Reply #19: I really have no idea how much pressure either talent is under to

[Radio_Lady]

conform to this or that ideology. People here on the DU can't even decide whether the media is LIBERAL or CONSERVATIVE.

I was on-air from December 1971 through the early 1980s when I moved into sales and marketing for a large company. So, we were talking politics a lot during the Vietnam War period, during Watergate, during the time when Nixon resigned and Ford took over. Clearly, I supported the anti-war movement at that time and still do. But we had plenty of Boston veterans and other conservatives to argue with -- don't get me wrong. I also had shows on abortion vs. pro-life, Catholic women as priests, capital punishment, women's liberation -- all the hot topics that are still being discussed today.

The difference is that we were working in an environment where we had to present both points of view -- and allow them on the air. We also had to take telephone calls every three or four minutes. No one would have been allowed to harangue for as long as Rush Limbaugh, Randi Rhodes, Ed Schultz, etc. We were told that there were to be "no monologues." "Get right to the telephone calls," was what we were told.

That was the CBS radio management point of view at that time. Although Larry King has married a Mormon woman from Utah, I find it hard to believe that he is NOT a liberal. He very well may have changed -- or maybe politics were not so prominent on his entertainment and comedy-oriented show. (We also played music so the all-night program had a very different feeling to it.) Actually, I never thought Larry was much interested in politics. But I do remember the year he had every presidential candidate on his show? He talked to all of them, including Ross Perot, the cock 'o the walk. I'd say that was pretty even handed. He is simply not a hardball interviewer. I really don't even remember him getting mad on the air.

Interestingly, all the talk show hosts were pretty liberal at the Miami and Boston stations; I'm trying to remember all of them: Len Lawrence, Paul Benzaquin, Jerry Williams, Les Woodruff, and Ben Farnsworth. I only had one convervative who was a lead-in to my show. I "inherited" a tough audience from him, but somehow we made it play.

I probably didn't answer your question, but in truth, I'm not dodging it. I just don't know. Let's see how Katie handles herself in this new environment. I didn't know she will be the Managing Editor of the CBS program. More power to her. Larry may be an old liberal, or something else, but I just can't believe he has a huge political agenda, IMHO.

In peace,

Radio_Lady