Talk Radio

[BrainyBeauty]

Do you listen to it? Do you call and weigh in with your opinions?

Just wondering if the rise in popularity of this genre over the last few years could explain some of the anger "out there."

Talk Radio is competing for an audience against video games, music based radio stations, television and movies and internet (and internet bulletin boards?) . I think people sometimes forget that talk radio is entertainment. It is designed to be inflammatory and provocative - because that is what 'sells' and what increases ratings.

Many of the personalities and management engage in rhetoric that incites people. Critics worry about the caustic effect and believe that extreme emotions and cavalier attitude toward facts present a distorted view of public opinion and promote divisiveness.

It's scary that some people believe what they hear - they take it as gospel and believe that it is fact-filled. I read an article where many talk show hosts admit:

• they use verbal theatrics, hyperbole and blunt talk to provoke callers
• manipulate who gets on the air
• give priority to younger callers in order to attract their most favored demographics
• prefer "crazies" because they are more 'entertaining'
• promote polarizing, hostile or aggressive callers over more reasonable ones especially if their views don't reflect those of the overall community

But those who object also have ways to influence the medium. Besides engaging directly (over the airwaves) they are free to (a) tune out by changing the station or turning the radio off (b) complain to management or (c) complain to the sponsors.

So..what do you think of it all? Do you participate? Does it really matter? Do you make a difference? Do you just boost the ratings (and revenue) of the radio station? Or do you personally gain anything?

 

[Problem Child]

I've pretty much stopped listening to political talk shows. Too much of the same old worn out us vs. them shit. I got bored with Rush Limbaugh a long time ago, and Micheal Reagan is a complete idiot. I still listen to Gordon Liddy once in a while because I enjoy his use of the English language and his opinions on guns and women and cars and a whole bunch of other macho male shit.

Dr. Laura Shit-slinger should be smeared with honey and tied to the desert floor near a fire-ant colony.

I mostly listen to humor talk shows now. My favorites are the Don and Mike Show out of Washington D.C. Those are the guys that had a woman shooting a banana out of her pussy, as mentioned on a thread here a week or two ago. They are totally crude and irreverent and absolutely politically incorrect, but I think they do it a whole lot better than Stern ever could.

The most talented guy on radio today has to be a dude named Phil Hendry. He broadcasts from KFI in Los Angeles and has this whole very well done shtick where he imitates callers. He does a whole show with fake caller voices he is doing himself, saying outrageous inflammatory shit, and people actually call up and think his characters are real.

 

[Laurel]

Phil Hendrie is SO funny. He's even funny when he's on a rant without guests. I can't believe people still think his 'guests' are real. My favorites are Jay Santos of the California Citizens Auxiliary Police and William Rennick of the Joyful Union Congregation.

 

[Cheyenne]

Nope, I don't listen to talk radio at all. I just assume that the radio people are doing all of those things that you listed, even if they're not. Entertainment is entertainment.

I may watch "Meet the Press" or shows similar to that on TV- does that count?

 

[Problem Child]

Big L

My favorite Hendrie character is definitely R.C. Collins.

R.C. Collins...age 16, junior at Chatsworth High School, youth editor for the Chatsworth Chancellor, founding member of the Brotherhood of the Cape, a goth-vampire club where the members listen to the music of The Cure and prick their own fingers and sit around and suck their blood.

Also a founding member of The Tribe of the New, a group of youth dedicated to leaving the adult world behind and going into "the ravines and canyons with our concubines to form a new world where adults don't get to go to." These clubs by the way consist of R.C. and his best friend Chris Sorenson.

R.C.'s favorite word is spooge. Chicks are spooge demons. All R.C. really wants is to live long enough to have some girl "mistake my face for a barstool."

He has degenerative kidney disease and lost a testicle to cancer at the age of 11. All any of that means is he should get gifts and sympathy "the way those Make-A-Wish kids do." Claims to have "phantom nut," similar to phantom limb, a condition where victims of amputation still feel the amputated appendage. He's always reaching to scratch his balls and realizes one of them isn't there.

