Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Internet Radio: The New Pirate Ship for Conservative Talk Radio?

Now that Democrats have won across the board in the elections, initially it's very likely that conservative talk radio will be in jeopardy.

This is no big secret. For quite awhile, icons Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck have voiced that very concern as to what the effect the reinstatement of the "Fairness Doctrine" would have on the industry.

The resulting facts of the broadcast industry are quite evident. Conservative talk is huge. Liberal talk is obscure. Conservative talk is profitable. Liberal talk is anemic. The EIB Network is a monilith. Air America is bankrupt.

Presented as entertainment value to it's audience and with it's growth and staying ability, luring top advertising revenue with impressive demographics, conservative talk radio has for the past 25 years, bell-weathered it's influence (some may say political upheaval) much to the shegrin of liberals who've made a go of it but fall flat every time.

What the picture truly is here, is that if the liberal market can't sway to the dictates of the audience, then the Fairness Doctrine's goal will be to dictate to the market. Therefore, the audience will hear the opposing view whether they like it or not. Regardless of gains by liberal Democrats in recent elections, the goal overall is to squelch any opposition and first amendment rights once and for all.

Beside ethnic genres, it's said that conservative radio, for the most part is what saved and continues to rule the AM dial. That very result is what has angered and notched into the ultra-sensitive craw of the liberal defense. Hence, it's need to wield it's revived political power and silence the voices that stand in the way of government expansion.

Should this happen, the initial drawing board will first create not only over re-regulation by the FCC, but include a break down of local markets to be relentlessly evaluated and scrutinized by politburo styled agencies. On the regional/local level, the force of these mini-agencies would have the ability to gnash teeth and create the resulting fear of progress by commercially-based stations. The final result could be the abandonment of the very programming that fueled the profitabilities versus the government breathing down their respective necks.

Enter, at least for now, a sanctuary of hope to voice opposition to liberal power. Internet radio, may very well be that pirate vessel. Free of government regulation, it offers an extensive escape that branches away from the terrestrial backbone of talk radio as we know it today. Those who want an unwavering voice should milk it for everything that it's worth.

It's worth a try. And definitely worth my investment in that arena.

1 comment:

dan said...

as a webmaster of radio-internet.com i can tell you that i most agree with you