Local Opinion: Blame liberal policies, not talk radio

Again, my friend, Ray Lindstrom, the prolific op-ed writer and Oro Valley liberal, rails against all things conservative, blaming the late Rush Limbaugh for the Jan. 6 incident at the nation’s capital and other issues we bad Republicans have caused in the aftermath of Rush “clones” popping up all over the airwaves since the late 1980s.

As a former radio news director and “talk radio” programmer, (KNST was my “creation,” in September 1981), I can tell you that the folks who brought Rush to America’s airwaves saw an unmet need among Americans as regards the “media.” They saw that liberals, apparently, were getting their information needs met via a variety of sources, from mostly liberal morning newspapers (free to say whatever they want in editorials), music and records, broadcast TV network evening newscasts and from “Saturday Night Live.” Conservatives had no “voice,” save for a few mostly afternoon newspapers, (papers that are gone today).

With the abolition of the so-called 1949 “Fairness Doctrine” by the FCC in 1987, broadcast media finally was no longer obligated to offer “equal time” to anyone who they criticized on radio and TV. (Remember, newspapers had no such regulation). Thus, Rush. The “right” voice.

Rush developed his “style” at a Sacramento, California radio station in 1984. Joining the ABC Radio Network in 1988, his show quickly caught on with conservatives, who finally had an informative, opinionated and entertaining media voice that resonated with them. And, being “talk,” Rush was tailor-made for the struggling AM radio band at that time. Many said Rush single-handedly “saved” AM radio when FM Stereo was dominating music listening everywhere. (Similar liberal-slanted radio “talkers,” the late Alan Colmes, among them, failed). Yes, making money by radio ownership was certainly a goal, as it is with any business.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch brought the same concept to his Fox News Channel on cable TV in 1996, introducing TV viewers to a schedule of prime time conservative-leaning talk shows, hosted by opinionated, informative and entertaining personalities. The channel still dominates the cable TV news “universe,” meeting an otherwise “unmet need.”

Liberals love to blame everything that goes bad as a result of failed liberal policies on “Fox News.” I have to wonder how many hours a week they spend watching the prime-time opinion shows on Fox News. How much time does my friend, and broadcast colleague from Oro Valley, spend watching Fox News or any of the other conservative media services he mentions?

No, my friend, the real issue today goes well beyond “the media.” There are typically more liberal Democrat voters than Republicans, and ratings show even many Democrats don’t much care for liberal-leaning media outlets like MSNBC or CNN. Far too many liberals don’t watch much news, don’t read newspapers, or pay much attention to day-to-day politics. They all do seem to “vote the party” come election time, though. Thus, as my father always said, “Democrats love to spend our money, Republicans do not.” And so on and so forth. Is it any wonder conservatives are frustrated?

I’m sorry, it’s not conservative media “opinionaters” to blame, my friend. It’s not conservatives who are defunding police, freeing criminals, supporting illegal immigration, or otherwise “enabling” the violence and lawlessness that seem to be increasing daily. It’s not conservatives who’ve enabled our enemies to threaten America. No, it’s a liberal-leaning America that no longer carries a big stick. We’ve become an America that now simply chooses to walk softly, not wanting to “offend” anyone. When did wanting to be great, to excel, to be somebody, become evil?

Maybe it’s time to get back to “offending” where appropriate, starting with China and Russia, and on to lazy parents who don’t use a “big stick” on their recalcitrant children, and on to ignorant, incompetent elected officials, regardless of their race, color or creed. Wanna know who’s at fault, my friend? Maybe you should look in the mirror. The media is simply a reflection of society.