Clear Channel hires a Liberal Talk Host!

[itaintoveryet]

The ice has been broken. A Clear Channel station has put a strong, real liberal on the air, going up against Rush Limbaugh's time slot.

Thom Hartmann is taking talk radio by storm, pulling liberal and conservative listeners with his entertaining, radical middle, non-nasty, smart, polished talk and programming. Hartmann is an author and the host of the nation's largest nationally syndicated progressive daily radio talk show, heard on stations coast to coast from noon to 3 PM ET. ...

http://www.opednews.com/kall0104_hartmann_clearchannel.htm

[KissMyAsscroft]

1. I don't trust Clear Channel or it's motivations.

I have a feeling it will be sabotaged if it is doing well.

[TyroneStryker]

3. My guess is that their motivation is to make money.

If they can make money with this guy, they'll keep him. If he turns out to be less profitable, then they dump him.

[BackDoorMan]

25. Complete bullshit! I can't belive this-Such a joke. Why not go with...

Randi Rhodes? Clear Channel already has her under contract...she kicked the pigman Limbaughs ass, when she went head to head with him...and Rhodes consistently kicks his fat lying ass in the ratings EACH AND EVERY DAY!

No, of course Clear Channel wants to make money, that’s priority number one...

They also want be able to say, see we have a liberal, and we are not "all conservative"..."but you know, the liberal didn't do too well"...so they can feed us the same old shit, liberals don't do well on radio. BULLSHIT!!!

Thom Hartman is a good guy, well informed, entertaining, democrat...but let's get real here, he's no Mike Malloy (who is? And Malloy is the absolute best there is, hands down, don't talk to me about anyone else.) But Mike doesn't fuck around and make nice, nice...he tells the truth. Exactly as it is and he allows his passion to dictate his feelings about these sick GREEDY cocksucking republican liars.

Clear Channel would never allow someone real and honest and a fired up liberal on the air. They want some one who says it gently...just like the republicans like...as the republicans yell and scream and fire up the uninformed right-wing, mostly white males (as I am) to a hateful frenzy.

Just as the new liberal channel got someone like Al Fraken, he's fucking great live when you can watch his expressions and see his mannerisms…but he’s going to be fucking boring on the air as Stuart Smalley…

Do Al Frakens voice to yourself right now…OK... got his voice and cadence and tone down? NOW do you want to listen that voice for three hours a day? Everyday for three hours, every week, every month??? Is that going to just light the fire under your ass and FIRE YOU UP?---As let's say...Limbaugh does for his audience??? Absolutely NOT!!!

If the liberal or Clear Channel radio were serious they would have real, HARD HITTING liberals nationwide, like Malloy Bernie Ward, Rhodes, Peter Werbe…that would bring in the huge national ratings, advertisment revnue and it would piss off these little fucking republicans, who are used to getting their way...so they would try and the religious will find any reason to BOYCOTT...and it would indeed get noticed.

You have to stand up to these right-wing thugs, bullies and tell to fuck off and they'll run crying...this is something the liberal and spineless democratic leadership is afraid and doesn't do.

Too bad because it works!

But they don’t want that…they want soft or boring or completely non threatening “liberals” so as NOT to get the people fired up, or they want their ratings are so bad they have to get rid of them and replace them with big mouth asshole like Michael Savage or Limbaugh, who say what they really want said (right-wing consumerism) and they get big ratings!

This soft liberal shit will go nowhere except where the republicans want it to…

“See liberal talk shows don’t do well!”

We have to WANT to kick their right-wing lying, greed based asses good on the air.

No exceptions!!!

[Doctor_J]

32. I am starting to prefer Hartmann to Malloy

though I still like them both. Plus, TH goes off the air the same time Randi comes on, I think, so I don't see a conflict there.

I am hoping that they all get picked up by the new liberal media network.

[BackDoorMan]

39. I like Hartman very much and I truly hope he does well.

I also love Mike Malloy whom I have so much the same personality traits and I'm also extremely liberal and progressive, perhaps even more so then Malloy:smoke:...as well as not being able to hide my emotions, especially when confronted with republican greed, lies and their cold-hearted insensitivity to anyone except the rich.:puke:

However, I despise the fact that the Conservatives, right-wing feel we liberals should not be so angry or loud or vocally passionate about their injustices and they won't allow an extremely knowledgeable, bright, funny, charismatic man like Mike Malloy a national radio show.:mad:

But it's alright if the right-wing radio host:crazy:franticly spews hate, and scream at liberals and democrats and loudly proclaim Bush's right to screw over the poor and middle class and let the rich and corporations have all the breaks and legislation geared toward them.:evilfrown:

It's time we become very vocal and demand our liberal voices be heard and loudly! IT'S LONG, LONG OVEDUE!:toast: :party:

After all we the public :yourock: owned the airwaves, not the corporations (as they want us to believe.):argh:

:pals:

[tkmorris]

30. In a sense you are correct

Although I would bet money it isn't what you meant.

