The biggest word in the dictionary.
Posted on 02/17/2003 6:53:01 AM PST by nypokerface
A group of wealthy Democratic donors is planning to start a liberal radio network to counterbalance the conservative tenor of radio programs like "The Rush Limbaugh Show."
The group, led by Sheldon and Anita Drobny, venture capitalists from Chicago who have been major campaign donors for Bill Clinton and Al Gore, is in talks with Al Franken, the comedian and author of "Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot." It hopes to enlist other well-known entertainers with a liberal point of view for a 14-hour, daily slate of commercial programs that would heavily rely on comedy and political satire.
The plan faces several business and content challenges, from finding a network of radio stations to buy the program to overcoming the poor track record of liberal radio shows. But it is the most ambitious undertaking yet to come from liberal Democrats who believe they are overshadowed in the political propaganda wars by conservative radio and television personalities.
The concern has been around for years: Hillary Rodham Clinton first mentioned a "vast, right-wing conspiracy" in 1998. But the sentiment has taken on new urgency with the rise to the top of the cable news ratings of the Fox News Channel, considered by many to have a conservative slant, and the Republicans' gaining control of the Senate in November. Such events have spurred many wealthy Democrats to explore investments in possible, liberal-skewing media ventures. New campaign finance rules that restrict giving opportunities also gave them further incentive.
The new liberal radio network is initially being financed by the Paradigm Group, of which the Drobnys are the principal partners. Ms. Drobny is the chairwoman of the venture, which is being called AnShell Media L.L.C. Jon Sinton, a longtime, Atlanta-based radio executive, will be its chief executive. He helped start the nationally syndicated radio program of Jim Hightower, the former Texas agriculture commissioner. Liberals had hoped that would be their answer to Mr. Limbaugh, but it was canceled shortly after its start in the mid-1990's.
The failure of Mr. Hightower's show supported the notion of many in radio that liberal hosts do not have what it takes to become successful and entertaining hosts: the fire-and-brimstone manner and a ready-made audience alienated by the mainstream news media it perceives to be full of liberal bias.
Mr. Sinton said the new venture would seek to disprove not only those who doubt liberal hosts can make it in radio, but also those who believe that success in radio depends on an alliance with one of the handful of major distributors or station groups.
The group said it was prepared to go it alone, selling its programming to the individual radio stations rather than go through a middleman. It has an initial investment of $10 million, which radio analysts said was enough to start up. Ms. Drobny said the cash would be placed in a fund that she hopes to grow to at least $200 million within the next year, which she hopes to use to finance other media ventures like the acquisition of radio stations and television production.
"The object of the programming is to be progressive and make a statement that counters this din from the right," Mr. Sinton said. "But we have a solid business plan that shows a hole in the market."
Many conservatives who assert the news media in general is infused with liberal bias say the premise of a liberal radio network is silly to begin with. But liberal Democrats say even if a liberal bias does exist, the mainstream news media strives for balance and fair play. They say their concern is that there are far fewer successful, outright partisan voices on the left than there are on the right.
"I feel like there's a monologue out there," Ms. Drobny said. "I just had this tremendous feeling with great passion that we had to make sure we're heard and make sure having a dialogue in this country of ours."
The list of successful conservative radio hosts is, in fact, fairly long Rush Limbaugh; Sean Hannity; Michael Savage; Michael Reagan. And there is no equivalent list of liberals. Past attempts, such as the programs of Mr. Hightower and Mario Cuomo, have failed.
Some radio executives said they simply did not believe liberal radio could become good business. Among them was Kraig T. Kitchen, chief executive of Premiere Radio Networks, one of the nation's largest radio syndication arms with the programs of Mr. Limbaugh, Mr. Reagan and Dr. Laura Schlessinger, among others. Though Mr. Kitchin said he was a conservative, he also said he would have pursued liberal programs had he thought there was money in them. He ascribes to the popular view in the industry that liberal hosts present issues in too much complexity to be very entertaining — while addressing a diffuse audience that has varying views.
"Individuals who are liberal in their viewpoints can be all-encompassing," he said. "It's very hard to define liberalism, unlike how easy it is to define conservatism. So, as a result, it doesn't evoke the same kind of passion as conservative ideologies do."
Mr. Sinton said he thought past attempts failed because they were not properly executed. He said he believed a big problem for Mr. Hightower was that his program was sandwiched into a schedule crammed with conservatives. "It is very hard to succeed when you throw liberal programming between bookends of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity," he said. "That violates expectations of the listener."
