Anyone Know What Rush's Morning Update Today (Monday 9/15) was about?

[G-dzilla]

Here in Tampa (970 wfla) the geniuses decided not to run it, pretending to have "technical problems." That station is getting weirder and weirder...

[mathluv]

I never turn on the radio until time for Rush. I know my local station will just go silent sometimes, conincidently when he is really bashing libs.

[Trailer Trash]

pretending to have "technical problems."

When they do that, you should walk right in to the station in and demand explanation from them. Act important. Act like you're ready to involve the FCC.

Ask for proof of the 'technical difficulty'.

The public demand being met with public service can be accomplished from two directions.....

Rush's Friday show devoted well over 1 full hr to the subject of the Senate trying to re-enact the Fairness Doctrine.

It is crucial that this doesn't happen.

If it is still happening, the Senate should receive a direct public action like it has never seen before.

[Skooz]

His topic today was the Left's hypocricy regarding vouchers. Apparently, a bill to allow DC children to have vouchers to attend decent schools has passed the House, and Teddy K has stated he will fight it with every weapon he has. Rush said that Teddy would never allow any Kennedy children to attend DC public schools, and hinted that the Dims want to keep black kids on the liberal plantation.

[skinkinthegrass]

Yeah...Watch out for the Rino... K.B. Hutchinson (R?-Tx.) & "Vacant" Lott (R?-Ms) and the Usual clowns.

[mathluv]

I e-mailed my senator immediately - Kay Bailey. I also e-mailed my other senator, my congressman, and the President. As I said on another thread, Rush never gives out phone numbers, etc. When he does, I will support him.

If the libs are so set on trying to do this, could we start wanting equal time on the lib TV shows portraying their agenda, and giving our 2¢ on ours?

[Samizdat]

Right but he also told of a group of Republicans who tried to fix up the dilapidated schools with their own money and effort only to be rebuked by the powers that be. That was a real shocker to me. He compared George Wallace to Ted Kennedy who in essence is calling for segregation trying to keep these poor black kids in inferior schools. Good one this morning.

[wku man]

Aside from the news department, which is actually pretty fair and balanced, 970 WFLA is run by some of the most liberal pinkos you'll ever see. As their talk staff goes, well, Tedd Webb is conservative, but Jack Harris flip-flops, and Sharon Taylor is just plain liberal. Mark Beiro? Nice guy, but CommieLib as the day is long. Jeff Fischer? He repeats whatever Biero says. MJ Kelly/BullSchnitt? He's the reason I no longer listen to 970 (except for Rush), and besides Hannity is on 1040 WWBA at the same time, and who would want to listen to a juvenile FM DJ trying to do talk when you can listen to one of the Masters?

The news department is okay, though. At least four of the guys are veterans, and Al Ryan is a hardcore former Marine. Don Richards is one of the best newsmen in the business...anywhere in the nation.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[joesbucks]

You folks don't understand. The station is owned by Clear Channel. Rush's program is owned by Clear Channel subsidiary Premiere Radio Networks. Why would the station sabotage it's own product? Why would the station put on hosts that don't get listened to and bring in a profit?

Clear Channel through Premiere owns and distributes programs such as Rush, Dr. Laura, Mike Reagan and other right of the aisle programs.

[joesbucks]

Rush's Friday show devoted well over 1 full hr to the subject of the Senate trying to re-enact the Fairness Doctrine.

Rush and programs such as his will never be taken from the airwaves. Period.This is simply a scare tactic because it impacts other areas, specifically ownership of multiple stations in the same markets. Behind the killing of this bill are media giants Clear Channel (who is the distributor of Limbaugh), Westwood One (Owner of CBS, now why would they want the fairness doctrine stuff killed. They should be calling for it to be implemented.)and other media giants seeking to continue to condsolidate their base of ownership in the same market and knock away the small independent operator. Funny, but it was the small guys in the late 80's and early 90's who took the chance on Rush, not the big 50,000 watt powerhouses he is on today. Many of those small stations are now owned by Clear Channel, or Westwood One etal or thier operating subsidiaries.

