Sacramento, Public Radio, Rush Limbaugh

PARTISAN PAYBACK?

For Rush Support, Public Radio Exec Could Face Heat






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Could past support for Rush Limbaugh doom a newly- hired local NPR executive? That's the reality facing Sacramento's Rick Eytcheson, who was recently tapped to head Capital Public Radio.

Already, according to the Sacramento Bee, Capital's supporters and staffers have made it clear that Eytcheson doesn't pass their politically correct smell test.

His crime? While running Sacramento's powerhouse newstalker KFBK clear back in the eighties, he openly supported talk titan Rush Limbaugh's career ascent.

Never mind the inconvenient truth that a number of those who backed El Rushbo at the time were left of center, especially at ABC Radio. Now, will it be partisan payback time?


Why did these lefties play such a key role in Limbaugh's climb to the top? Because they put professionalism first, opting for programming that would be popular and successful, rather than what reflected their own views.

In their recent push for liberal talk offerings, a number of industry executives have lost sight of that concept, at great potential cost to their own careers.

In the Bee's coverage, this ultra- partisan environment is made clear from the outset. Who says public radio doesn't have an agenda?

Media Savvy: Going public

KXJZ-KXPR's new boss stirs the air with his background in commercial broadcasting

By Sam McManis - Bee Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 26, 2006

What you are about to read may be highly upsetting or wildly amusing, depending on your ideological bent. But, without question, it is some eye-opening news.

To wit: The man who gave the world Rush Limbaugh is now in charge of the fate of Sacramento's public radio empire.

It's true. Rick Eytcheson, named two weeks ago as the new president and general manager of Capital Public Radio, was the boss at commercial giant KFBK (1530 AM) in 1985 when Limbaugh first started his ascent from being a middling midday talking head to a hugely popular nationally syndicated talking head.

You can under- stand, then, why many public radio listeners -- some still miffed over the downgrading of jazz in 2001 and switching KXJZ's signal with the classical station KXPR in September -- have their (high)brows furrowed over what might lie in the future.

Eytcheson, 56, found out right away the challenges this new gig entails. Two days after accepting the job, he appeared at a meet-and-greet with CPR's Leadership Circle -- major financial contributors who, by virtue of their largesse, put their mouths where their money is.

"I got an earful," Eytcheson says with a chuckle. "Play more jazz. Play less jazz. More news. Less news. Classical and more classical. Everyone has their own interests."

That initial experience just confirms what public radio veterans have long acknowledged: you can't please everyone.

But it appears as if Eytcheson is going to try.

The funny thing here is that we really have no idea whether Eytcheson harbors even a single conservative stance on the issues, in addition to the fact that he likely oversaw a number of other broadcasters over the years, many of whom were probably liberals.


Sadly, the taint of his past association with El Rushbo could very well doom him from day one in the intolerant world of public radio. And if any of Capital's staffers live in Rio Linda, this could really get ugly!

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Photo: Sacramento Bee - Randy Pench