This is why he said he was proposing a full slate of liberally skewing programming with morning, afternoon and early evening shows featuring hosts with as many big names in entertainment as possible.
"This side has failed by going at Rush, and trying to be Rush — you're not going to beat him at his game," Mr. Sinton said. "What really makes this work is tapping into Hollywood and New York and having a huge entertainment component, where political sarcasm is every bit as effective as Rush Limbaugh is at bashing you over the head."
Mr. Sinton acknowledged that his biggest challenge was in getting national distribution for the network. He said he would seek to strike deals with underperforming radio stations in major markets.
Analysts said that while the plan might seem difficult to achieve, it is not impossible. "It is going to be trickier in the top-10 markets, easier in the middle markets, but it will be possible," said Jonathan Jacoby, a radio industry analyst for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. "There is a case that if they have the right product, they will be able to find distribution."
Talent, of course, will be key, Mr. Sinton acknowledged. A deal with Mr. Franken, the comedian, would help greatly in luring other big names, as well as in gaining distribution. He said he envisioned a daily program featuring Mr. Franken perhaps in the early afternoons (around the same time as "The Rush Limbaugh Show").
A representative for Mr. Franken, Henry Reisch of the William Morris Agency, said Mr. Franken was seriously considering the offer, and was mostly focusing on whether he could handle the commitment of a daily radio program. Judging from his comments as a guest last month on Phil Donahue's program on MSNBC, Mr. Franken would probably take a far different approach from that of Mr. Limbaugh. "I think the audience isn't there for a liberal Rush," he said. "Because I think liberals don't want to hear that kind of demagoguery."
I hope they drop a load of cash in it. There are at least 20 million radio listeners who will do their best to never do business with any companies which sponsor it and will be real vocal about it to each and every one of them.
Conservatives are the ones with new ideas. There's been a juxtaposition such that many who were once thinking liberals are still thinking and have determined that what is considered "conservative" today, isn't stuck in the past, or old., but actually quite liberal. As I used to know it, anyway. Does that make any sense to you?
To confirm the thought, look at the liberal resistance to try anything new. Soc. security. Peace protests in light of an attack on US soil. Racism on the part of liberals.
Can you liberals say "Sam Donaldson is a radio success for us liberals?" I'm sure you can't.
Advice to liberals: If at first (or the zillionth time) you don't succeed try, try, try, try, try and try again.
Liberals have hearts?
Doesn't matter. They won't listen anyway. I think liberalism and common sense can't occupy the same space at a sub atomic level.
Ben & Jerry's?
The biggest word in the dictionary.
Remember in the 70's, radio stations would give away radio's with only a volume dial and the station was fixed and locked in on the tuner?
The idea will be to manufacture radio's in China and shipped to the US markets which can be programmed by each media outlet to their frequency. They will then give them away to every household, like when you get your phone book.Once they are sure that a radio is in each household tuned to listen to them, they can declare victory. Each will have a 20 year nuclear power source so that not plugging it in will not matter. A sattellite will remotely turn the radio's on each day when each time zone meets scheduled liberal programming. This is to overcome the listener forgetting to turn the radio on. The radio's will also be all weather type, since after being thrown out the window, they still need to function for the benefit of the homeless.
You got that right. The difference between sucessful talk radio hosts is that they have worked very hard for it whereas liberals seem to like things handed right to them. I just love how the party of "the working man" and "the little people" always seem to operate from the top down.
Secondly, the democrats still don't get it. I believe this is just another knee jerk reaction to Bush and the GOP victory last November. They refuse to believe that it was their "weak on national defense/visit Baghdad/anti-American/hold up Homeland Defense" views that the Murrican Pipple did'nt like, but rather that the wholly owned liberal media that controls 90% of the industry could not get their message out. In fact, exit polls show that their message DID get out, but was soundly rejected.
Franken is going to have a tough time doing this, but I think it will last longer than his last sitcom, Lateline, which lasted a whole 6 weeks.
So they start with that vaunted entertainment luminary....................................Al Franken.
ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Stop it; yer killin' me here..................
Let 'em do it. I love watching liberals lose tons of money in such ventures. Just love it. They'll fail miserably and no one will ever touch such drivel again. Freakin' hilarious.........:)
He and Michael Moore are the Phantom Dutchmen of liberal network satire.
I'd love to have Al Franken on the radio. It would be a thrill to reach over and turn the radio off as his show begins. He wouldn't know it but, darn, it would feel good!
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