Talk Radio in Ohio: Nothing but Republican Propaganda

[pilsner]

Franklin County (Columbus) votes 60% Democratic. Yet, Columbus alone has 6 conservo-talk radio stations. There are ZERO Progressive Talk stations in the whole state of Ohio.

Media corporations like Clear Channel will "squat" on a frequency, airing Right-Wing propaganda, even though there is no public demand for it. Many of these stations do not bring in advertiser dollars or listeners, but Clear Channel will prop them up anyway, with their profit-making stations.

Clear Channel-owned stations in Columbus, Akron and Cincy had Air America Radio programming roughly from 2004 to 2006. Progressive Talk programming got much better ratings than the formats it replaced and the formats that followed it on all three stations.

It's clear that Clear Channel has a political agenda, and wants to "poison the well" of Progressive Talk. When other station owners consider what programs to air in the future, they will be told,
"Progressive Talk couldn't make it in this market."

If a mom-and-pop owner ran these stations, then they would have been
invested in each station's survival. As it is, the stations are owned
by corporations with many stations in each market, and so was able to
take on the Progressive format ... and would not suffer if the format
"failed". If they stop marketing the station, then they can eventually
just say they changed format for "business reasons".

The FCC needs to resume its obligation to make sure that radio stations are serving the community, and are not just platforms to spread political disinformation.

Another matter is why do Democrats keep paying for their own swift boating? Right-wing media companies such as Clear Channel raked in hundreds of million$ from Democrats for campaign commercials on stations that air druggie-Limbaugh and Glenn Beck.

Democrats need to do something about this problem while they hold power. I'm certainly not too keen with my campaign contributions to Dems ending up in the pockets of right-wing media owners.

Thom Hartmann's solution is to just enforce the Sherman Anti-Trust Act again. But the courts are packed with Federalist Society Judges. So, petitioning the FCC and Congress might be our best routes.

[sasquatch]

1. Why does every thing from the Sherman family seem to benefit us all the time

Including the destruction of the South.

[Kalyke]

32. God, what an insensitive, bigoted thing to say.

YOU are the type who keeps fighting the Civil War. Most Southerners don't talk about it all.

You're a creep.

[sasquatch]

38. "Most Southerners don't talk about it all"

Really, what're all of those confederate battle flags about then? You can bet your ass it doesn't have to do with "heritage". Besides remember the auto loan scandal, it was good old fashioned southern union busting and fifth column activity against the north because we told them long ago that they couldn't own helots.

[Sebass1271]

2. i am not familiar wiht the Sherman Act.. i've heard a lot about

the other one.... .. :think: - forgot the name.. but what are the difference between them two? Here in Florida right wings comentators like Rush, Glenn, Hannity, Savage and Ingraham have taken over the only progressive radio station we had.. which was 940 WInz, sometimes Air America.. We have some progressives comentators in the morning but by in the afternoon, they are gone..

[pilsner]

3. Sherman Anti-Trust Act

The Sherman Act is to bust up monopolies. It was passed by Congress with something like one dissenting vote in both chambers of Congress.

Media companies used to have the 7-7-7 rule. One company was limited to owning 7 newspapers, 7 radio stations and 7 TV stations.

[Sebass1271]

4. We should then bring this Act back.. what can do to

communicate this to President Obama?

[pilsner]

7. Yeah

and contact the FCC Commissioners too. Not sure, but we might want to wait until nominations are approved by Congress.

The FCC Commissioners periodically hold Town Hall Meetings so keep an eye out for that.

Most important thing to do is to support the advertisers of your favorite Progressive Talkers. Also, consider becoming a subscriber to Air America, or NovaM, or Stephanie Miller.

[RTFirefly]

5. They did that in Cincy too.

I recall being able to listen to Air America a couple years ago on an AM station - Clear Channel owned, and out of all their AM frequencies it was the one with the worse reception no matter what side of the city I was on. It was eventually taken off, allowing the guys on 700 WLW (Bill Cunningham, mostly) to crow about how Liberal Radio failed miserably in the market. Sure, Cincinnati one of the more conservative area of the state, but I'd be willing to wager more people would have listened if they could've heard the station over the static.

[CitizenPatriot]

6. here's a list of Rush sponsors

sorry it's so long....

