Talk radio

[Loukuss]

Who drives to work/school/gym/grocery store/etc and listens to talk radio on a day to day basis?

Who do you listen to and why?

Living in Canada, we dont have talk radio like you do down south. I'm curious what is the fascination with talk radio for Americans.

Can someone explain?

 

[noparty]

Who drives to work/school/gym/grocery store/etc and listens to talk radio on a day to day basis?

Who do you listen to and why?

Living in Canada, we dont have talk radio like you do down south. I'm curious what is the fascination with talk radio for Americans.

Can someone explain?

People like to be told they're right.

 

[Loukuss]

People like to be told they're right.

Care to elaborate?
I know what you are saying, but for the sake of discussion, do you mind expanding?

 

[noparty]

Care to elaborate?
I know what you are saying, but for the sake of discussion, do you mind expanding?

Liberals don't listen to Rush Limbaugh, conservatives don't listen to Al Franken. People don't like to be told that they're stupid, they like to be told that they're right. I don't personally listen to either. I'd like a neutral medium for debate and discourse that was not just name-calling and mud-slinging. Something with intellectual thought that is not just a bunch of sound-bites for the water cooler talk. It doesn't exist. Oh well. Hence I listen to CDs in the car.

 

[charmtrap]

There's lame right-wing talk radio where everyone just agrees with each other and no-one that doesn't agree gets on, unless the screener is reasonably sure the host can take him apart on air...then there's decent talk radio, like NPR and some local guys (here in the Bay Area we have a guy called Gene Burns who's quite good....he's nominally a libertarian but not a whacko and he lets pretty much anyone on who's decently articulate...)

So it's not quite silly right-wing bloviators patting each other on the back...but its close...

 

[elanor]

I listen to NPR. With my schedule I can usually just fit in Talk of the Nation, or Science Friday on Fridays. It's intelligent and I learn from it. I can't stand most other talk radio because it makes me angry and resentful--it's mentally destructive.

Hey, charmtrap! What station is Gene Burns on? I'm just over the hill in Sac, so maybe I can get it.

 

[charmtrap]

I listen to NPR. With my schedule I can usually just fit in Talk of the Nation, or Science Friday on Fridays. It's intelligent and I learn from it. I can't stand most other talk radio because it makes me angry and resentful--it's mentally destructive.

Hey, charmtrap! What station is Gene Burns on? I'm just over the hill in Sac, so maybe I can get it.

Gene Burns is on KGO which is 810AM, I believe. 7-10pm.

You can also get each show on their website for 24 hours after the show ends. From 10-1am they get Bernie Ward who's quite the SF leftie and is also sometimes good.

Also, forgot to mention, Mr. Burns is quite outspoken about his atheism, which makes him an interesting media figure since few will openly admit it.

 

[ElvisFan42]

Can't stand talk radio, and not just polical talk radio, I don't even listen in the morning because all they do is talk, shut up and play some music!

 

[Billnew]

Talk radio is a way to get other like minded people talking about ideas and how to make things in the political area work better.

I guess no one listened to Al Franken. Thats why his show failed.
He was about as funny as J.Kerry when he talked politics. I liked his humor when he wasn't talking politics.

I would offer: NPR or National Public radio, is a not for profit radio station. And this is where Liberal talk stations are. Most conservative talk radio is on profit stations. So who is doing a better job at keeping people entertained?
I don't understand the interest in sports talk radio.
But for political radio, the interest is getting views on what can be done better, where the leaders are making mistakes, how they can be done better.
Yes, even talk radio has said Bush hasn't done things right.

 

[JoshuaW]

Last time I checked Al Franken was still on the air...how did his show "fail"?
I enjoy listening to Air America, especially Rachel Maddow and the crazy Randi Rhodes. It angers me that America's largest companies refuse to support them with advertising. Why would they advertise on Hannity, Limbaugh and O'Riley and refuse Air America?. I think I'll stop buying things.

 

[blueapplepaste]

I listen to NPR on my way to school everymorining and then to (conservative) talk radio on the way home. It's funny to listen to these guys. Some of the stuff they come up with is hilarious.

I remember listening to them the night before the elections and they were all saying how polls were wrong and that the Republicans were going to sweep almost every race that that'd show the Dems and to mark their words the Repubs were going to win blah blah blah. Then on Wed's show after the elections they tried to say that they had been saying all along the Repubs were going to lose and that the Repubs should have listened to them on how to win and so on. It's always funny because they can never ever be wrong; they always have to make it so they're right no matter what.

 

[MikeMcK]

About the only two I listen to are Michael Medved and Way of the Master.

We have a friend of the family who's on the local sports station's morning show (WIP in Philly), so every now and then I'll tune in to see what he's up to.

 

[nvxplorer]

(Certain) Right-wing radio will teach you "the way things ought to be!"

If you don't believe me, wait a week, and "see, I told you so!"

