Rallies and Radio

The New York Times (Letters to the Editor section) ^ | April 7, 2003 | GLENN BECK

[bradactor]

To the Editor:

Re "War Puts Radio Giant on the Defensive" (Business Day, March 31):

The "Rally for America!" events that the critics you cite find so suspect began with a Dallas radio host. Darryl Ankarlo asked his station, KLIF, for help in organizing a rally to support the troops to honor his son, who had just joined the Marines.

I encouraged my concerned radio callers to urge their local radio stations to follow KLIF's lead. (KLIF, by the way, is owned by Susquehanna Radio, a competitor of Clear Channel, which owns the company that syndicates my show.)

This grass-roots effort has spread like a grass fire through hometowns from coast to coast. More than 125,000 people have attended "Rally for America!" events to support our troops, organized in one community at a time by local listeners and their stations — some Clear Channel, some not. One was organized by a 16-year-old girl in Duluth, with no help from anybody.

The accusation that these rallies are part of some corporate machinations to curry favor with the president is insulting to all the patriotic Americans who want to express their gratitude to the men and women risking their lives for us all. GLENN BECK Philadelphia, April 1, 2003

[camle]

no mention of ANSWER, who organizes the Anti-war protests, eh?

[conservativemusician]

I wish I could get that guy's show in NY.

[dep]

you might be able to -- weli, 960 am, new haven, 9 a.m.-11:45 a.m. also, i believe, on wabc early sunday evening.

dep

[JennysCool]

Even IF Clear Channel was organizing these rallies itself, when did supporting American servicepeople become a societal no-no? It is astonishing how anti-American most of the media is, and it becomes more obvious every day -- which is proving to be a good thing in the long run.

[conservativemusician]

I may get New Haven. WABC Sundays will definitely work.

Thanks.

[bradactor]

I heard Glenn talk about this letter on his show which is why I posted it on here because I knew it would get opinion and use maybe. Apparently he and the guy who helps him write pr things got into laugh because the guy complained Glenn was not eloquent enough in this letter but the eloquent letter that he originally wrote they would not accept. Apparently the NY Times edited this letter which they do. I think most newspapers do this for your information if you don't know