So, we got that goin’ for us…

Friedersdorf concludes:  “Effective opposition requires a clear-eyed, unsentimental assessment of reality, not paranoid, uncharitable rants. The right understood this very well when they talked about The Angry Left, and how its visceral hatred for George W. Bush distorted its judgment. Too many seem to have forgotten this lesson, and aren’t the least bit skeptical at analysis offered by a man assuming of his opponent the most awful motivations imaginable. This is merely one small example from a radio show that traffics in rhetoric of this very kind five days each week.”

To quote Sean Hannity quoting Ronald Reagan: There you go again.  Friedersdorf, like most journalists, doesn’t really understand talk radio.  Talk show hosts aren’t employed to run on-air education and organizing efforts; they are paid to attract and hold the largest possible audience.  Showmanship plays a big part in achieving that objective.  Talk  pioneer Willis Duff once said that talk radio is like bullfighting.  People appreciate the cape work — but they come to see the bull get killed. 

And no one kills the bull like Mark Levin.

The true power behind conservative talk

Huffington Post media blogger Bill Mann knows why conservatives dominate political talk radio: It’s because Clear Channel owns Premiere Radio Networks, syndicator of Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and (in partnership with Citadel) Sean Hannity.

Yes, this is the same Bill Mann who recently argued  on Huffington that Rush Limbaugh has so many affiliates because stations get his show “for free.”

In a May 21st post  Mann says Premiere and Clear Channel work hand-in-glove to clear the big righty hosts.  He suggests this is improper and, no surprise, calls for government action to stop the “vertical integration” of the airwaves.

Mann goes on to contend that sales reps in clusters with both conservative and liberal talk stations tend to slight the lefty outlet because, as Mann acknowledges, they can make more money selling the more-popular conservative station.

Well, yes.  Incredibly, Mann fails to understand something most of us learn fairly early in life: People, and the organizations they form, will always make financial decisions in their own best interest.  Of course Clear Channel works to build synergy between its products and platforms.  And, OF COURSE, salespeople invest their time and talent where they will net the greatest return.  Self-interest is the driving force in business.  Nothing else works.

Liberal/progressive talk will be cleared on top signals when — and only when – it becomes a valuable asset, capable of  generating ratings and revenue on par or in excess of conversative offerings. Rush Limbaugh did not spring full-formed from Ed McLaughlin’s head with 600+ affiliates.  He started out on a lot of pea-shooter AMs — and stayed there until larger stations were convinced of his value to their business.

Supporters of liberal talk need to stop whining about “structural imbalances” and “vertical integration” and start producing better programming.

That’s the bottom line.