General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThis demonstrates the difference between radio and TeeVee.
Those of us who grew up in the days of radio programming at its finest will recall that the genius of the broadcaster, whether the newsman, the monologuist, the actor, was able to make the individual listener actually believe that he or she was being spoken to directly. This is no longer true of most radio including morning drive-time schtick and sports programming - there is an acknowledgement of a wide audience so that the listener is under no misapprehension: there IS a larger audience - they infer that fact all the time so that you'll think you're part of the 'in' crowd.
Limbaugh's skill, as it were, is to once again make the listener think that he's addressing him or her personally. He's just utilizing techniques which have mostly gone the way of the Victrola, BUT they are quite effective. That's why he has that 'devotion' and listenership, and why they feel so betrayed when he 'apologizes' (sic).
Those of us who listened to Jean Shepherd on WOR as kids, thought we were alone in the night and he was talking to us. If I missed his program as a 9 or 10 year old, I used to think that probably almost no one else heard it. Of course it turned out that there were literally millions who listened to him nightly - but he never gave an indication of that fact. You, as an individual, were the most important person in his life, and if you think about it, many of these RWers are emotionally alone and starved for attention and affection. Limbaugh 'gives' that to them.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)And he gives them a daily, even hourly fix. Why else would they listen, if not to get their rage fix? He even has to give them larger and larger doses to keep them under control which is why he had to keep pushing that envelope.
PCIntern
(25,544 posts)Wasn't that a song title in the 80's? No, wait, it was "Addicted to Love"...
close enough for these idjits...
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)the fears of aging white men who think their grip on power is slipping in favor of evil independent women and minorities. They don't realize they're being exploited to support an agenda that favors big business and corporations.
izquierdista
(11,689 posts)Instead of foisting Limbaugh on hundreds of stations with the demise of the Fairness Doctrine, that Mike Malloy had his tirades broadcast to every empty vessel across the country?
Bonhomme Richard
(9,000 posts)he would make me nuts but it wasn't the vitriol that is spewed today. Back then you could have reasonable arguments. Not anymore. It is so often over the top that I don't know where to begin.
PCIntern
(25,544 posts)if you were in Philly in the old old days, do you recall 1210's Bob Menefee and Al Julius?