Let's say he gets great ratings. The advertisers are paying good money for plugs, yadda yadda yadda. Then Mr. Liberal starts talking about media consolidation and why it's a bad thing. That's worthy of discussion right? Especially from a left-wingers perspective.

Except of course that Clear Channel doesn't want that message airing because it would in the end cost them dollars. So they cancel him.

There are a ton of topics just like that one in that every media outlet has a vested reason to NOT want them aired. That's the problem with the media today, they want what is best for them. No harm in that except where it diverges from what is good for the rest of us. It's pretty simple really.

[arcane1]

33. Yep, sounds like Donahue

he was perfectly acceptible to MSRNC when he did shows like "has Madonna gone too far?", but once he started questioning the imperial invasion plans, suddenly he wasn't viable to them anymore. The highest-rated show on their network, and they canned him...

[Cat Atomic]

2. Too late, Clear Channel. You still have to be demolished next year.

Bye bye.

[TyroneStryker]

4. Explain the demolition thing, please.

I'm not up to date as to what you are refrencing.

[Cat Atomic]

12. It's wishful thinking on my part, that's all.

[MattNC]

5. great news

but Thom signing with them seems to run contradictory to what he stands for.

[tom_paine]

8. You know, at this point I am unconcerned

The Busheviks, like the other Totalitarians who came before them, have made a point fo sezing all the megaphones (luckily for us, they cannot do this Nazi-style, because the Nazis and Soviets already did it that way... thus discrediting the method, from a marketing point of view).

Clear Channle has defied them and undoubtedly will pay for it.

NO ONE defies the Imperial Family and gets away with it.

Punsihment forthcoming for Clear Channel.

[Bluzmann57]

6. Since limbaugh is on clear channel around here

at the same time, how can we hear Mr. Hartmann? Hmmm, sounds a little fishy to me.

[jayfish]

10. You Only Have One Clear Channel Station In Your Market?

Lucky you.

Jay

[Bluzmann57]

13. Maybe "lucky me"

The other group of stations is owned by Cumulus, which may be just as bad, if not worse. On their version of hate,er, talk radio, they feature O'Lielly and Mike Gallagher, not to mention savage. I think Neil Boortz is in there somewhere too. Quite frankly, I can't deal with it, so I don't listen and am not 100% sure about who is on. I called the GM once and he kind of blew me off, so I said ^#!* him.

[MrBenchley]

19. Wonder if they're anticipating

the flabby junkie going to jail in the near term.....and are planning to get as far away from him as they can?

[zbdent]

7. I'll believe it when I can hear it

I work in Cleveland during the day. They will probably put it on the Akron station (which fades somewhere around I480) or they will put it on one of those stations that you tune into to pick up construction info, which only have a range of a mile or so.

[JanMichael]

9. Is Hartmann a critic of the 1996 TelCom Act?

Also, is he critical of media monopolies like ClearChannel?

If so how will they take his bashing them?

[Poiuyt]

14. Hartmann is very critical of corporations

And he has mentioned telecommunications act as one of the things he has disagreed with Clinton about.

(Prepositions are terrible things to end sentences with)

[Touchdown]

15. Yes....all of the above.

His book, "Unequal Protection" is all about how mega-corporations are supplanting the bill of rights for people, and using it for themselves.

He's also a critic of the IMF and the WTO.

[JanMichael]

16. That's good. I wonder if he'll bash CC on a CC channel though.

It's not easy to call your employer so many not so nice names.

It's a problem that most "critical" media types have faced over the years.

[Suziq]

11. Don't Forget -

Randi Rhodes is on Clear Channel, but she is not syndicated. This is a change I am hoping for.

:hippie:

[benburch]

17. Randi is trying to self-syndicate

And has bought expensive satellite time. And has had NO luck as yet.

:-(

[Suziq]

20. Yes - I know . . .

I am still not giving up hope. Randi's voice needs to be heard across the country.

:hippie:

[americanstranger]

22. Something will happen with Randi.

Take my word for it.

