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.

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.

Is that true of your website?

A tip o’ the radio station gimme cap to Mark Ramsey for pointing to this article.

– Consultant Holland Cooke did an excellent job of reminding talk radio pros that their next gig may not be at a radio station.  Cooke urged attendees to think of themselves as content creators — writers, public speakers, Internet experts – who can help businesses and others deliver their messages in multiple media.  He recommend several books for those facing career transitions (i.e., everyone in radio), including  The Long Tail by former Wired editor Chris Anderson.  I echo that advice.  The Long Tail will change how you think about modern commerce — and your future opportunities.  Anderson summarizes the book’s lessons in this video.   Check out this  funny-because-it’s-true take on The Long Tail.  See the rest of Cooke’s recommendations here.

– A panel on podcasting raised some eyebrows as audience members learned that there are radio and non-radio people making some serious money with Internet and podcast programming.  More on that in an upcoming edition of Talk Frontier.

– The Big Buzz came with Rush Limbaugh’s appearance to accept Talkers’ Freedom of Speech Award.  Aong the other notable hosts in attendance at the event:  ABC/Premiere’s Sean Hannity, ABC’s Mark Levin, TRN’s Laura Ingraham, Air America’s Lionel, Dial Global’s Ed Schultz, and The Wall Street Journal’s Gordon Deal.

– Among the positive things discussed in the hallways: The news/talk format may see dramatic growth as a result of radio’s current struggles.  Syndicators are actively hunting down struggling music FMs and working hand-in-glove with the owners to flip them to talk.  True, the resulting stations tend to be heavily syndicated, but more talk outlets means more local opportunity as times get better.

– Talkers honcho Michael Harrison claims registeration of 400-plus, and the seminar’s key events were indeed packed.  Following the trend at all talk events in recent years, the vast majority of attendees represented syndicators or other suppliers.  There were no more than a dozen local-level PD ’s at the seminar. 

But one must give a huge tip of the headphones to Michael Harrison.  In a year that has seen the demise of R&R and its talk seminar, a hiatus for Al Peterson’s fledgling talk event, and massive revenue and job loss in the radio industry, Harrison went ahead with the New Media Seminar.  In a time of uncertainty and fear, he provided a safe, comfortable place for the news/talk format to huddle together and strategize for the future.  Kudos to you, Michael Harrison.

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.

Enough to Make Your Eyes Bleed

With apologies to Keith Olbermann, that’s the only way to describe The Huffington Post’s embarrassing Rush Limbaugh hatchet piece .  Huffington media blogger Bill Mann claims to reveal the “dirty little secret” that Limbaugh has 600+ affiliates because his show is “free.”   There are so many errors in this story that correcting them is like trying to eat an elephant.  So, let’s start with the heart.  The Rush Limbaugh Show is simply the most successful talk radio show in the history of the format.  Limbaugh continues to win, even dominate, his talk competition in most every market.  WBAL/Baltimore’s 2006 decision to dump Limbaugh sent the entire station into a spin and gave new life to the struggling talk station that snapped him up. That’s why Rush has so many affiliates. 

What’s more,  the Limbaugh show is not free, and never has been.  Every affiliate pays an annual cash fee in addition to the commercial time they barter to Premiere Radio Networks for the right to carry Limbaugh’s show.  In a major market, that annual fee can hover around the $500,000 mark.  And even if stations didn’t have to pony up cash, their commercial time – during what is likely their top-rated show — has considerable value.  If the station is doing passably well, the value of that bartered inventory far surpasses the annual fee.

Mann identifies himself as a veteran print reporter who has covered radio for daily newspapers and the trade publication Radio World.  Alas, this isn’t journalism, it’s  ignorance and misinformation packed as “news” in the service of an agenda.  There is a lesson there for all media, including talk radio.

Newsmax.com

News/talk: the Buick of radio formats.  Man, this really is a list of Little Limbaughs — a group dominated by older white guys who have been behind the microphone for a very long time.  While all the honorees are talented, and many have great ratings, this list fuels concern for the format’s future.  What is being done to insure that news/talk doesn’t meet the fate of Beautiful Music?Are these guys going to attract the next wave of talk listeners?  If so, how?  And when are they going to start?  If not, is anyone investing in the next generation of talkers — and exploring how talk programming must evolve to stay relevant to a younger audience?

WSB's Boortz

Where’s Boortz?  Newsmax might argue that WSB/Atlanta’s  Neal Boortz is a syndicated host, but he’s really an Atlanta talker.  Boortz does an hour-and-a-half of Atlanta-centric talk every day and never hesitates  to bring up Atlanta-generated topics during his network hours.  He is the once-and-probably-forever king of Atlanta talk radio.

Herman Cain?  The WSB evening host is smart and worldly-wise.  But Cain’s presentation and content are a siren-song to the elderly.  The Cox Radio station’s decision to hire Cain instead of building for the future at night was curious, to say the least.

No Bill Cunningham from WLW/Cincinnati?  Which leads to…

Where are the Mid-majors?  Talk radio hosts often have truly amazing influence in cities such as  New Orleans, Richmond and Charlotte.  Yet there is only one Little Limbaugh from outside the top 21 markets –  KFAB/Omaha’s Tom Becka.