RE: Fwd: BRW: 'RKO lets morning guy Ozone go

[Aaron Read <aread@speakeasy.net>]

At 01:38 AM 8/27/2003, Brian Vita wrote:
>There is a reason why shows like this are on NPR or PBS - they are not
>commercially viable.  If there was an audience Clear Channel or one or
>all of the other syndicators would be scrambling for this type of
>programming.  Instead, a minority who "knows what's good for us" uses
>our tax dollar, directly or indirectly (tax deductable status) to force
>feed it to us.

Ignoring the factually incorrect line that public radio is supported 
largely through taxes...direct or indirectly, it's still a load of 
crap.  You think Clear Channel isn't getting tax subsidies here and there?

Moving on...Chris Lydon was the number one fundraiser for WBUR.  He even 
beat out long-time favorite "Car Talk".  WBUR had, at its peak with Chris 
there, about $9 or $10 million in fundraising and Chris personally was 
responsible for, oh, I'd guess about a quarter of it.  Possibly a 
third.  That's just him talking individual schmoes out of their 
money.  Imagine if he were talking advertisers out of their money!   I 
remember being told by management that The Connection was drawing about 
250,000 listeners each day.  That's nationwide, but at the time they only 
had a handful of other stations and the draw was nothing compared to 
Boston.  I'd call that a pretty powerful force.


>Do we really think for a minute if the tax break was removed and the PC
>"feel good around the country club" aura were removed from public
>broadcasting that companies such as Mobil, Texaco, AT&T would support
>them?

The tax break might make some difference...but why would the PC feeling go 
away?  That's as driven by the market as anything.  In this case the market 
is - mostly - rich white liberals who can afford to donate a lot during 
fundraisers.  You better believe that major conglomerates want to target 
THAT demographic!!!


>If its truly public radio, do you think that an ultra-conservative could
>get a show?  How about a white supremicist?  Maybe a documentary
>praising the Nazi party?  As distasteful as these are, they are the
>extreme opposite of what's being programmed on public radio.

How exactly do you define "public radio"?  If you take it to mean all 
non-commercial radio (which really you should since NPR affiliates are 
rarely rebroadcasting a straight feed from NPR and nothing else; they are 
semi-independant)  then all the loonies from BOTH sides of the political 
spectrum can most definitely be found between 88.1 and 91.9.   Have you 
listened to some of the religious stations down in the Bible belt?  I've 
heard that there are radio preachers praying for democrats to get cancer 
and die...I call that pretty ultra-conservative!



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Aaron "Bishop" Read             aread@speakeasy.net
FriedBagels Consulting          AOL-IM: readaaron
http://www.friedbagels.com      Boston, MA