Another city with no progressive talk radio

This entry isn't about Cincinnati, though Cincinnati likely fits the bill: Clear Channel deliberately set its Air America affiliate up for failure (back before Air America became a DLC mouthpiece), and I've found very little talk radio in the area since then that dissents from the Bush order. Rather, this entry is about Sacramento - a market that's roughly the same size.

The situation in California's capital may well be even more out of sync than here. Although Bush lost Sacramento County twice, progressive talk is completely absent from the area's airwaves. Sacramento has 3 right-wing talk stations, programming a total of 264 hours of conservative talk-shit radio a week. Not a single station programs any talk shows that might fit a progressive or even Democratic mold.

Until recently, Sacramento had an AM station that programmed Democratic-leaning talk. Although it had only 1,000 watts, it got twice the ratings of an explicitly right-wing station that has 5,000 watts. Despite its ratings success, it switched to a Christian format - although there were already 6 other commercial stations in Sacramento that were described as having such a format.

Nationally, a disproportionate number of stations described as having a religious format actually mix religion and politics and specialize in conservative programming. I'm unsure what political leanings (if any) Sacramento's 7 Christian stations have, but with the radio industry's track record, it's likely that at least one or two are distinctly conservative. Let's be honest here: In a market with 3 right-wing talk stations and 7 Christian stations, why no liberal talk stations?

I'm not criticizing the religious stations per se, even though it's clear that 7 is more than a market with such a limited number of available frequencies can support. But I'm incensed at the 3 secular conservative stations, because these provide such unnecessary duplication of a specific political viewpoint while a liberal counterweight is completely lacking. On the other hand, religions other than Christianity are underrepresented in religious radio, but that's another topic altogether.

I'm sure there's other American cities that have 3 explicitly right-wing stations but no progressive voice anywhere to be found. It appears that even Boston - a market much larger and much more liberal than Sacramento - may lack a progressive outlet. A study by the Free Press and Center for American Progress says 90% of commercial talk radio in America is conservative, while only 10% is liberal. This doesn't include public radio, which is required by law to provide both sides but has far fewer stations than commercial radio and fails to reach some markets.

It's easy to see how liberal talk could be less profitable than its conservative counterpart even if it has more listeners. Commercial radio is an ad-supported medium. And who controls the purse strings: the Left or the Right? By very definition, conservatives have the money. Our side doesn't. Businesses advertise, and larger firms spend more. Isn't conservatism the ideology of Big Business? Why would Corporate America support dissent against its own money-driven empire?

Corporate America backed the campaign in the '80s that abolished the Fairness Doctrine. In the '90s, Corporate America lobbied for the telcom law that lifted radio station ownership caps. This 1996 law let conglomerates buy stations, flood them with right-wing talk, give advertisers package deals, and drive smaller stations out of business.

I'd be happier if the Fairness Doctrine returned, for the airwaves are a public trust with a limited number of frequencies. But it's tricky to enforce the Fairness Doctrine effectively, and we're living in an era where people seem to be allergic to regulations (at least regarding Big Business). I'd be much happier still if the '96 telcom law was repealed and the old ownership caps were restored.

Monopoly in the media is detrimental to democratic values. You can't truly say you have a marketplace of ideas if just a few corporations own almost the entire broadcast industry. The world should not revolve around Corporate America, especially when you're talking about the airwaves that belong to the people.

The Democratic Congress has a mandate to repeal the '96 telcom legislation. But it hasn't done so. To be taken seriously, the Democrats have to make repealing this law a high priority.

(Source: http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/927485.html)