I Didn't Know They Were Still Around

Associated Press: Air America Radio closing, filing for bankruptcy

"LOS ANGELES – Air America Radio, a radio network that was launched in 2004 as a liberal alternative to Rush Limbaugh and other conservative commentators, on Thursday shut down abruptly due to financial woes."

Happy trails, Air America. We hardly knew ye.

And They Say I'm Bad

Comedian James Gregory went off on a 15-minute rant on a radio show about the way things are in America. No politician -- Democrat or Republican -- is safe here. Neither are any of the crazy things that we've forgotten how to become outraged about. (France gets smacked down particularly well.) This is one of the best combinations of reasonable thinking and passion I've ever heard. I'm just happy it's getting the airplay it is.

Listen to Mr. Gregory's rant here.

Maybe if enough of us hear his message...

And So It Begins

Another Democratic U.S. senator has gone on record as supporting the reinstatement of the so-called "Fairness Doctrine," adding, "I feel like that's gonna happen." .

These are the words of Michigan Democrat Debbie Stebanow. also known as Mrs. Tom Athans, who was executive vice president of the left-leaning talk radio network Air America. He left the network in 2006, when it filed for bankruptcy, and co-founded the TalkUSA Radio Network. Athans refers to his network as a "viable alternative to Air America...Progressive Talk Radio is a viable format that has great commercial potential..."

Air America is the Liberal radio network that had lower ratings than reruns of static and which went bankrupt a couple of years ago (but not before its executives managed to rip off the Boys and Girls Clubs.)

So Senator Stebanow wants to introduce legislation that would eliminate her husband's competition.

Nope, nothing corrupt there.

Unfairness as a Doctrine

There has been a lot of discussion about what would be the effect on talk radio if the Fairness Doctrine were reimplemented. Political talk radio is overwhelmingly Conservative, anchored by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Supposedly, the Fairness Doctrine would force radio stations to give as much airtime to Liberal viewpoints as Conservative.
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Since Liberal radio has proven to be unprofitable -- apparently almost no one wants to listen to it -- radio stations would be forced to either accept lower profits or do away with political talk radio. This would, in effect, silence Conservative talk radio.
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The mainstream media, on the other hand, which is overwhelmingly Liberal, would not have to provide "balance," because they are supposedly objectively reporting the "news." What they refuse to acknowledge is that their bias is evident in the choice of what stories they choose to cover and the emphasis given to different stories. The preposterousness of their claim is evident as seen in this article discussing Obama's first trips to Afghanistan and Iraq. (These trips will show that he has foreign policy experience, you see.)
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The anchors of the three main networks are traveling to the Middle East to interview Obama in that context. By giving such emphasis to their coverage they are amplifying the importance of Obama's trip. It takes on much more weight than it really has. Viewers will come away with the message and the image of Obama as an expert in foreign policy because of a single short visit to the Middle East.
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McCain, on the other hand, has made numerous trips to the Middle East, Afghanistan and Iraq, without the fanfare or press coverage. His foreign policy credentials are solidified by his obligation over a number of years. Yet in the minds of television viewers, with a single short trip Obama will have equaled McCain's experience and expertise.
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The article also says that Obama has benefited from a huge gap in the amount of media coverage he has received compared to McCain. The media spokesmen shrug it off. "We're just trying to do our jobs," said the president of NBC News.
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Meanwhile the Democrats are wating until a Democrat is in the White House to reintroduce the Fairness Doctrine. They will legislate away Conservative voices while benefitting from the Liberal media machine's one-sided campaign.
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All in the name of "fairness."