At $1000/hr, RW radio $18MIL/day attacking Mueller. 7 ways to democratize RW radio and destroy Fox

[certainot]

Last edited Tue Jan 30, 2018, 02:44 AM - Edit history (2)

If Trump would pay a talk radio station $1000 per hour to attack Robert Mueller, 1200 radio stations doing that 15 hours every day would be worth $18,000,000 PER DAY, FREE for Trump and his Republican enablers.

Until Democrats and liberals stop ignoring talk radio they cannot collectively say they ‘got Robert Mueller’s back’.

Until that simple math is recognized, truth and facts are irrelevant and it is a waste of time to complain and strategize about “better messaging” by Democrats. Or complain that Democratic representatives weren’t brave enough.

Republican think tanks can pump out $18MIL/day worth of lies and distortions coordinated as needed on the local and national level to influence any major issue or event, or sell or oppose any legislation or politician — basically for free.

That’s been going on for the better part of 30 years with NO large scale pushback from Americans who it is aimed at. That’s nearly $5BIL every year for 30 years used to distort and pollute rational fact-based discussions on health care, immigration, taxes, wages, election and media reform, racism, sexism, and so on.

That’s the megaphone they’re now using to lead the attack on Mueller and his team, the Democratic representatives and senators investigating Trump, and any Republicans who might side with them. They will use it to intimidate judges and influence juries. Those radio stations will play a very loud part in how this country deals with the Trump administration, Republican corruption, Kremlin interference in our elections, and voter suppression, gerrymandering, and election reform.

If it comes to impeachment those radio stations will be raining holy hell on any Republican thinking of siding with Democrats.

Talk radio is Trump and the Republicans’ most important tool because it is the only major medium with NO political counterpart on the left. Republicans take it for granted and that is why talk radio presents the best opportunity for going on the offensive.

Here are 7 things people can do to democratize the propaganda monopoly that is talk radio:

7 is probably the most important.

1) Give Republican talk radio the credit it deserves: Limbaugh is point man for the talk radio propaganda operation. Trump needs a RUSH tattoo on his forehead, as do all Republican politicians and media hacks who repeat the Republican lies. As does Hannity and every other Fox ‘News’ liar. Trump even studied talk radio to prepare for the elections. They all ride the talk radio bandwagon and feed from the daily prechewed smorgasbord of lies, distortions, and rationalizations. Democrats in media could accurately preface any answer to Trump supporters with “That’s what limbaugh says but...” It does no good to keep blaming Fox and Breitbart for everything.

2) Poll for talk radio: Media and political scientists need to be encouraged to poll Trump support for talk radio. Talk radio is a major factor on its own and too much analysis ignores it or lumps it in with other right wing sources. When Trump watches Fox, he’s often getting a sanitized, censored summary of what’s being created with talk radio repetition first. Talk radio dominates massaging in many parts of the US but there are probably no political science departments in any US university that considers talk radio as a unique factor.

3) Record and transcribe talk radio: It is easier and much cheaper now than a few years ago to automate recording and transcribing the main RW talkers so people can search and monitor it without listening to it.

Urge the Democratic Party to make transcriptions of the major national and state level talkers available for searching.

Republican politicians and candidates and their allies will say things on friendly fact-free talk shows that can be used in debates and advertisements against them. Callers can lie about Democratic candidates and not be challenged. And Republican radio is known to use paid callers.

When media and politicians repeat Republican talking points they need to be reminded that unchallenged repetition on Republican radio stations does not make them true.

Knowing about it before it shows up in editorial pages means not always having to play catch up. Most of those new Democratic Party candidates are going to get swiftboated from their local RW radio stations coordinating with Republican-allied think tanks and they and their supporters will have no clue.

4) Investigate it: How long has Putin been using talk radio? By influencing the talk radio gods the Kremlin can steer the Republican Party, just as Republican think tanks have. Did the Kremlin use talk radio to push Palin on McCain in 2008? ‘Climategate’ (2009), which was used to derail President Obama at the Copenhagen climate conference, was created largely with talk radio and started from a Russian hack. Republican radio has pushed for debt default in the past. The Kremlin would like that, but probably not the Kochs. Did the Kremlin find a way to feed and coordinate with top radio hosts? Was Breitbart used for that purpose? Are any of them being paid freelance money? Trump guy Sam Nunberg analyzed 1000s of hrs of RW radio & reported to Trump in 2014. Was that to coordinate with Russian ops?

5) Boycott all advertisers on RW radio stations: ‘Thank’ all local businesses that advertise on RW radio. It can be easy and fun to listen to a few minutes here and there and get a few email addresses for thank-you emails that have a good chance to get to bosses/owners. Thank them for Trump, Trumpcare, global warming, privatization of public education, voter suppression, deregulation, tax breaks for billionaires, making racism and sexism ‘acceptable’ again, etc.

A few days ago in about 90 minutes of a Limbo show attacking Mueller on a Missouri station there were three ads for the St.Louis Blues hockey team and several ads for CBS TV shows. Sometimes those are ads for universities and university sports teams.

