Re: today's LTAR

["R Palino" <rpalino@mailandnews.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Nelson" <raccoonradio@yahoo.com>
To: <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 16, 2002 11:55 AM
Subject: today's LTAR


> On today's Let's Talk About Radio, the question was
> asked: why are most radio talk shows hosted by
> conservatives and not liberals? Well, maybe talk
> stations and program producers figure that the talk
> radio audience is primarily conservative, and that
> they'd get better ratings with a right-winger than a
> left-winger.

I don't think radio executives even think "conservative vs liberal" for the
most part.

The just look at who/what has proven to attract listeners.

If there is/was a liberal show out there that showed it's worth in
ratings...it'd be on the air...and people would be rushing to syndicate it.

As it stands, I can think of more liberals who have tried and failed (to get
an audience) that ones that have been sucessfull.

Alan Colmes, Mario Cuomo, Ed Koch, Jim Braude, Jim Hightower, etc.

It's not so much the executives making these decisions...it's the audience.

BTW...when I started to listen to talkradio back in the 70's...there was a
definite liberal-bent to it.  Most of the guys on WEEI, Jerry WIlliams (a
liberal then) Brudnoy (A liberal then), Benzaquin, Guy Manilla...

And THAT represented what people wanted hear at *THAT* time.

BTW...While there is some "hate" radio on shortwave and a few nutty
stations...I would not qualify the current trend of conservative talk radio
as 'hate radio'.