Being an old radio person, I pick up on some things happening in the industry the average person might not. At the same time, maybe I'm a conspiracy theorist or just plain crazy, but I've seen some interesting changes lately in an area talk radio station.
The Triad and Triangle areas of North Carolina have seen the arrival of two new unabashedly conservative talk radio stations in the past year known as "Rush Radio" owned by Clear Channel. I believe they have had some effect on 101.1 FM talk radio, which, located in Burlington, covers both markets. 101.1 started out as a station offering a balanced political view (as is still evident to some extent with national programs such as Michael Savage and Alan Combs), but I have sensed a definite hard left turn in the tone of their local morning and afternoon shows. In the beginning these programs were "middle of the road" with the morning show leaning to the right and the afternoon show leaning slightly to the left. This was a good thing and I regularly listened.
When I turn the dial to 101.1 these days all I am subjected to, for example, is constant Sarah Palin bashing. These guys are about as misogynistic as the liberal talking heads on MSNBC. Why do so many in the broadcast industry fear strong, conservative women? These guys should really stop and listen to themselves...it is incredible!
I guess the broadcasters at FM Talk have decided they need to become the "MSNBC of local radio" to Rush Radio's "Fox News"...so to speak. Either that, or the newcomers are putting a serious dent in 101.1's ratings. I would come down on the side of the latter, because I can hear it "between the lines" in the station promos, and, after all,in the end it's all about the money.
No comments:
Post a Comment