Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

American Forces Radio gets static from hit man Brock
The Hill ^ | 6/3/04 | Byron York

Posted on 06/03/2004 1:38:54 PM PDT by Jean S

Remember David Brock?

Sure you do. He’s the former self-described “right-wing hit man” who famously transformed himself into a left-wing hit man, although he would probably rather call himself an advocate for “progressive” causes.

His latest cause is a campaign to drive Rush Limbaugh from the lineup of the American Forces Radio and Television Service, formerly known as Armed Service Radio.

Last week, Brock wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld citing comments from Limbaugh suggesting that the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison was not as big a deal as some commentators have made it out to be. (Brock did not cite Limbaugh’s comments condemning the abuse itself.)

Brock told Rumsfeld that by including the Limbaugh program on American Forces Radio, the Pentagon was making the American taxpayer pay to broadcast “pro-torture propaganda” to U.S. troops.

Brock is also worried that Limbaugh’s rhetoric “divides rather than unites” Americans.

Therefore, Limbaugh should be removed. (In his new book, Brock expresses the hope that such voices will someday be “eradicated.”)

Brock made the complaint on behalf of a new organization he heads called Media Matters for America. He says the group’s mission is to fight “conservative misinformation” in the media.

To do so, Brock has raised more than $2 million, much of it from the donor pool that is supporting the anti-Bush “527” groups that are working on behalf of the Kerry campaign.

Brock used $100,000 of his $2 million stash to produce and air ads denouncing Limbaugh, and there is no doubt that when this new campaign against American Forces Radio runs its course, Media Matters will find some new reason to attack the popular talk show host.

It’s all part of a broad election-year effort to bring down the most important media voice of conservatism.

But it has also brought into question the values of American Forces Radio.

Brock and others — the anti-Bush webmag Salon, for example — have suggested that the radio service leans to the right politically.

But American Forces Radio officials explain — and they have a lot of evidence to back it up — that the network tries hard not to tilt in one direction or another but to give American soldiers abroad a chance to listen to the programming that they would hear if they were home.

In addition to Limbaugh — American Forces carries one hour of his three-hour program each day — there is lots of National Public Radio, including politically oriented hosts such as Diane Rehm and Tavis Smiley. There are also commentaries from people such as Jim Hightower and Dan Rather.

And there’s the Tom Joyner show and things such as “Car Talk,” “Dr. Demento” and the like. And lots and lots of music of all varieties.

In all, American Forces Radio makes 1,200 programs available to military stations around the globe, which pick and choose programming from the menu, depending on audience preferences.

According to some listeners, there’s plenty of stuff on American Forces Radio to
balance out one hour of Limbaugh.

“I listened to American Forces radio every day for hours,” writes one woman whose husband recently finished more than four years at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
“NPR never seemed to have anything good to say about Israel, [or] the way things were going in Iraq. ... Heaven knows, after the 2000 elections, we thought Gore might win if the rest of the people in the States felt as those did on NPR.”

Another correspondent, who worked for American Forces Radio in Japan, said, “If anything, AFRTS is balanced a bit to the left ... but it offers viewers and listeners ample opportunity to hear whatever they want.”

By the way, do you remember the dust-up last year when a member of the Dixie Chicks went on an anti-Bush rant? Some radio programmers in the United States stopped playing the group’s music. But not American Forces Radio.

“We haven’t put any restrictions on the Dixie Chicks,” one American Forces official told the Oregonian newspaper in April. “We leave it up to the discretion of our affiliates; they can mix or match.”

That’s not exactly the voice of right-wing radio.

Finally, some of the critics of American Forces Radio have questioned why, if the programming menu is based on popularity at home, the service does not include Howard Stern’s daily radio program.

The answer is that it’s a question of taste. Stern’s shock-jock act has been hit many times by the Federal Communications Commission for “indecent” programming, and his syndicators have been forced to pay millions in fines. So it doesn’t make much sense that American Forces Radio would distribute his program.

