mostly conservative and the people in their circles (their subjective world) are mostly conservative. Much the same happens in academia or in the artistic and entertainment communities; those social communities are mostly liberal.

There are liberals "out there." They show up to vote and they respond to polls. But they are not in the same orbit as owners and managers.

"Works" needs some definition: Conservative talk draws an audience. It's not a big as full service talk radio was. It's demographically undesirable. Blue chip advertisers stay away but they get Verbal Advantage (we learn u 2 talk good), insurance for people who can't get insurance, invest in gold and eHarmony. Long TSLs and people keep coming back year after year. And thanks to satellite syndication, comparatively cheap.

Conservative talk works because nasty works. Look at all the reality shows. Nasty works just like blood and guts works on TV news. Nasty works just like people slow down to look at accidents. It works because there is, was and always will be some angry people out there waiting for Howard Beale. Progressives have become politically correct and therefore aren't allowed to be angry (just guilty).

The spoken word is apparently ideal medium for expressing rage. Rush/Hannity/Beck didn't invent it. They are just the latest in a long line going back to Joe Pyne, Father Coughlin and even that little guy with the mustache in Germany. Mencken said it: You can't go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.

 

[bturner]

Excellent comment Matt Parker. Talk radio, conservative or liberal is designed to generate an emotional reaction. Negative works. For some reason humans respond to this. You point of how negative shows up in TV, radio and everywhere else is accurate. My gosh, everything has a good guy and a bad guy. Could we moving ourselves toward a society with much less civility?

Now, back to the subject, shall we discuss whether liberal talk listeners are all on the same page as far as goals/desires/ideals and whether conservative talk radio listeners are on the same page as far as goals/desires/ideals.

I have conservative and liberal friends. I find the liberal friends have fewer common goals/desires/ideals than most of my conservative friends. That is only my unscientific research among a select circle of friends. For example, do all conservatives want a stop to abortions and all liberals want abortions available? Do all liberals want a strong federal government or minimal government? Do conservatives want only strong state governments or, say, minimal federal government? I wonder how 'united' each side is among core issues and if this might be a factor in the success or failure of conservative or liberal talk.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

Thank you MattParker and bturner for two excellent posts!

The gears in my head are grinding... but am much too busy to compose a response... which is a good thing because someone out there will probably compose a better their gears work better than mine. ;D

 

[quadraphonic]

Mike, there are still a limited number of markets where liberal talk can be heard as a format. Most of these stations have been around since 2004 when Air America debuted. Air America bombed, but the format hasn't fizzled.

It's "a limited number of stations." [insert sounds of fizzling]

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why Dial Global, whose satellite radio format empire has seen major growth, would have more liberal talkers than conservatives in its roster (Ed Schultz, Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller and Bill Press vs. Neal Boortz and Michael Smerconish).

Probably has something to do with labor costs. Liberal talkers are on fewer stations, ergo they get paid less, so you can have more of them. Fewer conservative talkers are on way more stations, so they make more money. Liberals make enough money to be happy, conservatives make enough money to be happy. This idea also applies: If you have $10 to spend, you can get a couple of nice angelfish, or you can get 250 minnows.

When it comes to total number of hosts, it's not so much quantity as it is quality [as viewed by the listening public].

Except the vast majority of conservative hosts don't make anywhere near those who have audiences of a million plus. And there are liberals such as Schultz, Miller and Hartmann whose audiences are in seven figures.

Yeah there are other considerations, but I was kind of limiting the response to "why Dial Global has more liberal than conservative talk hosts."

 

[DonTheTrucker]

Conservative talk works because nasty works. Look at all the reality shows. Nasty works just like blood and guts works on TV news. Nasty works just like people slow down to look at accidents. It works because there is, was and always will be some angry people out there waiting for Howard Beale. Progressives have become politically correct and therefore aren't allowed to be angry (just guilty).

The spoken word is apparently ideal medium for expressing rage. Rush/Hannity/Beck didn't invent it. They are just the latest in a long line going back to Joe Pyne, Father Coughlin and even that little guy with the mustache in Germany. Mencken said it: You can't go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.

Conservatives are nasty: Check
Conservatives are angry: Check
Conservatives are Nazis: Check
Conservatives are dumb: Check

Unfortunately hitting the superfecta in this race is easy. Every thread ends up the same way. How about we try to keep this on track and dispense with the cheap shots? There are plenty of business reasons why certain types of talk radio work without resorting to insulting the listeners and hosts in the format.

