[BC] Talk Radio losing influence?

[Barry Mishkind]

>At 12:36 PM 1/31/2008, Donna Halper, wrote
>These days, the audience has fragmented, with a few successful 
>liberal/progressive talkers (Ed Schultz is the most successful of 
>that group, getting over 3 million in weekly cume-- doesn't sound 
>like much, but he's only on about 100 stations, compared to the 650 
>that carry Limbaugh), and a LOT of blogs.  Many of the lefties now 
>have influential blogs that reflect their point of view.

         "Influential?"  I think this is another aspect of
         what Rob just talked about: the desire to
         "create" a story.  Most of these bloggers are
         merely inflated egos that a few cable newsies
         have elevated to "influential."  Up to this
         point, I have NEVER heard a blogger on one
         of the tv or cable programs that came off as
         anything more than a partisan cheerleader.

>Where the righties dominate talk radio, the lefties seem to have 
>come to dominate the "blogosphere."  But as many of us media critics 
>have observed, this isn't necessarily good for democracy.  It's 
>possible for people to construct their listening and viewing so that 
>they never see or hear anyone with an opposing or different point of 
>view, and they only hear the other side demonised.  I'm not sure 
>that's helpful, no matter which side is doing the demonising.

         Reporters are supposed to report.
         The US Media has sorely confused
         entertainment and opinion with reporting,
         and the youth today do not have the
         patience to actually investigate something.
         They'd rather get "the answer" from their
         friends, either by text message or blog.
         (What an ugly word, by the way, blog.)

         ... and people wonder why the public has
         such a low esteem for broadcast news.

         It was, after all, only a few decades ago
         when the majority derided the Russians
         for reinventing history when it suited them -
         they were just ahead of the wikipedia curve.
         Now, young producers use the "history" of the
         day to set up their "story."

         The part that amazes me (although it shouldn't)
         is how, despite all this "stuff" on the Internet and
         search engines scrape out every statement made
         by different people, the arguments of who said
         what never end.....