RUSH SPONSORS Contact Information: (per Daily Kos)

Show Call-in Number 1-800-282-2882

Show Fax Number 1-212-563-9166

If you would like to contact Limbaugh at his PRIVATE email addresses, you might do so on AOL/Compuserve at: [e-mail] or [e-mail] or [e-mail]

Rush's public email address is: [e-mail]

Overstock.com
1-800-989-0135
(customer comments and service email)
[e-mail]

eharmony
300 N. Lake Ave., Suite 1111
Pasadena, CA 91101
[e-mail]
Web contact form
626.795.4814
FAX [phone]

Inverness Medical (maker of stresstabs)
51 Sawyer Road
Waltham, MA 02021
1-800-899-7353 weekdays, 8 am. - 6 p.m. (Eastern Time.)

OnstarOnline comment form

Geico
Ted Ward - VP Marketing [e-mail]
Marketing Generic Email [e-mail]
Christine Tasher - Director, Public Relations [e-mail]
Celeste Fernandez - Public Relations Specialist [e-mail]
Janice Minshall - Assistant VP, Communications [e-mail]

1-800-947-AUTO

Hotwire Corporate Headquarters
333 Market Street, Suite 100
San Francisco, CA 94105
[e-mail]
1-877-HOTWIRE (468-9473)
415-343-8400

Sleep Number Bed
1-800-438-2233

The Neptune Society of Northern California
Stewart Enterprises
12070 Telegraph Road #107
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670

Oreck Upright Vacuum Cleaners
Oreck Corporation
100 Plantation Road
New Orleans, Louisiana 70123
Online contact form
1-800-289-5888

Smart & Final
Customer Relations
PO Box 512377
Los Angeles, CA 91001-0377
(Heard on KFI 640 in Los Angeles)

Mid-West Life Insurance Company of Tennessee
9151 Grapevine Hwy.
North Richland Hills, TX 76180
Phone [phone]
(web banner ads on rushlimbaugh.com)

AutoZone Inc.
P.O. Box 2198
Memphis, TN 38101
Phone [phone]
Fax [phone]
[e-mail]

UPDATED - Citracal - Mission Pharmacal
Bennett Kennedy - Citracal Product Manager
Mission Pharmacal
P.O. Box 786099
San Antonio, TX 78278-6099
Phone: [phone]

Blue-Emu
Blue Emu refuses to give a contact other than their generic "info" box: <[e-mail]>
1-800-432-9334
http://www.blue-emu.com/

Lumber Liquidators
Toll Free: 877-645-5347
Contact list: http://www.lumberliquidators.com/...

Avacor (hair loss treatment)
(customer comments email)
[e-mail]

Lazerguide® (golf instruction tool)
PO Box 807
New Hudson Michigan 48165
1-877-266-6430 (toll free)

Mission Pharmacal Company
10999 IH-10 West Suite 1000
San Antonio, TX 78230
Telephone: [phone]

General Steel Metal Buildings
1075 South Yukon, Ste. 250
Lakewood, Colorado 80226
Toll Free: 1-888-98-STEEL
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]


Life Quotes, Inc.
32045 Castle Court
Evergreen, CO 80439
1-800-670-5433
[e-mail]

Select Comfort Corporation
6105 Trenton Lane N
Minneapolis, MN 55442
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
[e-mail]

Scottrade Inc
12855 Flushing Meadows Drive
Saint Louis, MO 63131
1-800-619-SAVE
[e-mail]

RegionalHelpWanted.com, Inc.
1 Civic Center Plaza, Suite 506
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
800-365-8630
845-471-5200
[e-mail]

The Swap Shop CLICK HERE
3291 East Sunrise
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
[e-mail]
Phone - 954.791.$WAP

Pfizer Inc
235 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017

[pilsner]

8. Buy-cott instead

I'll keep that list in mind but Progressive Talk can not afford to get into an advertiser war with the Conservo-Talk. CC has Rush and Beck and the other wingnuts backs.

It is much more effective to go out of your way to patronize advertisers of Progresive Talk hosts and let them know where you heard their ad.

Again, consider buying a subscription to Air America, NovaM or Stephanie Miller too.

[CitizenPatriot]

10. thanks for the info

I'm simply writing them to let them know that I question their support of bigotry. A few of them that I patronize often I'm letting know that I won't be in the future simply because my values won't allow me to support their values.

It sounds like you know a lot more about boycotting than I do, though-- so I'll take your word about it.

[snot]

9. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act is designed to limit commercial monopolies, NOT

monopolies of information outlets. Yes, it should be enforced; but that alone is not enough.

We need restoration of the restrictions on consolidation of media ownership, and we need the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine.

Rep. Maurice Hinchey D-NY had a bill that would have done both, but it languished while the Repubs. were in charge.

