I keep hearing about the fairness doctrine...what's with that?

[a_greer]

OK, I keep hearing and reading about a movement to revive the long dead "fairness doctrine" to get more liberals on talk radio...is that wrong?

One quick observation about talk radio: Right wingers like Limbaugh and Hanniey are radio professionals first, political wonks second, that is why it works... who do the liberals and air america bring out for national shows? comedians, politicians, and academics, not radio performers! There are some great liberal radio performers out there, they just need a national show...I remember one in particular, Jay Marvin, who oddly enough, used to be the lead in to Rush Limbaugh on WLS... so, why not give him a shot?

Why do we need a law when the problem is that the democratic party/liberals in general don't seem to have any radio talent?

Also, what about Imus, he is a liberal and he is on the same station that Limbaugh and Hannity are in NYC

[Outsider]

OK, I keep hearing and reading about a movement to revive the long dead "fairness doctrine" to get more liberals on talk radio...is that wrong?

One quick observation about talk radio: Right wingers like Limbaugh and Hanniey are radio professionals first, political wonks second, that is why it works... who do the liberals and air america bring out for national shows? comedians, politicians, and academics, not radio performers! There are some great liberal radio performers out there, they just need a national show...I remember one in particular, Jay Marvin, who oddly enough, used to be the lead in to Rush Limbaugh on WLS... so, why not give him a shot?

Why do we need a law when the problem is that the democratic party/liberals in general don't seem to have any radio talent?

Also, what about Imus, he is a liberal and he is on the same station that Limbaugh and Hannity are in NYC

Sam Seder was pretty good.

[jazzguru]

Talk radio is first and foremost an entertainment medium. If people aren't entertained--if their interest isn't somehow piqued--they will change the station or turn the radio off. Whether you love or hate Rush, Sean, Imus, etc. the fact of the matter is that they know how to entertain. Also, they've got robust marketing and advertising teams working for them and, probably most important, they are able to connect on some level with their audience.

Al Franken was unsuccessful at talk radio because he had none of these things. Air America in general utterly failed because it had none of these things. Forcing successful talk radio programs to broadcast the kind of content that has already failed in the market will accomplish nothing more than tanking the ratings, as people still have the freedom to change the channel or turn it off.

[Mystic]

Talk radio is first and foremost an entertainment medium. If people aren't entertained--if their int people still have the freedom to change the channel or turn it off.

That's what they want, people to turn it off and stop listening. Karl Marx would love the fairness doctrine (claim you are being FAIR and silence your critics at the same time).

[screener]

Why do we need a law when the problem is that the democratic party/liberals in general don't seem to have any radio talent?
I guess there just aren't as many angry white liberals.

[Rush Limbaugh]

I guess there just aren't as many angry white liberals.

Exactly!

We've cornered the market for Conservatism's hate, racism, sexism, and most other -isms for that matter.

All the while as our audience considers it as their primary source of entertainment/infotainment/facts and way-over-the-top character assassinations.