 

[kermit]

I would offer: NPR or National Public radio, is a not for profit radio station. And this is where Liberal talk stations are. Most conservative talk radio is on profit stations. So who is doing a better job at keeping people entertained?

That's just plain old false. While Air America failed it had more to do with a failed business model, terrible sales team and owners that were only interested in a quick buck than a failed message. In general liberal talk radio is succeeding and is gaining market share while conserative talkers in general are leveling off or loosing listeners.

You also have to understand the talk radio industry to understand why liberal talk radio has a hard time. Most talk radio stations hemorage money, but the owners don't care. They own other profitable stations so they can use the talk radio station to project their own politics and since they don't care if the station makes money they'll refuse to air liberal shows even if they would make money. I used to work for a company that owned many radtio stations. They refused to air any liberal talk radio, but yet they had local "talent" that almost literaly no one listened to (I'm sure there are plenty of times throughout the day that no one was tuned in). In short, talk radio stations are about politics not profit. This makes it very hard for liberal talk radio to succeed. Stations that are profit oriented air liberal talk radio with a normal amount of mixed success.

 

[kermit]

I listen to Howard Stern in the morning and Ed Shultz at night.

I used to listen to Clark Howard on a local station, but he was replaced with snooze-fest Micheal Savage.

I have yet to get through more than 5 minutes of Savage's incomprehensible dead-pan ramblings. I don't understand how he claim to have the most "exciting" show. It starts off with hard rock intros a jazzed annoucer guy and I'm thinking alright this guy's gonna get all fired up and be in-your-face with his ideas then I hear "I'd like to ....ummm.....ummmm......................[uncomforatably long silence].......................... talk about ................... ummmm............. the election.....................[uncomforatably long silence]............................. i think that ........................................ ummmmm................................. [boring --> change station]" I seriously can't understand how anyone can listen to that.

 

[charmtrap]

I would offer: NPR or National Public radio, is a not for profit radio station. And this is where Liberal talk stations are. Most conservative talk radio is on profit stations. So who is doing a better job at keeping people entertained?

Depends entirely on what you find entertaining, no? I mean, Steven Seagal movies and country music inexplicably entertains people too.

 

[Billnew]

Last time I checked Al Franken was still on the air...how did his show "fail"?
I enjoy listening to Air America, especially Rachel Maddow and the crazy Randi Rhodes. It angers me that America's largest companies refuse to support them with advertising. Why would they advertise on Hannity, Limbaugh and O'Riley and refuse Air America?. I think I'll stop buying things.

Ok. Kermit says Air America failed. Did it go bankrupt and reorganize? I heard it went bankrupt.

That's just plain old false. While Air America failed it had more to do with a failed business model, terrible sales team and owners that were only interested in a quick buck than a failed message. In general liberal talk radio is succeeding and is gaining market share while conserative talkers in general are leveling off or loosing listeners.

You also have to understand the talk radio industry to understand why liberal talk radio has a hard time. Most talk radio stations hemorage money, but the owners don't care. They own other profitable stations so they can use the talk radio station to project their own politics and since they don't care if the station makes money they'll refuse to air liberal shows even if they would make money. I used to work for a company that owned many radtio stations. They refused to air any liberal talk radio, but yet they had local "talent" that almost literaly no one listened to (I'm sure there are plenty of times throughout the day that no one was tuned in). In short, talk radio stations are about politics not profit. This makes it very hard for liberal talk radio to succeed. Stations that are profit oriented air liberal talk radio with a normal amount of mixed success.

All I hear about is the big names trying their hand and failing. I see no advertisments for them the true talk show guys(liberal) working their way up like Rush and Hannity did. I also have not found a talk show on my dial. It's making political talk entertaining. Not just spreading the political montra.
Many times Democrats call Hannity's shows, saying they listen to him, but don't agree. But they are entertained.

Thats why the big names fail. They are to much into politics, and not enough into enterainment. Al Franken is to emotional in his politics to be funny. A true political comedian can make both sides laugh at his jokes.(Leno and Letterman can get a laugh from either side.)
I have noticed the shrieking(like Dean) on the left is a lot less. Maybe the democrats will relax more, since they feel like they are in control again.
So maybe even Franken will start being funny again.

 

[SummerMadness]

This thread took a predictable turn, whining and complaining about the "other" talk radio (left-right interchangeable). I hate it all, that's why I just don't listen to it. I'll put on NPR, nice, boring, and monotone, but it gets different ideas out there without the shrillness and especially some of the racism and bigotry I've heard on some talk radio. Talk radio also seems to be a source of much misinformation, the worst is hearing misinformation from talk radio parroted by the listeners, it's about as bad as infowars and world net daily.

 

[The Lone Gunmen]

I have want nothing to do with NPR, because they get money from the government.

It's the same reason that I despise the BBC.

 

[Glaz]

Does the Bob and Tom Show count?