Actually, when the fairness doctrine was removed, it was religion who complained. They were the origins of the Madylin Murray O'Hare scare that the removal of the Fairness Doctrine would take church programs from the airwaves. It was seen by conservative activists as something evil. My how things have changed.

[wku man]

Because when you get down to the individual station level, whom owns who doesn't matter a hill of beans to John Q. CheapChannelEmployee. It's so easy for a board operator, who dislikes Rush (or Hannity, Hablin, Laura, Liddy, whoever), to mistakenly click on the wrong hot button, or forget to record a certain feed, and shazam!...you don't have the Morning Update that day. "Oh gee, Mr. Program Director, I'm sure sorry I hit the wrong button...it was an honest mistake...it won't happen again!" Is it a conspiracy? No. Malice on the part of an underpaid, underappreciated Cheap Channel employee? Could be. Head space and timing on the operator? Could be. How do you explain this to the listening audience? Technical difficulties, of course.

Then again, it could be that the satellite took a poop, the Cheap Channel WAN was down, or whatever. But don't underestimate the mischief that can be created by an $8/hr. board operator.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[wku man]

By the way, I do understand Cheap Channel...I've worked for two of its stations. Jacor was a great radio company, Cheap Channel killed it...and sucked the life right out of its employees and programming. Cheap Channel, Citadel and Infinity are what's wrong with radio in this nation today.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[joesbucks]

Actually the feeds are all on the server that is common to the stations. Our local station will often grab the wrong pre-recorded newscast and air one for Toledo when we are in Columbus. Same talent for both markets.

[joesbucks]

So why is Infinity so afraid of the fairness doctrine. Since it's a liberal organization, wouldn't they want to snuff out "rush"?

[G-dzilla]

Thank you kindly.

[wku man]

I wasn't aware that Infinity was leading the charge against the Fairness Doctrine, but my guess would be the same disconnect between the front office and the individual stations that exists with Cheap Channel exists with Infinity. Upper level management realizes that to put on an "anti-Rush" would mean programming that wouldn't sell, because no one wants to listen to liberal morons (just ask Larry King, Alan Derschowitz [sp?], Mario Cuomo, Joycelyn Elders, etc.). But when you get to the GM, PD, ND level, those who are actually responsible for the image of individual stations, they probably love the idea because folks in those positions tend to be liberal, or moderate at best (at least from my personal observations). The local Sales Manager couldn't care less, because it's all numbers to them...sales weasels in radio usually know little about the programming end of the industry, other than the ratings. The rank and file reporters, anchors, producers and board operators are either largely liberal or are just don't give a crap, so they'd be either for the Fairness Doctrine, or ambivilent to it.

Anyway, this is just my opinion, just thinking out loud. I do know, however, that there is a disconnect between Cheap Channel in San Antonio and its hundreds upon hundreds of stations. Same goes for Citadel, which I've also worked for. I'd guess Infinity isn't much different.

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!

[wku man]

Right. That's why I said the WAN may have been down. When I was with a Jacor/Cheap Channel station out West, our WAN was regularly down...sometimes as much as several times a week. But CC stations still use satellite links for network programming (ABC breaking stuff, etc.).

The WAN is what makes it possible for Cheap Channel to voice track its programming, therefore putting more work on fewer employees. Ever wonder how one news anchor can be on simultaneously in Tampa and Orlando, but doing different newscasts? Ever wonder why your morning drive DJ or talk host is also pulling an afternoon drive shift in St. Louis or Santa Barbara? It's because he or she recorded the afternoon drive show a day or so ago, and sent it over the WAN to that distant station. So your "local" programming is likely not local at all, which is why that cheerful, bubbly ditz on your Top 40 station isn't mentioning the gully washer of a storm that's drenching your hometown that afternoon. How could she know about it? She's probably hundreds of miles away, and recorded the show days ago.

Thanks a bunch, Cheap Channel. You've destroyed radio as we used to know and love it. But I guess what's most important is that it sells, right? Anything that sells must be okay, right?

Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!