Removed from dying AM radio

Ravens said:

Getting rid of the Fairness Doctrine didn't run people to other content sources. The invention of those sources ran people to those sources.

People aren't on their smart phones because of some FCC rule. They're there because the content is more customizable and instant. TV existed 40 years ago, but it wasn't the 500 channels we have now.

Radio beat out other options because radio was more immediate. It no longer is. That's why it's not thought of as the place to be now.

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Sorry, getting rid of the Fairness Doctrine did drive people away from talk radio. Getting rid of The Fairness Doctrine led to the strident - preaching to the choir - dogmatic style of talk radio which is now dominant. People not in "the choir" stopped listening. Gradually, much of the choir is getting sick of talk radio's demagogic ranting, too.

Chan: For the record (pun intended), DJs were not "value added." They the glue that held everything together. They were the draw. Multiple radio stations in most markets of any size had nearly identical playlists. It was personalities that made the difference. If DJs were "value added," stations with the same playlists would have identical ratings. New stations would not come in and knock off established stations with the same playlist. Stations, back in the day, would not have staged talent raids.

But management didn't like being dependent on talent and in hobbling talent they helped destroy radio's biggest appeal.

FredLeonard said:

Sorry, getting rid of the Fairness Doctrine did drive people away from talk radio.

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Wrong. The biggest boom in talk radio history happened after the Fairness Doctrine was dropped. You can't just make stuff up to fit your own irrational hatred of conservative talk radio.

Talk boomed after the Fairness Doctrine was dropped because stations served a portion of the public that wasn't being served anywhere else. There was no conservative media in 1988. Now it's easily accessible. That's why talk boomed and why it's no longer booming.

People longing for the return of the Fairness Doctrine have one of two agendas:

1. Squelching right leaning commentary. (Politicians tend to have this view.)
2. They somehow think firing half of the conservatives doing radio will mean jobs for themselves. (Unemployed media types have this view.)

Ravens said:

2. They somehow think firing half of the conservatives doing radio will mean jobs for themselves. (Unemployed media types have this view.)

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To all those unemployed talk hosts looking for work: Do something! Write a book, get yourself on TV, do a podcast, start a website, do something that shows what you do, and position yourself in today's media environment. The phone isn't going to ring just because of some new regulation. You need to be on the employer's radar. That's as much the case now as it ever was.

Case in point: Last Friday, KABC announced it was hiring Dr. Drew to host a daily talk show. Obviously not a right wing conservative talk show host, although he is about responsibility. Dr. Drew addresses some political and social issues in the news. He's been active as a TV commentator and podcast host. Will he bring the ratings boost KABC needs? No. But he's a different approach to what's currently available in LA talk radio, in the style of talk hosts of the 90s. We'll see how he does. But KABC didn't need regulations to know that more strident right wing talk wasn't going to be their future.