Re: Disney versus Koppel

[SteveOrdinetz <steveord@bit-net.com>]

Roger Kirk wrote:

>A sizeable audience wants to hear music (?) that glorifies
>drugs, places more value on money than human life,
>advocates killing policeman and denigrates females as
>expendable pleasure vehicles for men. Are radio stations
>that play it serving public interest?


Not many members of this list are in the demo that rap appeals to, but if 
people want to hear it they'll go where they can find it.  I chose rap as 
an example because it's something that few of us over 30 comprehend.  Our 
parents' generation thought rock & roll was the Devil's music.  I don't 
personally like blues, but it seems that enough people who do with $10/mo 
to spare are signing up for XM so they can hear it.  My point was that if 
you don't give your audience what they want to hear, you won't have 
one.  Almost no one ever actually listened to those Sunday morning public 
affairs blocks.  Why waste your airtime and staff resources providing 
programming very few people want to hear?  Stations used to regularly air 
church services and city council meetings.  The rationale was you were 
bringing these events to shut-ins who would otherwise be unable to 
attend.  I wonder if anyone actually surveyed these multitudes of shut-ins 
and asked them if they wanted to hear this stuff.



>A sizeable audience wants illegal drugs. Are drug dealers
>serving the public interest?
>The people of Rome demanded Circuses.  They got
>Gladiators killing each other.  Was that in the public
>interest?


The law of supply and demand lives on even in these increasingly 
socialistic times.  I never said people always demand what's good for them 
(or society).