He lives with his mother. His father and mother are divorced and he only sees his dad twice a year, on his birthday and Christmas.

 

[Weird Harold]

Do you listen to it? Do you call and weigh in with your opinions?

I listen to Sports Talk Radio. Mostly ESPN radio. There isn't the radical baiting of listeners to incite callers. sports is controversial enough that people call to brag on their loser team without the trash of political talk radio.

I do NOT call myself, usually because the shows are time shifted for the west coast and I'm three hours behind the conversation.

 

[CreamyLady]

A few years ago, I caught -- by accident -- Dr. Laura's show on the local station.

I couldn't believe it; I could not believe that these people would set themselves up to be verbally beat up by her. She was AWFUL. There was nothing that was remotely entertaining, but she got a huge audience and following.

I listened to some of the other shows, and they were equally bad. I came away with the idea that some people just needed to be heard. No one listened to them in real life (for obvious reasons, if you ask me; dumb as posts!), but with one phone call they were being heard by thousands of people. It must have been a powerful moment for them.

Some of the spew, however, was just nauseating.

I don't listen to it. I don't participate. I listen to the local classical station, and when it is pledge week, I listen to a lot of CDs. On occasion, I'll go to a plain news station for the traffic reports, but after I find out WHY the freeway I am on is a parking lot, I switch back to the music.

 

[lavender]

 

[Renegade]

Does Howard Stern count?

 

[DevilMayCare]

BB - Considering the size of the audience the World Wrestling Federation attracts and how seriously fans take the "sport," I'm not at all surprised that people take talk radio so seriously.

I'm reminded of a spiritual teacher by the name of Gurdjieff who brought together groups of people to study with him. A story told of how in one group there was a very obnoxious fellow whom everyone hated. Members tried to convince Gurdjieff to throw him out. In fact, the man decided on his own to leave the group. Gurdjieff went after the man and cajoled him to return. The teacher understood that the difficult man evoked group members in such a way that their shadow material became clear to everyone.

Jerks on the radio provoke people. The entertainment is in watching people react...the sychophants who adoringly agree, i.e. the dittohead with Rush Limbaugh, and those who rage against whatever he says. Of course, Rush is an entertainer and the only thing he can't tolerate is to be ignored.

I listen to two call-in radio shows.

1. CarTalk on NPR, which is a stitch and a half. If you haven't listened to these guys you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

2. Forum, an excellent local show hosted by an erudite professor of literature whose far ranging interests in politics, literature, local culture brings to the audience remarkable people and fascinating conversations that listeners can join. Needless to say, its offered on a local public radio station KQED.

Although I enjoy sports, I simply can't tolerate the trash talking that happens on sports talk radio. I rely on the internet for all my sports news.

 

[BrainyBeauty]

Thanks for your responses. I only listen to the local talk show during my morning commute (like CL, mostly for news and weather). I refuse to listen to the national or syndicated shows because of their harsh nature. I see no point in the political arguments as neither side will ever concede.

Unfortunately, we don't get the humorous ones that PC and Laurel were talking about.

And the psycho-babble garbage? Puhleeze, if someone has to rely on advice from a pseudo-shrink in a 2 minute sound bite format, then they have far more serious problems than whether or not to invite the in laws on vacation!

Cheyenne, I have seen Russert get 'excited' about a few topics (including sports!) Ren, Howard Stern doesn't count. He's in his own little world. I'm with you too, lavender - I know I will sound like my parents but I can't stand what passes for music these days! LOL I generally pop in a tape and sing along with that!

And WH and DMC, you folks are right...I love to discuss sports but what is the point of engaging in a pissing contest with someone who refuses to acknowledge that MY team is the best in the whole wide world!!!! WE'RE NUMBER ONE!

"Good Day!"