Conservative Talk Radio = Porn?

[IDrinkaRum]

According to Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) it possibly does

Do we really need the Fairness Doctrine to get rid of people who disagree with you on TV and Radio? And will the Fairness Doctrine just apply to the regular radio or to the satellite radios too? And how about TV? When the Fairness Doctrine was crafted, it was before cable really took a hold of the American public. So will the Jon Stewart Show, the Bill Maher Show, David Letterman Show all be subjected to the Fairness Doctrine? Will they be forced to have Conservatives on the show with them giving the Conservative view point? I seriously don't think so.

[Amethyst Hunter]

Fairness doesn't mean taking away those "conservative" (and I use that term very loosely, considering what's on those shows) programs. It just means balancing them out with some more moderate and/or liberal ones, i.e., giving them a chance to air their side as well.

Considering the kind of hateful and ignorant bile people like Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter spew on a regular basis, that'd be music to my ears, personally.

Edit: And I believe that either Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert did have McCain on one of their shows at some point, and so did Letterman (after McCain's initial snubbing of him).

[smileyeagle1021]

Yeah, Amethyst kinda beet me to it... Stewart has had conservatives on before, and he has even treated them with respect and taken them seriously... the conservative talk radio rarely has moderates or liberals on and when they do it is for no other reason than to openly mock and ridicule them.

[wanderingjoe72]

As a fan of talk radio, I do believe the "fairness" doctrine would be applied selectively. I think Schumer would use it vindictively too since he is someone that is often criticized.

There is already a moderate/liberal radio station, it is called NPR and it is government funded. All other talk radio is commercial. They pay their own way. If no one wanted to hear it, they wouldn't make money and they would close. Kind of like what happened with Air America.

The fairness doctrine has no place in today's media. With the number of outlets available, everyone's opinion is being heard, just not all in the same place.

Do you really think SNL is going to give up half their time to let the other side talk?

[Tanasi]

As Chuckie wants it, the Fairness Doctrine would only apply to radio if it's truly going to be fair then it needs to be applied across the spectrum radio, TV, Cable, Print and other forms of media known and unknown. Not appling it so makes the FD anything but fair but an oxymoron.
In my area of operations we have one true talk radio station. They have tried several times to make a go of liberal or moderate talk shows, the liberal shows had few sponsers and the low listener numbers drove those away. Oddly the most popular show at that station is by a black man that is somewhat conservative that I would say it more moderate than not. He's become quite the celebrity around here. The listeners just don't want to listen to liberals or left leaning moderates and if the FD is applied then folks will quit listening and the station will either change format or go out of business. But I suspect that's what Chuckie and his ilk want.
Part of the reason conservative radio doesn't have moderates or liberal on very often is because their listeners don't want them, and making fun of them is hardly confined to conservatives, take Bill Marr or most of the Sunday morning shows, the View, Opera, etc.
I don't listen to NPR or Air America because I, like a lot of people don't like being told how stupid or ignorant I am just because I disagree. I won't call in because I'll be jumped and ridiculed and cut-off (sound familiar.) I do occasionally go over to DU to read what the other side is saying but I dare not post my thoughts because I'll be immediately deleted is that fair? They think so because their use agreement says that only liberal and democratic views will be tolerated all others will be deleted and knowing that when I went in I'd have to agree. It's their ball they can keep you from playing if they want. On the other hand ACOC very rarely deletes the DU folks and will engage in discussion and even if the DUer gets beligerient they still rarely delete them.
Something that Chuckie needs to remember his side might not always be incharge so the rules he's makes today will be applied to him and his ilk later.
Remember it's a free country if you don't like whatever form of media is espousing then don't listen, watch or read, it's not like it is hard to find someone that agrees with you.

[IDrinkaRum]

Tanasi - I agree with your post. In the Metropolitan DC area, the local Talk Radio that is conservative is popular. (It has Grandy & Andy, Chris Plant, Rush, Sean Hannity, Mark Levine). I believe the Fairness Doctrine is a form of censorship for the conservatives out there. You don't like something being said? Turn the channel on either the radio or the television. Please don't be espousing that it's needed when it most certainly is not.

Want to be fair? Apply it to all forms of media that leans either to the left or the right, not just one particular brand of media that has people who do not want a particular party in charge because of values conflicts.

[Flyndaran]

There is liberal talk radio? I didn't know this. Conservative opinions can be used in sound bites with very difined shades, while liberal ones need time to explain. That doesn't work so well with talk radio.

What liberal media? The only non-local ones that lean in view but not in facts I know of are the Onion, Jon Stewart show and Steven Colbert show.
If I still had cable I would ask everyone to point me to something not weasely psuedo liberal but actually thought out intelligent liberal on the tube or radio.

