Beck

According to Forbes, Glenn Beck is looking to help others replicate his multi-media success.  The magazine reports that some  20 established media personalities have approached Beck’s company about learning how to blow-up huge by effectively employing the tools that helped make Beck a household name.

I’ll be interested to see who Beck’s company decides to support.   Beck’s own mega-success is driven by his special talent for conveying a unique personality and world view that resonates with a distinctive (and sizable) audience.  It’s not about having a TV show, radio program, book deal, newsletter, website and speaking gigs; it’s about — to paraphrase the cliche — having a very special take and being exceedingly good at sharing it via those channels. This is true whether the personality talks about  politics, sports, food, health, home improvement — you name it.

Beck’s ability to identify people with those gifts will help determine whether he achieves his stated goal of moving from being a performer to a mogul in the tradition of his hero, Walt Disney.  I’m rooting for him.  We could use more stars, especially in radio.

What about you?  Do you have that special take, and a gift for sharing it?  Let’s find out.  Call or email us at Talk Frontier Media.  We’ll talk — no charge, no obligation, no bull.

The Daily Beast

Daily Beast writer Samuel P. Jacobs consulted with Talkers publisher Michael Harrison and unnamed “national radio hosts” to compile the list.  I love me some Michael Harrison, and I have great respect for every host on the list, but, umm, well…  take a look and see what you think.

According to Young’s opinion piece at Philly.com, Air America and most other liberal talkers have copied the pedantic, almost authoritarian style of conservative talk radio — a style that doesn’t appeal to the liberal audience.  As Young writes:

“[T]he crux of liberal talk’s inability to match up to right-wing talk isn’t the business plan or the lack of a Limbaugh. It’s a failure to understand its audience… Before Limbaugh, talk radio was about wanting to know what you think. Today, it’s telling you what you should think. The liberal audience doesn’t work that way; reaching a consensus on the left is like herding cats.

Wouldn’t it make sense to go to your strength, not try to mimic your opponent’s? The left needs to pay attention to the success of Comedy Central’s one-two punch of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. They don’t necessarily reach the numbers of Limbaugh, Beck, or Sean Hannity, but they have cornered the market on political satire, and there’s no denying their influence.”

Of course, comedy isn’t the only way to reach a liberal audience.  Young fails to mention the one radio network that enjoys great success with a style that owes nothing to Rush, Glenn or Sean.  It’s called National Public Radio.

Bully

Free Press, a left-leaning group that advocates media “diversity” and “quality journalism” has sent an open letter to President Obama begging him not to be bullied by Glenn Beck. The group, no fan of conservative talk on a good day, was apparently driven to such histrionics by anger over Beck’s role in whipping up opposition to White House Green Jobs Czar Van Jones, who resigned over the weekend.  Jones is a former Free Press board member.  The press release announcing the open letter said, in part:

“Beck has a First Amendment right to stoke prejudice, and we do not and will not support efforts to silence him. This is not about censorship; it’s about sanity. Our leaders have a responsibility to condemn fear mongering in all its forms, defend those who are unfairly attacked, and support a more diverse media system that provides alternative voices to the likes of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and other extremists.”

Read the Free Press letter here.  The press release is here.

 The post includes this cautionary tale for conservative media:  “After two years of muckraking anti-Clinton journalism, The American Spectator went from 30,000 subscribers to 300,000. As Clinton proved to be a Teflon president, the mania deepened and the magazine accused Clinton of murder, drug smuggling, and cheating at golf. In the end, its star investigative journalist converted to liberalism, those remaining defected to other conservative publications, the magazine collapsed and was relaunched as a technology publication, and the Clinton administration barreled forward. Glenn Beckmight pull 2.5 million viewers a day, WorldNetDaily might be clocking 2 million unique visitors a month—impressive, if slightly frightening, numbers—but they would be advised to remember the Spectator.”

What’s the lesson for talk radio?  Well, radio now lives in a quarter-to-quarter world, and it can be argued that extremism in defense of making the quarter (or year) is no vice. Should Glenn Beck tone it down?  Probably not.  He’s found his niche and should make hay while the anger shines.  But younger talkers (and vets still seeking a distinctive identity) should be wary of jumping on the crazy train.  That ride always comes to an end — either in a horrific crash or, more often, when the locomotive just plain runs out of steam.

Yes, yes, let your hate flow...

Media Matters for America, the liberal media “watchdog” group, this week debuted a daily two-minute synopsis of what it considers the most “hateful rhetoric, offensive commentary and  conservative paranoia” heard on talk radio. The first three installments include snippets from Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, Laura Ingraham, Glenn Beck, Dennis Miller and Quinn and Rose.  There are also cameos by local talkers, including KSFO/San Francisco’s Lee Rodgers and WLW/Cincinnati’s Bill Cunningham. Frankly, none of the material is particularly hateful, offensive or paranoid.  (I can see this daily round-up becoming talk radio’s equivalent of Sports Center, with hosts and producers high-fiving when they make the reel.)

Watch the July 16th installment here:Two Minute Hate.  Read the Media Matters press release here.

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.

“As the meltdown progresses, one of the first things to be affected will be our nation’s food supply… If you don’t have the ability to grow your own food next year, your life may be in danger.”

 Survival Seed Bank is currently advertising on talk radio, along side the gold sellers who hint you may soon be using Krugerrands to buy venison from your neighbor because the Safeway has been looted, burned and nationalized.  It’s smart advertising,  given the talk format’s current penchant for gloom and doom.  While Glenn Beck is the most noted purveyor of a dark vision, he is hardly alone.  Listeners are subjected apocalyptic tales all over the dial — even if the host must turn to fiction for material.  WSB/Atlanta’s  Neal Boortz , always pessimistic about the future, recently fixated on the novel “One Second After,” which details the aftermath of  an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) attack on the U.S., including the death of 90% of the population within a year.  Earlier this month a central Florida morning show host did a lengthy interview with a novelist who says the enemies of the U.S. could easily destroy the country by hiding nuclear devices in major earthquake faults and pumping water into those faults.  When the bomb explodes, vaporizing the water, all hell will break loose — from California sliding into the sea, to torrents of flaming oil gushing from wells located in urban areas. 

There’s nothing new or wrong with sprinkling this stuff into the mix.  The media, from fireside storytellers to Internet bloggers — have been whipping up baseless fears for thousands of years.   Everybody likes a scary story — now and then.   But  fear-mongering can’t possibly be a good long-term programming strategy, especially today, when people have a lot of legitimate concerns and stress in their daily life.   Fear is exhausting.  People living normal lives just don’t have time for it.  It’s a niche — one that very likely appeals to older people.   Is that where the talk format – the last, best hope for broadcast radio — should position itself?   Rush Limbaugh doesn’t seem to think so.  Rush’s unyielding confidence and optimism are large (and largely under-appreciated) parts of his appeal.  He never downplays the challenges, but he also makes it clear that he knows America can and will overcome those challenges.

That’s a winning attitude, in more ways than one.