Why Talk Radio is largely conservative - (Was: Howie Carr, etc.etc. etc)

[Scott Fybush]

Sid Schweiger wrote:

> For me, the problem with most talk radio as it's practiced now is
> that talk hosts don't get ratings unless they're talking past the
> other side.  Once or twice, however, you find a gem, like G. Gordon
> Liddy.  Forgetting for a moment his, er, checkered past (and, for
> some, his politics), he is unfailingly polite to anyone he's talking
> to, whether it's a guest or a caller, and he makes his points
> persistently but gently.  He at least gives the illusion of listening
> to whoever is talking, whether he is or not.  I've never heard him
> scream at, or hang up on, a caller.  I'm not a huge listener to talk
> radio, but he's easy to take.

I had the interesting experience a couple of months ago of being a 
last-second guest on Liddy's show. One of his producers apparently reads 
NERW, and they called up one morning to see if I'd be willing to appear 
by phone for a few minutes to talk about the FCC's localism initiative; 
somehow, the topic of Minot, ND had come up, and they wanted someone to 
discuss it for a few minutes, which I was happy to do.

I'm always happy to oblige, and so we chatted on air for a bit. Liddy 
was indeed very polite, though he sounded both tired and not especially 
well-briefed on the topic. (When he read off my bio at the end of the 
segment, it was verbatim from my Wikipedia entry, which was written in 
part by Our Moderator, Himself.) His questions were intelligent, though; 
I felt that I was able to convey what I wanted to get across without 
interruption or contradiction, and his producers asked if I'd be 
available in the future, and I said I would, but the phone hasn't rung 
since.

I grabbed the audio off the webcast (my nearest Liddy affiliate is a 
graveyarder about 40 miles away, which is listenable, but just barely) 
and have it available if anyone's curious.

s