The bottom line is that American Forces Radio includes a little of everything.

That’s the way it should be, regardless of what David Brock — or anyone else, for that matter — says.

York is a White House correspondent for National Review. His column appears in The Hill each week. E-mail: byork@thehill.com


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: afr; byronyork; davidbrock; rush; rushlimbaugh; talkadio
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last

1 posted on 06/03/2004 1:38:55 PM PDT by Jean S
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: JeanS

I have a feeling that the gay Brock has violated far, far more men than had their so-called rights violated at the prison.


2 posted on 06/03/2004 1:40:50 PM PDT by doug from upland (Don't wait until it is too late to stop Hillary -- do something today!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeanS
Brock is also worried that Limbaugh’s rhetoric “divides rather than unites” Americans.

It is far more likely that the rhetoric of David and his gay extremist ilk “divides rather than unites” Americans.

3 posted on 06/03/2004 1:41:24 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Drug prohibition laws help fund terrorism.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeanS

Seriously, is there any real, compelling reason we should care what Brock thinks?


4 posted on 06/03/2004 1:43:58 PM PDT by The_Media_never_lie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeanS

MIDI - CABARET

It's proven, he is both fruity and nuts…his face is filled with gloom
David Brock needs a visitor...come to his Quiet Room

He blames the right wing for driving him mad
Yes, we led to his doom
David Brock needs a visitor...come to his Quiet Room

He now loves Bill…he is his shill
Too many times his doctors have said
Bill looked down and patted his head

They're teaching him to clean up his own space and trusting him with a broom
David Brock needs a visitor...come to his Quiet Room

He now loves Bill…he is his shill
Too many times his doctors have said
Bill looked down and patted his head

It's proven, he is both fruity and nuts…his poor face is filled with gloom
David Brock leads a lonely life
It has become a sad, sad life
David Brock leads a lonely life…there in his Quiet Room

5 posted on 06/03/2004 1:44:31 PM PDT by doug from upland (Don't wait until it is too late to stop Hillary -- do something today!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeanS

Doesn't David Brock have better things to do -- like performing like a pet monkey at San Francisco bath houses?


6 posted on 06/03/2004 1:48:50 PM PDT by F16Fighter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeanS

I listen to Armed Forces Radio all the time. The one hour of Rush per day is more than "balanced" by the 3 + hours of National People's Radio, the CBS hourly "news" updates, and the government produced "public interest" programs (most of which tend to take a Leftward slant).


7 posted on 06/03/2004 1:49:19 PM PDT by pawdoggie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeanS
Brock made the complaint on behalf of a new organization he heads called Media Matters for America. He says the group’s mission is to fight “conservative misinformation” in the media.

To do so, Brock has raised more than $2 million, much of it from the donor pool that is supporting the anti-Bush “527” groups that are working on behalf of the Kerry campaign.


Brock raised two million dollars to set up a web site which reports, among other things, that Rush Limbaugh is a conservative, and to write a letter to Secretary Rumsfeld. Gawd there are a lot of dumb, rich libs out there if they can afford to set this guy up.
8 posted on 06/03/2004 1:56:34 PM PDT by Rummyfan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeanS

One of Brock's minions -

http://www.oliverwillis.com/


9 posted on 06/03/2004 1:58:42 PM PDT by Weimdog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: doug from upland

The schedule is heavily skewed toward the very liberal NPR programming.

