There are several reasons why Leftists in the USA are calling for the re-imposition of the so-called ‘Fairness Doctrine’. One is that Rush Limbaugh, who broadcasts on Talk Radio stations 3 hours a day (Mondays to Fridays) is extremely popular and has about 20 million listeners.
This number dwarfs the number of viewers of most TV stations and of course makes the audience figures of Leftist talk radio stations look ridiculous. Another reason is that Rush is a very, very effective proponent of conservative ideas. No-one should underestimate his knowledge and broadcasting skills, nor his enormous enthusiasm. Of course, if you put Rush’s figures against those of the combined broadcasting Media (and there are a lot of networks), they, not he, are reaching the bulk of the American public, and especially the casual viewers who take little interest in politics. Still, there is no doubt that he has and is, greatly reviving the morale of conservatives and enabling facts and arguments to get to the public that the Left would sooner stifle with a monopoly of broadcasting channels.
Many other good conservative broadcasters have followed the trail blazed by Rush since the 1980’s. In the Looney-Left San Francisco Bay Area, KSFO 560, the Lee Rodgers morning show (also known as Hot Talk) is the most-listened-to radio program year after year, proving that even in California there are many conservatives overjoyed to hear their views getting a hearing. Rodgers may not be in the Limbaugh class, but he is a pretty good broadcaster and a formidable conservative proponent. There are many like him across the States on Talk Radio. UK citizens, totally deprived of diversity in broadcasting, can have no conception of the liberating effect that hearing conservative ideas ‘brazenly’ promulgated over the airwaves has. When I first came to the USA, I found it hard to believe that such views were allowed, for I had been accustomed over decades, to Leftist BBC propaganda.
For Leftists in the USA (who are no different than Leftists around the world, in that they abhor free speech and are enraged by a non-Left point of view gaining a hearing), Rush’s trail-blazing success was bad enough, but then along came Fox News on TV. This Murdoch station is not conservative, but it has differentiated itself from all of the other channels by deliberately including a substantial segment of conservative presenters with their own programs. For Leftists, this is outrageous in itself, but even worse, Fox News is more popular by far than its rivals.
In overall terms, the conservative voice in the US media is still dwarfed by the Leftist-controlled ‘Mainstream’, which has the advantages of reaching the unknowing casual listener and saturating entertainment with hidden Leftist messages. The print Media is wholly Leftist except for the Washington Times.
Many Leftists are not content with owning and controlling the content of the great mainstream media where, for the Leftist message to have maximum effect, it has to be presented as quasi objective and non-partisan. They yearn to hear and see their own extremism reflected without any modification for they are invariably very angry and grossly intolerant people. The modest success of conservative broadcasting has stoked up their fury in recent years. As a result, a number of Leftists have launched (amid great fanfare in the MSM) openly partisan stations. We have chronicled the failure of the Al Franken Talk Radio program on this website and how it crashed amid scandal and unpaid bills. Incidentally, the ‘comedian’ Franken is now seeking a Democrat nomination for a Congressional seat, yet another example of how media people increasingly lose patience with pushing their Leftist politics through entertainment and surrogate Democrat politicians and feel ready to legislate directly.
Leftist Media Feminists, together with some Feminist academics and celebrities, decided to start their own Talk Radio in 2006. It seems they were convinced that ‘wimmin’ out there were just waiting for a real feminist station of their own. ‘Green Stone Media’ was born with wealthy backers including Jane Fonda (of Hanoi fame), Gloria Steinem (a leading Feminist writer and media celebrity), and Rosie O’Donnell (who is big enough and loud enough to need no further description). The MSM fanfare described a “superstar roster of talent, managers and stakeholders” and another word used was “luminaries”. Broadcast visionary Edie Hilliard forecast that Green Stone would make great radio “and easily find an audience”. I don’t know if any Soros money found its way into this sure-fire success venture, but there was no shortage of wealthy backers, as there never is for Leftist social causes. The management board is made up of professional ‘peace’ activists, abortion activists and the usual anti-religious, pro-lesbian gang that always claims to speak for women and manage to perceive themselves as victims. According to media trade papers last week, Green Stone is about to nose-dive because of a lack of audience.
The failure of openly Leftist broadcasting should not surprise any smart observer, for three reasons. One is that Leftist ideas are still not popular when openly stated. Another is that the MSM already wholly caters for anti-conservative, anti-Christian, anti-patriotic sentiment. Thirdly, few normal people want to be entertained by angry (mostly privileged), humorless, intolerant, self-obsessed misfits, shorn of the dressing up that the MSM gives them.
No doubt, if it is true that Green Stone is finished (and don’t expect the MSM to trumpet the news), the calls for re-implementation of the ‘Fairness Doctrine’ will reach a new level of shrillness.
In the UK, the Labor Government has been busy handing out yet more taxpayers money to homosexual organizations. The publicly-given reason is to give help to victims of homophobic discrimination. There are lots and lots of UK organizations already set up all over the country to do just that. Despite the presence of all these homo ‘help-lines’ and ‘outreach ‘ groups it seems that the problem is never solved. The groups will be more than ready to take the tax payers hard earned money and there will be many full-time homo activists receiving bigger salaries in order to seek out young homosexuals who need tender loving care.
It seems strange to me that homosexual organizations need public money at all, since I am always reading about the wonderful purchasing power of the pink pound and the wealth of the George Michaels and Elton Johns of Showbiz. I suspect that the real purpose of the Government’s largesse with taxpayers money is to ramp up the intimidation of critics of homosexuality. By constantly harping on about victims of homophobia (rarely identified) whilst ignoring the many easily identified (white) victims of racist crime, the government and Media are preparing the ground for tough laws banning free speech critical of sodomy and ultimately for legislation that will actively promote sodomy for young boys. All UK political parties, with the exception of the BNP, are more than willing to travel this legislative road to totalitarianism.