It's very important that we push this issue with Obama and Dem leaders. I'm baffled/horrified that they -- and so many on DU -- have seemed so oblivious to it.

I consider this issue second in importance only to election reform. There can be no hope for helpful, democratic action if the people are kept in ignorance.

[pilsner]

12. Not everyone blogs, podcasts, watches Democracy Now!

It's good to see that you get it, snot.

You're right that we have a lot of persuading to do. For example, here's a comment that Kos himself left regarding reinstating the Fairness Doctrine:

"You obsess over the medium (9+ / 0-)

I look at the MEDIA.

If the number of outlets was restricted, then I'd at least consider
the Fairness Doctrine. But voices aren't being stamped out of the
public debate. In fact, we're seeing the internet become far more
influential than talk radio.

As long as people can get their message out, who cares if talk radio
is dominated by one group? That just means people looking for non-
wingnut material gravitate to other media.

It's dangerous to think that having government referee content is a
good thing, or a smart precedent to set. And frankly, I don't expect
my party to be the one demanding such things."

Summary of Kos's comment: "I run the biggest political blog on the
Internet. I don't need to care about anything else."

[snot]

15. Thanks. AND, the internet is rapidly being brought to heel -- we really NEED

to get on top of that quickly -- to assure net neutrality and various other protections -- before it becomes little more than a super-efficient, top-down commercial sales/surveillance system.

[pilsner]

16. Net-Neutrality under Democratic rule

Do you really think that Obama and Congress would get rid of Net Neutrality? I'm asking because I don't know too much about this issue.

Could Obama and Congress somehow ensure that the internet will always have net neutrality?

[snot]

22. We don't have net neutrality NOW.

Comcast and others are already actively discriminating on political and commercial bases.

No, I don't think Obama will get rid of net neutrality; the question, is what will he and other Dems do to restore/protect it?

And no, they can't ensure it will always be protected. We the people must, unfortunately, be vigilant -- moreso than even most DU'er's have been so far.

If you care about this issue, and I think you do, pls help make others more aware.

[onenote]

11. I thought WTVN - a conserv talk format in Columbus -- was the top rated AM station there?

Is that no longer the case? It would be great if they've fallen to the bottom.

[pilsner]

14. Unfortunately

610 WTVN still wins in the ratings. It's low on the dial and has a great signal. They do sports, news and weather very good. Glenn Beck, Rush, and Micheal Levine. Ugh!

Profits from WTVN easily covers losses on the other AM station that CC owns in Columbus, 1230 WYTS. The conservo format on WYTS replaced Air America programming. The ratings have since plummeted which should have cost the program manager's job (but I doubt it did).

[sasquatch]

19. I remember when Munch did Buckeye pre-game shows on 610. good times

[onenote]

20. does WYTS have the same talkers as WTVN?

Unfortunately, its sounds as if rush and his ilk are still popular in the Columbus area; is CC putting the same stuff on WYTS and getting bad ratings or do they have other programs?

[pilsner]

21. Syndicated wing-nuts on WYTS, nothing local

WYTS Talkers: BillO the clown, Savage, Ingraham, and Jim Rome.

Savage and BillO are now gone, replaced by Lou Dobbs and Neil Boortz.

610 WTVN now features Glenn Beck, Rush, and Mark Levine.

There's no reason for CC to have 2 conservo-talk stations on the AM dial.

Keep in mind, Cincy's WLW "The Big One" comes in loud and clear in Columbus. All rightwingers on WLW too.

[klook]

13. Same in Atlanta - talk radio cesspool (n/t)

[maseman]

17. Love Clark Howard though

[RebelOne]

27. So do I, even though he is a good friend of Sean Hannity. n/t

[klook]

40. True -- I guess I don't count him as "talk radio"

-- although I guess he's on the radio and his whole show is talking. :*

[pilsner]

18. I should add

that a mom and pop manager brought back Progressive Talk to Columbus from December 2007 to December 2008. He leased the station, 1580 WVKO and the Fall 2008 ratings book showed WVKO getting a 1.0 share. Not bad at all.

The station had been programming Latino music and didn't even show up in the ratings book.

Unfortunately, a religious group (Catholic Radio) swooped in and bought out the lease. Now it's non-stop talk about purgatory, abortion and the evil of gay marriage at 1580 AM. So sad.

[comrade snarky]

23. Weirdly timed thread!

I am, right now, in a hotel in Gallopolis Ohio.

I just drove an hour from the nearest airport in Charleston, WV and it was nothing but right wing crap the whole way. No wonder people vote republican in places like this if that's all they hear.

