The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

31 January 2008

Medved's Rush-Bashing Seen As Career Salvage Ploy

ANOTHER JUMP

Medved Now Openly Attacking Rush By Name







Apparently recognizing the publicity value of his recent shark- jumping exercise, talker Michael Medved has upped the ante, moving into the realm of outright Rush- bashing.

With the Salem host now openly attacking the very medium that has supported him for a number of years, listeners are baffled by his left turn, while industry insiders quickly recognize the attention- seeking agenda at work.

On MSNBC yesterday with Tucker Carlson, Medved called Rush a "liberal":


TUCKER CARLSON: Why exactly do you think -- let's put our shrink's hats on here -- why do [conservative radio talk show hosts] hate McCain so much?

MICHAEL MEDVED: Well they're acting like liberals, and I know that's a terrible thing to say about people I like and respect -- I have great respect for Rush. But he's acting like a liberal on this. Liberals allow personality and emotion and feelings to take precedence over issues, substance and policy. And that's what they're doing here. Because if you actually look at the three essential elements of the Reagan coalition: security, economics and social issues -- McCain is solid.

He is very conservative. He is a traditional Reagan Republican, and there is no policy reason, there is no issues reason, for people to be so hostile to him and to call him all these names and to bang on him day after day after day. I actually believe that talk radio is hurting itself more than they're hurting Senator McCain.

[. . .]

MEDVED: And the truth of the matter is, what I think this is showing is that talk radio may be losing some of its influence, and we deserve to, unless we open up at least to some alternate ideas and give a little bit more balanced perspective.


KXMB-TV's Say Anything blog has much more here.


To baffled listeners wondering how Medved could have suddenly taken such a left turn, the truth is that after years of misleading the public, he's finally come out of the closet and revealed his true political sentiments. How is opposing McCain "liberal"?

For those paying close attention to Medved's career, this shouldn't come as a complete surprise. In fact, we wrote about this in October 2006, after a book author sat in on his program and was astounded to learn of Michael's strong liberal tendencies.


Also leading to the sudden shift is the precarious situation surrounding his syndicator, Salem Radio Network. By stubbornly clinging to a lineup partly rejected by the listening public, Salem's own offerings have struggled to generate ratings. Its Arbitron results are sometimes lower than Air America's. A handful of its outlets do better by running shows distributed by other firms.

Medved is heard almost entirely on Salem stations, with the exception of KTTH / Seattle, his home base. Particularly ominous for Salem is that it recently dumped its Boston outlet, WTTT-AM, replacing it with Spanish religious programming. Is this a sign of things to come?

While Michael's stunt may have indeed resulted in a much- needed burst of publicity for his faded career, the long- term hit to his credibility may be too much to overcome. Because listeners know it was Rush himself that created Medved's radio career out of thin air, he comes across as an ungrateful back- stabber.

Beyond Medved's sinking credibility, it's time for Salem to take a long and hard look at why most of its own conservative programming isn't succeeding in the marketplace.


ELSEWHERE: Dr Laura Schlessinger renews deal with Premiere Radio Networks

FOR New England regional talk radio updates, see our other site.


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16 Comments:

  • MEDVED:
    Well they're acting like liberals, and I know that's a terrible thing to say about people I like and respect -- I have great respect for Rush. But he's acting like a liberal on this. Liberals allow personality and emotion and feelings to take precedence over issues, substance and policy



    Medved of course is projecting, one hour of RNC radio and you can see who is the emotion over reason crowd, the Republicans, all of them, crying and whining and shrieking like cowards. The only thing the right can do is project, Republican voters and politicians NEVER act on reason, they only act on emotion

    as evidenced by their shrieks "lib lib" "commie commie" "kill the camel jockey"...


    The right has always been the side of the half witted knee-jerk, brainless twit. Im so tired of you low life degenrates projecting.

    and in case Medved is under a rock "lib lib lib " is no longer an insult. It is a compliment.

    Medived is a moron, limbaugh is a moron, the house of cards is falling, wing nut radio is irrelevant, wing nuts are knee-jerk reactionary fools. Shriek all you want, 99.99.99.99.99% of America HATES the RNC radio buffons

    lib lib lib lib lib lib lib
    GROW UP, knee jerkers

    By Blogger Minister of Propaganda, at 31 January, 2008 12:28  

  • Beyond Medved's sinking credibility


    No conservative host has any credibility

    I hope Citadel folds and all the wing nuts are out of a job, it is time for destruction of the reich-wing media. Even the stock holders are done with supporting a radio format that supports a failed ideology and has destroyed the economy.



    back to short-wave, where wing nuts belong. That is where Limbaugh and the rest belong, on the fringe, on short wave radio, with the KKK guys...