[AFPheonix]

Well, there WAS Air America, but I found it as obnoxious as Limbaugh and any of their ilk.

I spend most of my time listening to NPR, and to their credit, they give pretty equal air time to people on both sides of the aisle.

[IDrinkaRum]

Yes AFPhoenix, but you let your tastes and dial do the talking. You didn't like Air America so you didn't listen. You don't like Limbaugh and you don't listen to the channel(s) that air him & others of his ilk. That is what should happen. We do not need a "Fairness Doctrine" to make everything "fair". Life is not fair. We all know this.

[Boozy]

The absolute best radio shows on the airwaves are from NPR. Thank god for podcasts for us poor NPR-deprived souls up here in Canada. I prefer it to Canada's own public radio. CBC Radio is balanced and informative, but dry.

I don't understand people who think NPR is left-wing. It has the kind of balanced coverage that can only come from being publicly-funded.

[Dark-Star]

Yes AFPhoenix, but you let your tastes and dial do the talking. You didn't like Air America so you didn't listen. You don't like Limbaugh and you don't listen to the channel(s) that air him & others of his ilk. That is what should happen. We do not need a "Fairness Doctrine" to make everything "fair". Life is not fair. We all know this.

Seconded. Our government has no business to appoint itself the fairness referee over talk radio. And no, the FD will not be applied fairly or efficiently. You can take that to the bank. At best it will be enforced lopsidedly according to who's running the show.

[AFPheonix]

I didn't say that the fairness doctrine was a good thing. No, if people make money off of being an ass on the radio, that's fine. I simply don't listen to them, and provide information to people who do about why their shock jock of choice is a big fat liar.
Air America was a liberal talk channel. I don't care for shock jocks of any persuasion. That's why I didn't like them, even though socially and politically they lined up more with me than Limbaugh or Hannity. They were guilty of the same sins as those two idiots, which is to toss out common sense for their side of the aisle.

[IDrinkaRum]

AFPhoenix - that's good then. I thought you were for the FD. My bad. I never listened to Air America (couldn't figure out which station on the AM it was on). However, I listened to Howard Stern for a little while, but turned him off because I couldn't stand him either. I'm open minded. I will listen to just about anything. (I've been known to turn off Limbaugh & Hannity when they get too "over the top" for me). But I really don't think the Government should tell us what to listen to on the radio and to make things "fair" for the other side. Let the other side of things find their own station, their own niche & their own listeners. If they fail then it's because they're in an area that doesn't want to listen to what they have to say and no amount of the Government's interference and forcing the stations to play their rhetoric is going to make a single bit of difference.

[Flyndaran]

The absolute best radio shows on the airwaves are from NPR. Thank god for podcasts for us poor NPR-deprived souls up here in Canada. I prefer it to Canada's own public radio. CBC Radio is balanced and informative, but dry.

I don't understand people who think NPR is left-wing. It has the kind of balanced coverage that can only come from being publicly-funded.

Balanced means left-wing to many of today's public "conservatives". I say that because even though I am more socially liberal than a liberal european, I am fiscally conservative at heart. I get labeled a full liberal just because of my small but helpful government preferences.

[PepperElf]

As a fan of talk radio, I do believe the "fairness" doctrine would be applied selectively.

I totally agree.

The Act originally was drafted for television, to ensure networks didn't slant political views by only showing the candidate they wanted you to see.


They are now trying to apply it to talk radio, not to promote fairness, but to silence conservative opinions.

The arguments against the FD that I've heard ... well they make a lot of sense

1) They will only target conservative talk radio.
This is true on many aspects... Firstly most talk radio IS conservative. I believe there are some liberal shows out there, but they're not as popular. Secondly... yes I do believe they'd turn a blind eye to a station only supporting liberal views while attacking stations that have conservative views.

2) This may kill talk radio. If liberal talk radio is unpopular than forcing stations to broadcast it will hurt the stations.


I'm all for the policy of "change the station if you don't like it".
The irony being that a large portion listeners to any show like Rush's or Howard Stern (before he went satellite) were people who disliked the show. So, sorry, but if you keep listening to something you hate, that's your own damn fault if you're offended.

But really... do we want the government telling us what format a radio station should carry? As long as the station doesn't break FCC regs on things like bad language etc, why should the government step in and tell us what we should be listening to.

That doesn't sound like freedom to me.


That sounds more like, "If you voice an opinion against ours, we will silence you by any means possible."

It's the war cry of many countries where human rights and opinions are silenced.