 

[bturner]

This is a great point Don C. Do negative comments really mirror what we have become? Are we wearing our hearts on our sleeves or might we rise above and discuss this topical to bring respect and understanding? We more than others, being in radio, have a knowledge over and above the listener as we are in the business. We know it is business, not politics and it is about ratings and securing jobs in lieu of politics.

 

[DonTheTrucker]

We know it is business, not politics and it is about ratings and securing jobs in lieu of politics.

That's really the bottom line. Anything that works in this business is a good thing, for whatever reason it works.

 

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

We know it is business, not politics and it is about ratings and securing jobs in lieu of politics.

That's really the bottom line. Anything that works in this business is a good thing, for whatever reason it works.

Explore with me the word WORKS. Our thread is built around the concept that the conservative talk format: works.

In many lines of business the people who are good at that line of business will tell you: There are things that seem to work, and they do temporarily, and then they end up killing you. There are other things that work and they have proven to be lasting, will work on and on and on.

Is there a style of doing Conservative Talk that we have reason to believe is an evergreen, and is there a style of doing Conservative Talk that we have reason to believe will end up killing the concept?

The experiment called Air America seems to demonstrate that there is a style of doing Liberal Talk that killed the concept.

 

[Talk_Dude]

We know it is business, not politics and it is about ratings and securing jobs in lieu of politics.

That's really the bottom line. Anything that works in this business is a good thing, for whatever reason it works.

The more I think about it, the more that makes sense. I'm also starting to think I was wrong to give the differences between what conservative and liberals want from radio the most important priority. I'm starting to think that maybe it's a coincidence that the best radio talk hosts just happen to be conservative. People like Rush would succeed regardless of what position they took on the political spectrum, as long as it was extreme enough to support their schtick.

 

[bturner]

I remember hear Ed Schultz when I would be cruising North Dakota years back and would not have classed him as liberal or conservative, but compelling yet opinionated and an entertainer to boot. He kept me tuned in with a very unique appeal by seeming friendly, smart and as mean as a junkyard dog if you crossed him. Even so, he seemed to champion common sense and waged war on the bad guys. The content was local/state in emphasis and he seemed an excellent fit for his audience.

I wonder how many of these talents have been marketed and coached to a specific political leaning.

 

[MattParker]

I remember hear Ed Schultz when I would be cruising North Dakota years back and would not have classed him as liberal or conservative, but compelling yet opinionated and an entertainer to boot. He kept me tuned in with a very unique appeal by seeming friendly, smart and as mean as a junkyard dog if you crossed him. Even so, he seemed to champion common sense and waged war on the bad guys. The content was local/state in emphasis and he seemed an excellent fit for his audience.

I wonder how many of these talents have been marketed and coached to a specific political leaning.

Excellent point. I recall listening to Glenn Beck on WFLA in Tampa doing a non-political shock-jock show, sort of the red neck Howard Stern. I've listened to air checks of Jeff Christie doing the same shtick minus RNC talking points El Rushbo does now.

The experiment called Air America seems to demonstrate that there is a style of doing Liberal Talk that killed the concept.

Progressive talk radio is still alive and doing better with Dial Global as the main provider than it ever did with Air America Radio. Air America Radio was never synonymous with progressive talk, although it seemed to try hard to convince itself that it was. There was a style of doing business that killed Air America Radio. It's called uninformed arrogance. It did not kill the progressive talk format.

 

[bturner]

Air America seemed ill conceived at the start. They seemed to lack the journalistic depth needed to make it a serious contender.

Still, I think of what an old boss used to say about our competitor constantly cutting our station down to potential advertisers and I think in rings true for both liberal and conservative talk radio: If you have to make the other guys look bad to make what you have look good, then is what you're selling really worth buying?

 

[gr8oldies]

There was no grand strategy, started in the 80s to have a "conservative talk network". Air America did what they thought happened on the conservative side; that "wealth Republicans" sat in a dark room with a grand strategy, plucked this guy named Rush out of the obscurity of Sacramento, somehow hypnotized gullible people to listen to him, etc. Air America started with a political agenda, which was part of their downfall. They didn't even have the basics of radio down, resetting the topic, etc. I listened to an early Franken show for 45 minutes straight and in that whole time, he never identfied his guest (who I think was Biden). If there is to be a liberal star, he'll catch on. Sometimes it's a matter of lightning striking and it's hard to actually explain. Air America also was mostly TV people, and radio is a different animal.

 

[Talk_Dude]

Air America seemed ill conceived at the start. They seemed to lack the journalistic depth needed to make it a serious contender.