AFN's News/Talk Radio Programming in Europe

MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SCHEDULE

0900 Power Talk A.M.
Mon. Perspective
Tue. Newsweek on Air
Wed. Car Talk
Thu. Sound Money
Fri. Parents Journal
1000 Sports Overnight America - Live
1200 NPR Morning Edition - Live
1600 AFN Evening Newswatch
1635 Sports Byline
1700 AFN Evening Newswatch
1800 Rush Limbaugh - Live
1900 Dr. Laura Schlessinger
1945 Paul Harvey News and Comment
2000 NPR Talk of the Nation - Live
2200 NPR All Things Considered

SATURDAY

0000 Pure Gold Oldies
0600 NPR All Things Considered
0800 Sports Overnight America
1100 Chef's Table-Cooking
1130 CNN Headline News
1200 Kim Kommando Computers
1300 American Country Countdown
1700 Country Hits
1800 NPR Weekend Edition
2000 Pure Gold Oldies or Live Sports
2300 Country Hits or Live Sports

SUNDAY

0000 Country Hits or Live Sports
0300 Pure Gold Oldies
or Live Sports
0700 Religious Programming
0800 Praise Patrol
1000 Sports Overnight America
1100 Car Talk
1200 Prairie Home Companion
1400 NPR Weekend Edition
1600 Justice Talking
1700 Fresh Air Weekend
1800 The Motley Fools Financial Advice


10 posted on 06/03/2004 2:02:57 PM PDT by Notwithstanding (Fides et Ratio)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: JeanS

As Limbaugh (and increasingly, his competitors) will tell you, they can't balance out his 1 hour with even the other 23 hours. Rush says more in five seconds than most hosts say in their entire careers...


11 posted on 06/03/2004 2:18:40 PM PDT by WinOne4TheGipper (Third parties serve only to kill what they claim to promote and promote what they claim to oppose.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeanS

I would have withered on the vine in my final overseas tour without FR and my one hour of Rush .

What they don't mention is that Rush's one hour is not in prime listening time. In Germany it came on at approximately 8 pm. Rush is hardly a threat to anyone in that time slot.

Also, just an aside.....CAR TALK was a decent radio show. MOSTLY it was good car info and slap happy humor between the two hosts.

Tom Joyner was obscene. Anything PBS was presented in their own special brainwash format.


12 posted on 06/03/2004 3:03:01 PM PDT by xzins (Retired Army and Proud of It!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: doug from upland
Brock would go to San Francisco and pay big bucks to have the same things done to him that were done to the prisoners.

He's just jealous because they got it for free.

Brock is getting his 15 minutes of fame, which for the limited life expectancy of a homosexual would probably seem like more than that (like "doggie years" compared to human years).

13 posted on 06/03/2004 3:28:51 PM PDT by capt. norm (Rap is to music what the Etch-A-Sketch is to art.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: capt. norm

Great response.


14 posted on 06/03/2004 3:56:14 PM PDT by doug from upland (Don't wait until it is too late to stop Hillary -- do something today!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: JeanS

No need of ipecac syrup, if you have Tavis Smiley!


15 posted on 06/03/2004 5:21:47 PM PDT by DUMBGRUNT (Sane, and have the papers to prove it!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeanS

Brock was a mole, a long time friend of Hillary Clinton. He is reprehensible just like she is.


16 posted on 06/03/2004 5:24:26 PM PDT by ladyinred (The leftist media is the enemy within. John Kerry even flips&flops with his finger!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: kk22tt

Rush on AFN ping


17 posted on 06/03/2004 5:49:17 PM PDT by GATOR NAVY
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeanS

I found the petition on PakNews.com, a publication aimed at Pakistanis around the world. Can you imagine Brock's chutzpah--asked Pakistanis to decide what our servicemen can hear--this after they fought for years to get to hear Rush.?He gets 5 hours a week (provided by him free) to 24 hours a week of NPR ditherings.


18 posted on 06/03/2004 7:11:19 PM PDT by the Real fifi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JeanS

So Brock's goal is that someday, voices that diagree with his opinions will be "eradicated"? As I always say, "God save me from liberals claiming they're trying to protect my Constitutional rights."


19 posted on 06/03/2004 7:16:33 PM PDT by HHFi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GATOR NAVY

Hi. I didn't see this article; thanks. They wouldn't dare take Rush off AFN!


20 posted on 06/04/2004 5:13:46 AM PDT by kk22tt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson