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April 19, 2005
Wave Bye Bye to Air America
commentator in the LA Times predicts the death of Air America, just over one year old and the new rat-infested alley where Al Franken has taken up residence. (Now, now--that's not any worse than so much of what comes out of his mouth...just trying to play in the same sandbox.) Here's Brian C. Anderson's explanation for Why the Liberals Can't Keep Air America From Spiraling In:
Successful talk radio is conservative for three reasons:• Entertainment value. The top conservative hosts put on snazzy, frequently humorous shows. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, dean of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication, observes: "The parody, the asides, the self-effacing humor, the bluster are all part of the packaging that makes the political message palatable." Besides, the triumph of political correctness on the left makes it hard for on-air liberals to lighten things up without offending anyone.
• Fragmentation of the potential audience. Political consultant Dick Morris explains: "Large percentages of liberals are black and Hispanic, and they now have their own specialized entertainment radio outlets, which they aren't likely to leave for liberal talk radio." The potential audience for Air America or similar ventures is thus pretty small — white liberals, basically. And they've already got NPR.
• Liberal bias in the old media. That's what birthed talk radio in the first place. People turn to it to help right the imbalance. Political scientist William Mayer, writing in the Public Interest, recently observed that liberals don't need talk radio because they've got the big three networks, most national and local daily newspapers and NPR.
All well and good, but of course he missed the biggest reason of all: Successful talk radio is conservative for the most part because the commentary and analysis contain more wisdom and truth.
Much of what passes for "liberal" these days (Al Franken, Michael Moore, Barbra Streisand) is emotionally based, not intellectually based. It's more about assertion than demonstration.
Radio is a format that requires more extended listening and thinking, when compared to television. It is easier to con people through a visual medium than through an aural one. The visual, especially television, tends toward appearance and superficial meanings. The aural, especially radio, tends toward arguments and extended meanings. (Of course there are exceptions to both, but I'm talking about the bigger picture here.)
Let's face it: Today's far-left liberals are authoritarians (more even than the far right). They want to tell us what to do and think. They want to shout down opposing views. They want to limit the exchange of ideas. They want thought control. They will bypass democracy when it doesn't work for them. They will lie when the truth doesn't help. They see no problem in their own hypocrasies.
They will claim the 2000 election was stolen without caring to investigate the 2004 Washington State governor's election.
They will rail against dependence on foreign oil while opposing new drilling.
They will argue that implementing the death penalty is too expensive given the multiple appeals that they themselves initiate through the legal procedural rules they exploit.
They will talk about democracy while using judges to make laws they cannot get passed through legislatures or through inititiatives.
Air America will die because the left fails to understand why Rush Limbaugh is a success: Assuming that he is merely good at being angry and mean-spirited and propagandizing. They see themselves in a mirror and think they can accomplish they same thing through those tactics.
Air America will die because ultimately today's far-left liberals are hypocrites and liars, and as such, cannot sustain themselves in a radio environment that requires a level playing field in the realm of thoughtfulness.
*** Beware! I can do great harm to myself and blame it on you. Ashleigh Brilliant
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Posted by witnit at April 19, 2005 12:15 PM
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