-as

[BackDoorMan]

28. Let's hope so...

[mac56]

21. I heard that Clear Channel had expressed interest in Randi..

but that OxyRush threatened to quit if they picked her up. So they desisted.

[americanstranger]

23. Clear Channel 'picked her up' to save Pigboy's ass!

Randi was on a competing station in Miami. Her show ran against Pigboy's, and she kicked his ass in the ratings.

ClearChannel hired her so they could move her out of Pigboy's time slot, because he couldn't stand getting his ass kicked by a girl.

-as

[mac56]

24. wow -

amazing.

[MrBenchley]

18. Let's see how he does in the Arbitrrons....

Clear Channel would advocate cannibalism and incest if they thought it would pull the numbers.

[eleny]

26. And Rush's numbers are so bad, too

Randi Rhodes just said that Rush's new rating number is only 2.8. Hers is 8.2. So, I am thrilled that Hartmann is going up against Lushbag! What great news!!! Now Malloy has to get a radio gig after ieamerica goes away. Go Thom Go!!!!!

[HootieMcBoob]

27. what stations is he on?

In the rest of the country? I can't seem to find out. I'm in the NYC Metro area and would love to hear him on the radio here. Anybody have any ideas?

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

29. Corporate America knows the GOP is over

Since the GOP has taken control of the country, it's a disaster, even for the big companies. So, they are going to market to us. Don't forget which side they are on.

[americanstranger]

31. Umm... Looks like Clear Channel isn't syndicating him.

I just read that article more closely. That blurb about the 'syndicated progressive talk show' is referring to his IEAmerica gig, I believe. The Grand Rapids Clear Channel guy says this:

"If we're starting a national trend here at Clear Channel in Grand Rapids, I'm proud it started here."

That leads me to believe that Hartmann will be on a ClearChannel station in Grand Rapids - not a nationally syndicated program.

-as

[eleny]

34. At least they have streaming audio

n/t

[Judi Lynn]

35. He does a live stream daily from his website

Just found it at:
http://www.thomhartmann.com/

Three hours daily.

Thanks for the news, sickandtired! Big help.

Isn't it about time we started hearing more intelligent voices?

[SoCalDem]

36. If he is the only one on, it will only "prove" their point

The rw-rw-rw-liberal-rw-rw lineup will not bode well for him..
The success of the rw hate radio format, is the seamless flow from one hater to the next..

The people who listen will flood the station with angry e-mails and letters, and after a time, the station will announce that "the new guy did not deliver"..

The format that would work is a gamble for a station/network.. They need a parallel format that would actually compete... and unless they owned both stations, it's a losing proposition.. Do they really "want" to compete with their "stable of rw hate hosts"??

It's the same thing as if a porno movie house stuck the Disney version of Cinderella in for the 3rd showing.. Would kids actually go to it?? Would the porn people watch it??

[eleny]

40. i can't agree

Randi Rhodes follows Rush and she has fantastic ratings down there in South Florida. His ratings are 2.8 and hers are about 8.1. Sshe talked about it on her program just today. So, hey! Find some faith, man! And then lobby your local radio stations to pick up TH's program!

[SoCalDem]

41. But Randi Rhodes is always being threatened with cancellation

or at least the posts I have read about here are always saying she is..

Believe me.. I am HOPING that a trend will start, and we will at least have a chance for the opposition to have a voice..:)

[BackDoorMan]

42. They despise anyone who exposes them as the the greedy corrupt lying...

All we have to do is listen...

But like Donahue that might not be enough...

The right wing fucks are not going to just give us a break because it's the fair thing to do or they feel sorry for us.

They despise us and anyone who exposes them as the greedy corrupt lying thieves they are. They don't want to make it easier for us to do it, quite the contrary, they are and been successful in closing every avenue and opportunity open to us.

We have to really want and make it happen...now that we lost it all (the airwaves) it's going to be a bitch getting them back. But we can and maybe we will cherish it and protect it better.

You don't what you have until it's gone!

The airwaves ARE FREE THEY BELONG TO US!

[trent21]

37. For the life of me I don't understand why they label Thom

a "liberal." Yes he's anti-corporate control, but he is more of a centrist on social issues.

I've always regarded him as center-left.

[americanstranger]

38. Anything to the left of Attila the Hun

is considered 'liberal' nowadays.

Hell, they're calling Howard Dean a liberal. By that measure, that'd prolly make me the illegitimate spawn of Osama bin Laden and Tokyo Rose or something.

-as