Two bits of bad news on the progressive radio front:
>Randi Rhodes’ last day as a radio talk show host is scheduled for May 16th. This day was coming, and she knew it since last year, but decided that now is the time to hang up the hand-held microphone. The reason she gave at the beginning of today’s podcast, if my paraphrasing is correct, is that she simply felt that now is the time to move on to something else, to continue to do positive for the people in a medium other than the electronic media. Later on, however, she seemed to voice a bit of frustration, at why we’re continuing to slip further and further into oligarchy no matter how much talking she and her cohorts do.
Perhaps she saw the law of decreasing benefit in action here. Perhaps she knew that she wasn’t really wanted at Premiere (who also syndicates the Pig Man and other Rightward Yakers). She may have also seen the writing on the wall as far as AM Radio is concerned: Pig Man is tanking and getting boycotted, and potential sponsors are no longer putting their dollars into talk radio of any stripe, in large part because of the controversy belched out by the likes of the Mount Rushbo and his wannabes.
Speaking of said wannabes and the Pig Man - have you heard/see the controversy about how their shows are really funded, now that Corporate America wants less and less to do with them? Forget selling products, it’s now political advocacy and candidates. This change in funding sources (Heritage Foundation, etc.) is leading some to consider if such funding is legally actionable. Stay tuned for this one…
>KRXA-540 in Monterey, a wonderful progressive station, has been sold. The original owners will take their programming completely online, at radiomonterey.com. You’ll still hear much of the local programming that gives KRXA its trademark quirkiness. But that’s exactly what good local radio should sound like - full of the local flavor and the quirks that go with it.
Yet another progressive beacon goes out or gets considerably dimmer. KTLK in Los Angeles is now right-wing. What used to be Green-960 still has a few progressive hosts, but morning drive is anchored by the Glen Beckie. Portland and Seattle have lost progressive stations, as have much of the other parts of the country. Our message is inconvenient to those that really own, and run, this country - hence the complete lack of support. Is it any wonder that a recent study came out that stated that the US is now much more of an oligarchy than a true democracy? We should not be surprised - the signals have been there for many years.
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