    By Blogger Minister of Propaganda, at 31 January, 2008 12:55  

  • No, no, MOP.

    LET the disintegration continue.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 31 January, 2008 14:27  

  • Bla bla bla Could not tell the truth if you had too.

    MOP you’re an idiot. Down with the racketeering unions and their socialist ideas your time has ended.

    By Blogger pf1, at 01 February, 2008 01:29  

  • Medved's always been something less than a conservative, focusing more on social conservatism than fiscal or defense. His Limbaugh name-dropping comes amidst incoherent arguments against anyone who'd take on McCain, such as, why aren't talk show hosts focusing on putting down the Democrats instead of McCain? (Well, because it's Republican primary time, that's why!)

    Salem's secular talk lineup has been slated on Salem stations in top markets in order to get sales clearances. Ratings are a secondary consideration. Salem has real assets in Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Prager and Medved, but they don't do a lot of promotions.

    In Boston, WTTT wasn't the greatest signal to begin with, so brokering might make more sense. Here in talk-starved Philadelphia, Salem has a healthy signal in WNTP, but again, not much promotions and few ratings, despite having Ingraham, Dennis Miller and Savage in the lineup, and next to no competition at night from the anemic WPHT.

    To the extent that Medved's self-promoting, it may work for him. But this whole argument over whether talk radio is losing 'relevance' is laughable. By countering McCain, who has a dismal record on many issues conservatives hold dear, talk radio is doing its job - feeding red meat to its prime constituency... conservatives.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 01 February, 2008 08:22  

  • Kudos, Brian, on that Tucker/Medved photo composition....

    Two guys I'd smack upside the head on General Principle One ("you look too smarmy by half; that deserves a smack. Two for you, Tucker, just for wearing that ridiculous bow tie").

    Oh, and MoPee? Citadel collapsing would have absolutely no effect on any syndicated radio show that pulls ratings. Those frequencies would not suddenly go silent, nor would those hosts.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 01 February, 2008 12:47  

  • And yes, I know he's not wearing it in that pic, but it used to be his schtick, and he needs to pay for it.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 01 February, 2008 12:48  

  • If this week in neonut radio land proves anything, it's how necessary the Fairness Doctrine has become...

    I have listened to the neocon-paid hosts COMMANDING their audience of minions to vote Romney! They're not presenting positions, weighing options...these are DIRECTIVES, and if you do not comply...

    Well, you're just not a "real" conservative, that's all.

    A sad time for the industry, even sadder for the nation.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 01 February, 2008 23:36  

  • Brian you worked with Michael. He made it you didnt. Get over it. Sound like a guy who lost his girlfriend to his buddy.Hows our ratings? Oops forgot you got fired!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 02 February, 2008 16:11  

  • Medved's career is finished, so there's no reason to envy him.

    By Blogger Brian Maloney, at 03 February, 2008 13:59  

  • "Medved's career is finished, so there's no reason to envy him."

    Spoken like a true expert on that topic.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 03 February, 2008 14:29  

  • Why, because standing up to the head blowhard makes him a "liberal"?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 03 February, 2008 15:16  

  • Funny how the only ones defending Medved are our resident left-wing extremists.

    By Blogger Brian Maloney, at 03 February, 2008 17:31  

  • Oh, I'm not defending Medved, not at all. I despise him, and he a horribly untalented talk-show host.

    It's just amusing, the lengths you go to, to try to portray yourself and "conservative" talkers as independent thinkers, only to fall in line behind your "titan", lockstep, time and time again.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 03 February, 2008 19:46  

  • in Maloney's world agreeing with Rush is what makes one a"true conservative", it really is all about Limbaugh to Brian

    in order for Brian to vote pig-man has to approve the candidate, in order for a talk show host to not be a "lib", that talk show host has to agree with Pig man.

    Brian, do you even have a brain anymore?

    Repubs are running from the ditto, and starting to think for themselves (not that McCain is any good anyway)

    Brian will stay with the Ditto till the end, when Ditto stops his show Brian will no longer be a political pundit, echoing Ditto is Maloney's who goal.Without Ditto, who can thik for poor Brian?

    By Blogger Minister of Propaganda, at 03 February, 2008 23:35  

  • ...in order for Brian to vote pig-man...

    It's MANBEARPIG, you stoopid Brooklyn tool.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 04 February, 2008 10:59  

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