Curious Shift In Coverage Of Conservative Talk Radio

MENACE TO IRRELEVANCE

On Talk Radio's Impact, Dems, Media Suddenly Shift Gears




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In a remarkable coincidence, a temporary shift away from the White House's anti-Rush Limbaugh attack strategy has been closely followed by a Los Angeles Times piece declaring "conservative talk radio on the wane" in the nation's most populous state.

Amazing, isn't it: just two weeks ago, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of talk radio were a national menace, out to destroy Barack Obama's presidency and with it, America's chance for "hope and change".

Democrats were so focused on Limbaugh that they cooked up an anti-Rush billboard advertising campaign designed to convert West Palm Beach's liberals into ... (wait, what exactly was that about again?) For weeks, in fact, they could hardly talk about anything other than their disdain for El Rushbo.

Apparently, all of that was a false alarm. Talk radio, it turns out, really doesn't matter at all, according to the Times. But in taking a look beyond the headline, one sees the sheer dishonesty in their approach:

But for all the anti-tax swagger and the occasional stunts by personalities like KFI's John and Ken, the reality is that conservative talk radio in California is on the wane. The economy's downturn has depressed ad revenue at stations across the state, thinning the ranks of conservative broadcasters.

For that and other reasons, stations have dropped the shows of at least half a dozen radio personalities and scaled back others, in some cases replacing them with cheaper nationally syndicated programs.


Casualties include Mark Larson in San Diego, Larry Elder and John Ziegler in Los Angeles, Melanie Morgan in San Francisco, and Phil Cowen and Mark Williams in Sacramento.

Two of the biggest in the business, Roger Hedgecock in San Diego and Tom Sullivan in Sacramento, have switched to national shows, elevating President Obama above Schwarzenegger on their target lists.

Another influential Sacramento host, Eric Hogue, has lost the morning rush-hour show that served as a prime forum to gin up support for the recall of Gov. Gray Davis. Now he airs just an hour a day at lunchtime on KTKZ-AM (1380).

"It's lonely, it's quiet, and it's a shame," Hogue said of California's shrinking conservative radio world. "I think this state has lost a lot of benefit. I don't know if we can grow it back any time soon."

The immediate question facing the state's conservative radio hosts is whether they can wield enough clout to block Schwarzenegger's ballot measures in May. They portray them as reckless proposals that would hasten California's economic decline. The worst, they say, is Proposition 1A, which would extend billions of dollars in tax increases for an extra two years, even while it imposes a spending cap long sought by conservatives.

In a special election likely to draw a dismal turnout, they hope that those most upset by the $12.5 billion in new taxes will be the ones most strongly motivated to cast ballots. Their inspiration is Proposition 13, the 1978 ballot measure that capped property-tax increases.

Yes, local talk radio is on the decline, because nearly-bankrupt broadcast operators can no longer afford them. But the paper never explains what those reasons might be, even though they are unrelated to talk's own performance.

As we've been chronicling for several years here at the Radio Equalizer, talk radio is performing as well as ever, if not better, but is suffering from deteriorating overall industry conditions. Station owners are struggling under huge debt loads caused by overpaying for purchases at the peak of the market several years ago.

In addition, music formats have been abandoned by many young people and some corporate suits remain hostile to talk radio, despite its unparalleled success.

Yes, that has thinned talk radio's local ranks, particularly in hard-hit California. But is it really on the wane? Not exactly.

Also omitted from the story is any mention of the almost complete collapse of liberal talk radio in the Golden State. Not only have that format's local hosts been sacked, several of its outlets have been shut down entirely.


While there's no question that conservatives would be better suited with more local hosts covering area topics, the attempt by the Times to mislead readers comes across as a bit on the shady side, especially given a headline that suggests talk radio is down across the board.

To avoid inevitable public confusion, the left ought to get its story straight: is talk radio a threat to America, or no longer relevant? When they've come to a decision, it would be a good idea to inform the voting public.


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



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