Thank god I found a station with some bluegrass.

[KharmaTrain]

24. "Revisit" Telcom '96

Just like banking needs re-regulation and enforcement, so does radio. Cheap Channel has turned radio into a joke...destroying local control and programming and filling the airwaves with their own syndicated mouthpieces. Things have gotten so bad that stations are failing right and left...revenues are a fraction of what they were a few years ago...and Cheap Channel's answer is MORE satellite programming.

There's a big need to revise Telcom '96 that gave companies like Cheap Channel monopolistic control of the "public" airwaves and put thousands of local stations out of business. Companies should be scaled back from owning upwards of 8 stations in an area to no more than 2 or 3, license renewal periods need to be returned from 7 years (they wanted 10) to 3 years, local ownership should be given the priority to own or challenge for a license and stations should be required to produce at least 25-50% of their own programming. Many of these are restoring rules that once helped radio thrive...rather than to watch it die...

Cheers...

[AsahinaKimi]

25. In the meantime..There is ALWAYS KGO

You can listen to KGO out of San Francisco for more Progressive
talk. I think this link will be helpful;
http://leoville.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/Newstalk%20810%20AM,%20KGO%20Radio,%20San%20Francisco.jpg
http://www.kgoradio.com/
Ray Taliaferro is on all night long, and others during the day are quite
good.


There is also a progresive station on winamp, that is out of Seattle. I have heard Thom Hartmann, and others there, and it was pretty good.

[pilsner]

30. I podcast

Yeah, Green 960 offers free podcasts of Hartmann, Maddow and Peter B. Collins with very little commercial interruptions.

http://www.green960.com/pages/podcasts.html?article=4319570

[DeSwiss]

26. K&R

http://www.clearchannel.com/Corporate/PressRelease.aspx?PressReleaseID=1168&p=hidden">Clear Channel Executives
Lowry Mays
Founder
[e-mail]

Mark MaysMark Mays
Chief Executive Officer
[e-mail]

Randall MaysRandall Mays
President and Chief Financial Officer
[e-mail]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowry_Mays">Lowry Mays is a close friend of and major fundraiser for both former President George H.W. Bush and current former President George W. Bush. He was named to the Texas Technology Council when the younger Bush was the governor of Texas.

- Bush crony. Probably a Pioneer too. S'plains everything.....

[messiah]

28. The same thing is going on here in Toledo, Ohio

and it is the most liberal city in Ohio.

[LiberalHeart]

33. And in a liberal county. Makes no sense, does it?

[pilsner]

36. Can't pick up Detroit's 1310 WTDW?

It has a good signal along Lake Erie shore in NW Ohio. The Ohio Dem Chairman is from Catwaba Island although he's probably always in COlumubs.

It seems like most Democratic officials think that fundraising to buy/lease stations as competition for campaign fundraising. Which is a stupid way to think of it.

You'd think they'd embrace what amounts to 24/7/365 advertising for Democratic ideals.

[babydollhead]

29. same here in Pittsburgh

[spinbaby]

35. I miss Lynn Cullen

We used to have Lynn Cullen--a great local liberal voice--here in Pittsburgh, as well as Thom Hartmann. That station mysteriously had a "format change" two months before the last election. Nothing to listen to now. Lynn is still unemployed. I really miss her.

[babydollhead]

39. same

[Kalyke]

31. It's been that way in Tennessee for years.

That's why we're one of only three states to vote more Republican during this last election.

The only thing the proletariat knows about Democrats is what they get through the filter of Republican talk radio hosts... which, of course, means the average citizen knows very little about real Democrats.

[pilsner]

41. Memphis

Memphis had an Air America affiliate. I'm not sure if it was a Clear Channel station though.

[Kalyke]

42. And Memphis is like a different world in comparison to the rest of the state.

So, that either proves my point - or merely proves that Memphis is the only place that a liberal talk show would be popular.

[mwooldri]

34. We're bad in the Piedmont Triad... bad but not totally out.

AM is total right wing wasteland anyway, though IMO WSJS is schizophrenic - good in the morning, best avoided after noon.

FM: we have a news/talk whose worst offenders are Neal Boortz and Michael Savage. Otherwise the rest of the programming is quite balanced, or non political. Some might say that Alan Colmes is a leftie but when he's tucked away at 10pm, not many people are listening to him.

Mark.

[pilsner]

37. Please sign our petition to support Progressive Talk in Columbus

http://www.ohiomajorityradio.com/ohio-majority-radio-petition/

It would be helpful to enter a Columbus zip code: 43214 or something similar.