[BC] could someone explain this to me?

[Rich Wood]

------ At 04:28 AM 5/27/2005, Donna Halper wrote: -------

>My question is not so much about whether any of you agree or disagree with 
>Michael Savage.  It's more about radio programming, and airing a show that 
>features what, in my opinion, are some rather hateful rants. Savage is 
>certainly the most controversial of all the right wing talk hosts, which 
>in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing-- controversy can attract 
>listeners.  But what worries me is that he says some of the most bigoted 
>things I have ever heard.  So what is the reason why his show seems to be 
>growing in popularity, and what does that say about what the public wants?

The "public" that listens is a small fraction of the population. A more 
accurate indication is the rating (percentage of the population listening) 
rather than shares (percentage of people using radio listening). You'll see 
a dramatic difference in those figures. My take on most talk radio 
listeners is that they feel left out of the political process or, in the 
case of religious fanatics, see things going on that they want the 
government to control. We used to call these "angry white males." In many 
cases it's a male High School dropout complaining that a minority with a 
Ph.d got the job he thinks should be his. They hate Gays. In Massachusetts, 
gay marriage has produced no secular problems in the state. Religious 
fanatics, including the Governor - a Mormon - is fighting it on religious 
grounds. To us, so close to the industry, this seems like a major, if not 
destructive, misuse of broadcasting. We tend to see the entire population 
giving George Bush a mandate even though he won by a tiny margin. There are 
still blue people in red states. Also understand that most of it is 
schtick. Schtick gets better ratings than reasoned debate in a world of 
sound bites. True "Fair and Balanced" doesn't get ratings.

It's hate radio to be sure. They hate "liberals." They hate immigrants even 
though Vincente Fox, President of Mexico, was not far off the mark when he 
said Mexicans do the work Americans (paraphrase) don't want to do. He could 
have been more tactful. In California they need illegals to get the work 
done. Not many Americans are desperate enough to become nomads to work one 
field then move on to another their entire lives for incredibly low wages. 
They hate Blacks because they deal in stereotypes. They hate Hispanics 
because they see them taking over "their" country. For simplicity Talk 
Radio deals in black and white. No shades of grey or coloring of any kind. 
The nature of "entertainment" is hype. Exaggeration. Hysteria makes for 
great ratings among the already convinced. Talk Radio requires no thought, 
just an emotional reaction to often inaccurate information. America is for 
Americans, even though we're all immigrants except Native American Indians. 
It's an "I got in, now shut the door" mentality.

My belief is that the vast majority of the population belongs to a 
different "silent majority" - moderates. They're probably listening to the 
local "Lite AC" station trying to get away from all the world's 
controversy. If we ever needed Easy Listening it's now. Look around you and 
see how many real people are on the extremes. Not many. Most are in the 
middle and conservative on some issues and liberal on others.

Most of us have some kind of bigotry. Talk radio get us off the hook by 
letting someone else express it. Michael Savage is just louder than the 
rest and properly named.

Rich



Rich Wood
Rich Wood Multimedia
Phone: 413-303-9084
FAX: 413-480-0010