Host Tries To Pour Cold Water On Obama-Triggered Conservative Talk Surge

THE BASH-RUSH STRATEGY

Talker Attacks Successful Conservative Counterparts





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With conservative talk radio expected to surge thanks to Barack Obama & Friends, can one moderate boost his sagging career by attacking right-leaning hosts and their listeners?

Positioning himself as the medium's version of Lincoln Chafee or Christopher Shays, two moderate (and equally bitter) New England Republicans who were voted out of office, syndicated talker Michael Medved has again gone on the attack. It's an obvious attempt at reviving a fading career.

In January, he tried the same approach (without much to show for the effort), but this time Medved seems especially mean-spirited. In a USA Today Op-Ed piece, he's accused conservative talk radio listeners of being "disgruntled" and "paranoid".

In addition, the Seattle-based host has smeared his colleagues, accusing them of "pre-emptive rage" regarding Obama and having "an odd obsession over Obama's birth certificate".

Left-wing websites and columnists have been quick to use his column to attack conservatives. Interestingly, in 2006, a left-wing book author came away from a visit with the impression that Medved may himself be a closet liberal.

From his piece:

Increasingly, interests of commercial talk radio in a fractured market diverge from the needs of a viable national movement. A radio show (locally or nationally) that draws just 5% of the available audience can achieve notable success in ratings and revenue, but a conservatism that connects with only a disgruntled, paranoid 5% of the public will wither and die.

Yes, the nation expects (and deserves) tough partisan battles in the years ahead, but it matters greatly who's viewed as initiator of the conflict. George W. Bush suffered throughout his presidency from perceptions that he never delivered on his "uniter not divider" rhetoric and that he and Karl Rove, not the Democrats, introduced the toxic atmosphere into Washington.

In the long run

If Obama repeats some of Clinton's mistakes and launches his administration with polarizing initiatives, then talk radio will fight back with appropriately fierce determination. That's particularly true if he tries to impose the "Fairness Doctrine" — empowering government bureaucrats to clamp down on controversial opinions by requiring federally defined "balance," thereby threatening the very existence of talk radio and politically engaged broadcast TV.

But if the new president makes credible efforts to govern from the center, then talk radio can't afford long-term marginalization as a sulking, sniping, angry irrelevancy. It makes no sense to react with pre-emptive rage (and an odd obsession over Obama's birth certificate) to a president-elect who has remained pointedly vague on policy.

Does Medved actually listen to these hosts, however? If so, he might notice that Rush Limbaugh has continued his humorous approach to Democrats in Washington, calling it a "sitcom". Further, El Rushbo's actually angered and confused the left by complimenting Obama on his politically-shrewd choice of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.

And the Obama birth-certificate issue has rarely been discussed on major conservative shows, it's largely Internet-fueled.

Beyond that, where has Medved led by example? In terms of ratings, he's been lucky to draw 1% of the audience beyond his home base in Seattle. Very few radio formats (including music) are able to surpass that percentage on a regular basis, yet talk has a handful that consistently maintain an audience of millions, regardless of the current political environment.

Since the election, some of these hosts have provided must-listen programming for Americans looking for guidance on our nation's highly uncertain future under Democratic Party rule.


Further, Medved has been fortunate to remain on the air anywhere. If not for the generosity of his syndicator, Salem Communications, his program simply would not have survived. Not only do they continue to distribute his show, but the company has purchased stations across the country for the sole purpose of providing an outlet for its long-suffering secular talk lineup.

That strategy has very nearly destroyed the company, by the way: Salem's shares currently trade for just 95 cents, compared to $33 just five years ago. SALM's entire market capitalization now stands at just $22m, about what it was paying for just a single station or two a few years ago.

Medved is lucky that Salem is willing to risk bankruptcy in order to protect a syndicated talk lineup that failed to generate ratings or revenue when other firms would have replaced this programming years earlier.

But Salem's party is just about over and that's why Medved is in quick need of an attention-generating career gimmick. But can bashing Rush and others who have achieved bona fide success really succeed as a strategy?


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