You're on the right track with seeking alternative media outlets as probably the most viable option to getting balance.
IMHO, a lot of this would go away if advertizing on any mass media (reaches XX,XXX people) that didn't have a reasonable political balance to it's news reporters and editorial staff would be NOT be tax deductible. Shows and sites, with a disclaimer that views expressed on this media don't necessarily reflect the views of the broadcaster or it's advertizers would be OK. Sort of turning the Dem's fairness doctrine on it's head...
As it currently stands, the PRESSident (drive-by-media) uses the dominance of it's political affliation in reporters and editorial staff to leverage (unpolitically biased) advertizing $$ towards the PRESSidential political perspective without a disclaimer of their reporting/editorial bias -- which seems wrong.
However, don't hold your breath on anything like this out-of the-box balancing act ever happening. The PRESSident would veto it by every possible means at their disposal.
Currently, the best balance in mass media is the FOX network with the caveat that outside of a few nationally balanced FOX news/editorial shows there lurks tons of left wing bias in local FOX network new and editorial staffs.
Two things: First, this 06 election showed that Fox News, and the radio talk show world, doesn't have as much influence as they (and I) thought they did.
And that's because, when you really analyze the "hard" news reporting system, it is wire services such as the AP, Reuters, the BBC, and now Google and Yahoo news, etc. which are REALLY in charge of 'breaking' news. And that means THEY can put THEIR initial SLANT on 95 percent of the news from the US and around the world.
Even if a story is initially written by a local newspaper, (or perhaps released by the military press in Iraq) the AP writers then take that story, re-write it and then upload it onto THEIR wire service where it's fed to outlets around the world.
Even Fox News, which is more of an analytical/punditry type news service, is usually relegated to RESPONDING to or REPEATING already released news stories rather than breaking 'new' news.
Oh sure, once in a while Fox will come up with their "Fox Exclusive", and thus a Fox Exclusive banner across the TV, but it is rarely the norm.
And even when they do, it is rarely a major news story that then gets repeated by the AP, CNN, etc.
As someone who has been in the news reporting business (newspapers) for 12 years, I am constantly shocked and re-shocked at how the AP and Reuters, ABC, CBS etc. so non-chalantly puts their slant into EVERY story, and yet the public at large (even myself sometimes) is so unaware.
And believe me, AP is even worst than CNN and CBS in its pro-liberal anti-Republican slant.
And even when an unslanted story is initially submitted to the AP by a fair and balanced newspaper or media organization, the major newspapers or TV networks "down the line" often dont pick it up.
There are so many ways to slant the news, its not funny.
I get really depressed because I cant see how we will be able to purge these hard leftists from the reporting services anytime soon.
Murdoch's Fox News is great. (well, it's OK) And so is the NY Post. But they attract only perhaps 4 or 5 percent of the news audience.
Until we get some parity approaching 30 or 40 percent, we as conservatives will be relagated to RESPONDING to slanted news rather than getting news stories that are, pardon the cliche, fair and balanced.