The AM Radio Ministry of Propaganda

[Fredom101]

I've hardly listened to AM radio in years, but today I wanted to see what some of the shows were saying about Ron Paul. Hahaha. Wow. Here are my observations:

1. How can anyone stand listening to any of these shows? They do about 5 minutes of content followed by a 5-7 minute commercial break! Who just sits there and listens to commercials? I'm way too used to podcasts, where you have choices!

2. One guy I listened to (British guy from Fox filling in for Hannity I think) was talking about the GOP race. He went on and on about the "frontrunners", of course being Newt & Romney. NO mention of RP whatsoever. It reminded me of the Iraqi Ministry of Propaganda, when the guy is saying how the war is over and we've won while the bombs are going off behind him. This guy is saying Newt is a great candidate while his campaign is tanking.

3. Heard a little bit of "news". Of course it's mostly about Kim Jong Il today but Iowa was mentioned and it was "Romney gets endorsed by the Des Moines Register!" as if newspapers are at all relevant these days and as if that is bigger news than RP's LEAP in the polls?

4. Heard Michael Medved talk about how "dangerous" Ron Paul's foreign policy is, and how it's exactly the same as Obama's. Huh? At least someone called up to disagree with him. I guess the neocons think Obama is for peace, or, "not doing enough". Medved actually said "Well Obama is doing more for the war on Terror than what Ron Paul is for!". Up is down black is white peace is war!

Anyway they are all still running with the plot of Romney vs. Gingrich and ignoring and attacking RP. That's all the AM radio I need for a while!

[realtonygoodwin]

Laura Ingraham was talking about Ron Paul leading.

[Fredom101]

Laura Ingraham was talking about Ron Paul leading.

Was she disgusted?

[heavenlyboy34]

Laura Ingraham was talking about Ron Paul leading.
I happened to catch that too. She's one of the more honest ones, but isn't exactly "fair".

[heavenlyboy34]

Was she disgusted?
IIRC, she mentioned it in passing before changing the subject lickity split.

[Rael]

Most talk shows of any note have moved over to FM in my area. I don't know why they still bother using shitty AM anyway.

And you are right, the level of commercials is maddening. Even worse is that there only seems to be a handful of commercials and they play the same ones over and over and over again

[Badger Paul]

"That's all the AM radio I need for a while!"

I think if you poll a lot of RPF members you'd find a lot who were ex-AM radio talk people. Once upon a time AM talk was bold new frontier to break through establishment media. In time, the establishment eventually just morphed over AM radio with big media companies gobbling up the stations, creating the syndicates and talk show hosts simply became their pawns and pretty everyone pretty much started saying the same things day after day, week after week and so on and really, what's the difference anyway between Hannity, Limbaugh, Ingram, Levine, you name it? Their individual voices? That may be all there is to separate them.

Which is why a lot of us don't listen anymore. We started going online, started looking things up ourselves instead Rush doing it for us and found out the world wasn't exactly the way he painted it. And when they decided only callers who agreed with them for the most part (except for the occasional one or two for drama's sake) would be let on while meanwhile the commercials to sell you their books and their endorsed crap became longer and longer. Then at some point over the last decade we said: Enough! I'm not going to waste my time anymore. And a lot of other people feel the same way. Remember Rush Rooms? How many of those are still left?

The bottom line when these persons eventually retire there is really no one to replace them. Young people stopped listening to AM as soon as it went all talk and when they inherit the radio dial the talk format will become a niche more or less, on podcasts or statellite or a few scattered stations here and there but nothing quite like what it was in mid-1990s with its mass audience.

Put it this way, if we were back 15 years ago, Ron Paul would not anywhere near anywhere near what he was in the polls and probably wouldn't have even run at all. That's how much things have changed.

[Fredom101]

"That's all the AM radio I need for a while!"

I think if you poll a lot of RPF members you'd find a lot who were ex-AM radio talk people. Once upon a time AM talk was bold new frontier to break through establishment media. In time, the establishment eventually just morphed over AM radio with big media companies gobbling up the stations, creating the syndicates and talk show hosts simply became their pawns and pretty everyone pretty much started saying the same things day after day, week after week and so on and really, what's the difference anyway between Hannity, Limbaugh, Ingram, Levine, you name it? Their individual voices? That may be all there is to separate them.

Which is why a lot of us don't listen anymore. We started going online, started looking things up ourselves instead Rush doing it for us and found out the world wasn't exactly the way he painted it. And when they decided only callers who agreed with them for the most part (except for the occasional one or two for drama's sake) would be let on while meanwhile the commercials to sell you their books and their endorsed crap became longer and longer. Then at some point over the last decade we said: Enough! I'm not going to waste my time anymore. And a lot of other people feel the same way. Remember Rush Rooms? How many of those are still left?

The bottom line when these persons eventually retire there is really no one to replace them. Young people stopped listening to AM as soon as it went all talk and when they inherit the radio dial the talk format will become a niche more or less, on podcasts or statellite or a few scattered stations here and there but nothing quite like what it was in mid-1990s with its mass audience.

Put it this way, if we were back 15 years ago, Ron Paul would not anywhere near anywhere near what he was in the polls and probably wouldn't have even run at all. That's how much things have changed.

Excellent analysis, thanks. :)

[RSLudlum]

I happened to catch that too. She's one of the more honest ones, but isn't exactly "fair".

I've heard her state her father was a big supporter of Paul.

[Badger Paul]

You're welcome.

[Badger Paul]

"Most talk shows of any note have moved over to FM in my area."

The same is happening in the Twin Cities as well and I think most talk stations will do the same initially. But if I'm trying to sell ads it's harder for me to do this against a popular music station than it is if I was just competing against the AM station down the street.

[SWATH]

Rush was saying that if Republicans weren't afraid to nominate a true conservative like Romney they wouldn't be in the dire predicament of Ron Paul, a moderate, rising in the polls. I laughed because it was so freaking stupid and ridiculous. He went on to say the usual about his insane foreign policy and his rise is ONLY because Republicans are afraid of the real conservatives, as in anybody but Ron Paul.

[heavenlyboy34]

Rush was saying that if Republicans weren't afraid to nominate a true conservative like Romney they wouldn't be in the dire predicament of Ron Paul, a moderate, rising in the polls. I laughed because it was so freaking stupid and ridiculous. He went on to say the usual about his insane foreign policy and his rise is ONLY because Republicans are afraid of the real conservatives, as in anybody but Ron Paul.
lolz@Rush. Gotta have a bit of pity for a fellow like that, though. He's either greatly lost his mental faculties or has been bought off.

[Southron]

I occasionally listen to AM riding around when I am home but the only talk radio I listen to regularly is Mike Church on Sirius. He defends Ron Paul every single day.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/blog/mike-church-the-most-radical-man-on-the-radi/

[MsDoodahs]

lolz@Rush. Gotta have a bit of pity for a fellow like that, though. He's either greatly lost his mental faculties or has been bought off.

The latter.

[Peace&Freedom]

lolz@Rush. Gotta have a bit of pity for a fellow like that, though. He's either greatly lost his mental faculties or has been bought off.

BOTH.