Still, I think of what an old boss used to say about our competitor constantly cutting our station down to potential advertisers and I think in rings true for both liberal and conservative talk radio: If you have to make the other guys look bad to make what you have look good, then is what you're selling really worth buying?

When one is engaged in a contest similar to pro wrestling in its appeal, then smack talk about one's opponents is part of the whole package. When what you're selling is a fight, making your opponent look bad is exactly what you need.

And forget about "journalistic depth". A news talk radio host needs "journalistic depth" the way a WWE wrestler needs genuine Greco-Roman wrestling skills.

 

[wyattcox]

I preferred Rush back when I ran him in the olden days as station #207....

Entertaining, conversational, and, dare I say it, Impish..
Now after all those beers, er, years, the impishness plays more like nastiness.

I miss Paul Gonzales and Jack Ellery....they were fun and pretty non-political...

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Well first of all there are few liberal talk shows on the air these days.

Air America turned into a financial disaster.

If you listen to the conservatives talkers, I mean really listen, they all preach the same dogma.

AM radio has turned into one giant yak-fest for right-wingers.

But with that said, conservatives flock to talk shows because the national networks, and a majority of newspapers tend to support liberal causes and political candidates.

What I find interesting is that while newspaper subscriptions continue to decline, the audience for conservative talk radio is stable or growing; depending on what market you are in, and the show itself.

Ask Rush Limbaugh if he's worried about losing his job?

 

[Talk_Dude]

Well first of all there are few liberal talk shows on the air these days.

Air America turned into a financial disaster.

If you listen to the conservatives talkers, I mean really listen, they all preach the same dogma.

AM radio has turned into one giant yak-fest for right-wingers.

But with that said, conservatives flock to talk shows because the national networks, and a majority of newspapers tend to support liberal causes and political candidates.

What I find interesting is that while newspaper subscriptions continue to decline, the audience for conservative talk radio is stable or growing; depending on what market you are in, and the show itself.

Ask Rush Limbaugh if he's worried about losing his job?

All that you said is accurate and correct. But none of it answers the question "Why does conservative talk work in most markets?". You've only supported the fact that conservative talk works in most markets. Care to suggest a reason why it works?

 

[MattParker]

Maybe to start (better late than never, we are on page five after all) somebody should define "work(s)."

Then we can talk about, based on that standard, how well it works.

I question the assumption in the original question that conservative talk "works." But as long as a bunch of stations around the country do it, some people will say that's proof enough.

 

[Talk_Dude]

Maybe to start (better late than never, we are on page five after all) somebody should define "work(s)."

Then we can talk about, based on that standard, how well it works.

I question the assumption in the original question that conservative talk "works." But as long as a bunch of stations around the country do it, some people will say that's proof enough.

That's a pretty simple question for the radio industry. A format "works" if stations that use it attract enough of an audience to sell enough commercial time to be profitable. A format doesn't work if stations that use it don't attract enough of an audience to be profitable from selling commercial time.

Do you want to expand on that? There are two other standards for evaluating how well a format works. If you judge profitability by margin percentage, then if the difference between cost of operation and incoming revenue from ad sales is larger, that format works "better" than a format where the cost of operation and incoming revenue is smaller. If you judge profitability by total profit dollars, then the total revenue generated must be so large that even with a high cost of operation, the revenue minus expenses yields a very large dollar amount, even though the profit margin may be small.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

Well first of all there are few liberal talk shows on the air these days.

Air America turned into a financial disaster.

If you listen to the conservatives talkers, I mean really listen, they all preach the same dogma.

AM radio has turned into one giant yak-fest for right-wingers.

But with that said, conservatives flock to talk shows because the national networks, and a majority of newspapers tend to support liberal causes and political candidates.

What I find interesting is that while newspaper subscriptions continue to decline, the audience for conservative talk radio is stable or growing; depending on what market you are in, and the show itself.

Ask Rush Limbaugh if he's worried about losing his job?

All that you said is accurate and correct. But none of it answers the question "Why does conservative talk work in most markets?". You've only supported the fact that conservative talk works in most markets. Care to suggest a reason why it works?

The answer to your question is that without any competition from liberal/ moderate radio, (Air America) plus the fact some of these shows ( Limbaugh, Ingraham, Savage, Beck) have been on for years, radio listeners have got use to this (conservative) format. Also the above mentioned hosts, along with others, have a loyal following. Even some local talk shows also generate loyalty among their listeners.