Long an outlet for the GOP message, talk radio undergoes a shift

[deadparrot]

WASHINGTON - When the White House wanted to talk to its political base about a Supreme Court nominee this week, there was no doubt where to go: talk radio.

Vice President Dick Cheney took the administration's case to the Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity programs, speaking simultaneously to the normally sympathetic hosts and their audiences of like-minded Republicans.

A decade after Republicans credited Limbaugh with helping them win control of Congress - they called him the Majority Maker - they still look to his conservative-dominated medium for a lopsided communications edge over Democrats. Today, they count on talk radio to rally support for President Bush, attack those who criticize or question him, and stir passions leading into the 2006 midterm congressional elections.

There are signs that the Republicans could be losing some of their overwhelming edge, however. Ratings for Limbaugh and Hannity slipped this spring in some markets. Liberals such as Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller and Al Franken are carving out their own radio niche. And Democrats argue that they have an edge on the Internet, where explosive growth could dwarf the political impact of radio.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/krwashbureau/20051006/ts_krwashbureau/_talkshows_1

[I Have A Dream]

1. Interesting article. Thanks for posting it. n/t

[Missy M]

2. We still have a long way to go, but it's a start. Thankfully we have...

the internet or we would be out in the cold. Now, if we could only get an inroad to main stream TV against Fox News and all the corporate paid whores on the other news outlets. Maybe someday journalists will start being journalists again instead of parrots for the bush administration.

[Joey Liberal]

3. We need to support Air America

My favorite is Randi Rhodes. I wonder if people really understand just how important Air America is. I consider Shemp Hannity and Rush "the big fat drug addict" Limbaugh to be threats to our freedom.

[sallyseven]

4. Supporting Air America is very important

for our well being. We need to know and our information has been sacrificed to the alter of gwb. The MSM is de funked and dishonest. I use to like some of the people on MSM but find now that they are not doing their job anymore.

[Joey Liberal]

5. Sally, you make me miss the northeast!

Sorry to see the Red Sox lose........

[cliss]

6. We do.

I keep my radio dial FUSED to am 620 here in Portland. I want to make sure that if anybody's tracking radio listenership, I want them to know what I'm listening to.

Besides, I can't go back to those other radio programs. It's garbage.

[fencesitter]

7. We've lost Air America here in Philadelphia

The station which carried it is dropping the programming. I'm 25 miles west of philly and could barely pick it up anyway. However, Rush's channel comes in way too loud and clear.