6) Protest it: Include the radio stations in any progressive protests. They may be better places to protest than capitols. Protestors need to know that if their protests get attention those radio stations will be minimizing protest size, attacking protestors, and mischaracterizing their objectives so that they are more easily ignored or attacked by politicians and media.

7) Push the 88 universities that endorse 260 limbaugh stations to stop crapping on their mission statements and start looking for apolitical alternatives to broadcast sports on.

Maybe their political science faculties and students can start studying the most dominant political factor in the US the last 30 years.

No publicly funded university has any excuse not to tell their licensing company to begin looking for apolitical alternatives to broadcast sports on.

If the KKK bought the station the school broadcasts sports on what would the school do? 30 years ago it might as well have been the KKK, the NRA, and Putin who bought up 1000 radio stations to create a propaganda monopoly.

What excuse does a publicly funded university have for letting Republican radio stations use its community credibility, athletes, and logos to:

— deny global warming?

— try to defund public education and oppose student debt relief?

— attack black athletes who kneel?

When one or two university communities begin discussing this absurd situation others will be shamed into following. The GOP and those stations will scream “What about free speech!” Media and politicians that have been enabled and intimidated by those stations for decades will notice. Advertisers will flee Republican talk radio. Some stations will have to switch to other programming, like music or sports talk, and some may offer to balance their talk shows with liberal content. As the Republicon talk radio monopoly falls apart stations will open up for liberal talk.

Many of the loudest Republican radio stations in the country will be effected.

The Republican Party will eventually be thankful to be able to advance thoughtful moderate conservatives again.

Republicans enjoy a well subsidized and protected Wall Mart vs mom and pop market dominance in talk radio. It is regularly ignored by the left as being a free speech representation of the American market demand for it, ridiculously suggesting 95% of Americans who would listen to talk radio prefer the hate, lies, and ignorance. That’s an insult to Americans and incompatible with democracy.

With few exceptions outside of some innocuous apolitical local interest stories, that pro-corporate propaganda monopoly of 1500 coordinated radio stations is being used to keep a treasonous president and his Republican enablers in power.

[lunasun]

1. ++++THIS -Can't rec enough . No matter where you live this is happening somewhere nearby

Address any state university policy of broadcasting games on hate radio stations or anything you can tie to being a taxpayer and voter that helps change the mood of the country

The radio thing is happening all over in the US find out which public ones in your state so you do not fund hate radio.

Write a letter to the newspaper like this attorney in KY asking for 2 univs games to be taken off and of course a direct letter to the universities also

The attorney, writes, “It is no secret that these stations are exclusive provinces of conservative ideology.They spew propaganda with a breathtaking lack of regard for truth and with a pervasive tone of contempt and ridicule for those with a different perspective.”

We cannot continue to allow our beloved Cats and Cards to be part of any entity that perpetuates this culture,” he wrote in the Herald-Leader. “When enough of us insist that we use our schools to further their foundational ideals the pursuit of truth and the betterment of our world change will come.”
So there is your beginning template letter if you were wondering what could I write?

[certainot]

2. fantastic. thanks for putting that in here! it's great to know it might be happening.

those schools are legitimate places to protest this republican treason, obstruction, and corruption.

they REALLY need those radio stations to enable and intimidate the kind of crap they're doing now.

trump is not going to go like nixon and there are very few republicans with any integrity or the spine enough to stand up to those few talk radio gods attacking trump's critics from 1500 unchallenged radio stations.

and it should be noted that there are many schools that do that other than these 88 universities. and many pro sports teams.

[lunasun]

6. If people don't know what to say besides -take it off -when writing a university or newspaper

I thought that KY attorney nailed it and is a good template but people write , email and use your own words too!

[uponit7771]

3. K&R

[JawJaw]

4. Short Term Dem Strategy.

It's always pissed me off that Dems let Air America wither on the vine.

They raise HUNDREDS of millions to spend on TV campaign ads (that most people hate) but let AA fall for the sake of a $20m debt. OK, maybe it was losing money at the time, like many RW stations still do without their backdoor subsidies, but imagine where it could have been, today...

I remember Malloy ranting about this at the time, and he was exactly right.

[JI7]

5. liberal talk radio will never do well just because liberals aren't the type to want to listen

as much . maybe once in a while but most liberals would rather do things like read a book or watch a film .

the people who listen to right wing talk radio don't like to read .

[certainot]

7. that's what limbaugh says..... this is a prime RW myth used to

suggest nothing can be done and rw radio is what americans want

please don't keep repeating that shit

it suggest the 95% to 5% wall mart vs mom and pop monopoly is a representation of american market desire to listen to ignorant, racist, liars over common sense, truth, and wit.

the republican radio dominance has nothing to do with 'market' desire or what americans want - clearchannel/iheart is 20$BIL in debt!

in most parts of the US its the only free easy alternative for politics, especially while driving and working. which is one reason republicans hate internet infrastructure and net neutrality. it's the only major medium with no political counterpart.

and you can't read while driving, and watching movies whole driving is not suggested

[certainot]

8. and clearchannel/iheart, talk radio monopoly, is $$$20BIL!!!!! in debt