H.R. 2905: Shut Up Sean Hannity!

[voodoochile78]

You mean George Soros, and I'm not actually aware of what media empire he runs, compared to Rev. Moon, Rupert Murdoch, or Richard Mellon-Scaife, for example

[voodoochile78]

Originally Posted by Khorum

Yeah, too bad that comparison holds no water because Anti-Trust laws in the U.S. restrict not one First Amendment Right.

I didn't read the rest, because I got the jist of it.

Public airwaves are exactly that: public. They are owned by the American people, and our government leases them out to corporations. The public has an interest in making sure our airwaves represent the diversity of opinion found in America. Right now America is split roughly 50/50 between conservatives and liberals, and yet talk radio is probably 90/10 in favor of conservatives. Clearly our government is not doing a good job at leasing out a collective resource in a way that reflect the balance of public opinion.

You basically want to argue that money = speech, and those with the most money deserve more freedom of speech than those without. Well lucky for you, our government and supreme court agrees! At least they do now. It wasn't always so, and the media was much better when we had things like The Fairness Doctrine.

[Ashes Emberblade]

Originally Posted by voodoochile78

Public airwaves are exactly that: public. They are owned by the American people, and our government leases them out to corporations. The public has an interest in making sure our airwaves represent the diversity of opinion found in America. Right now America is split roughly 50/50 between conservatives and liberals, and yet talk radio is probably 90/10 in favor of conservatives. Clearly our government is not doing a good job at leasing out a collective resource in a way that reflect the balance of public opinion.

This is because the SCOTUS has ruled that new communications technologies have produced an almost limitless capacity for choice. Satellite radio / television, wireless (3g, EDGE) internet, HD radio (multiple radio stations on the same frequency,) and others have given consumers a plethora of choices that weren't available 50 years ago. The situation 50 years ago, when radio / television frequencies were limited and had to be rationed by the government, no longer applies.

Liberals want it to, though, because time and time again consumers have shown that liberal / socialist themed programs do NOT appeal to them. CBS, the most liberal of the big four networks, has its lowest ratings ever. Air America failed horribly. Bill Maher is hanging on by a thread.

The only medium in which liberally themed programming thrives is in a comedic format: Comedy Central. Ironically, the only way to make liberalism palatable is with self deprecation (Jon Stewart) or by satirizing conservatives (The Colbert Report.) Yes indeed, liberals have to emulate a conservative talk show to be successful in the media...

[voodoochile78]

Don't forget we also have NPR/PBS. I'd pay good money to watch Bill Moyers and Terry Gross fuck.

Also, many conservative media outlets lose money hand over fist, as I mentioned earlier. They are kept afloat as a long-term political investment by those who can afford it. The Washington Times, for example, has lost at least 1 billion dollars (I think it's closer to 3 billion) for whacko cult leader Sun Myung Moon.

[Ashes Emberblade]

Originally Posted by voodoochile78

Don't forget we also have NPR/PBS. I'd pay good money to watch Bill Moyers and Terry Gross fuck.

Also, many conservative media outlets lose money hand over fist, as I mentioned earlier. They are kept afloat as a long-term political investment by those who can afford it. The Washington Times, for example, has lost at least 1 billion dollars (I think it's closer to 3 billion) for whacko cult leader Sun Myung Moon.

It's ironic that you bring that up. PBS and NPR operate at a loss with a combination of government funding and corporate donations keeping them afloat. While many people listen to these outlets not enough do so to make them successful in the media marketplace.

[hauwk]

Dudes.. the reason there's no liberal talk show on cable is, noone wants to listen to:

a. Crazy fucking cooks
b. Pussies
c. Fascists

Liberals dont have a primetime cable talkshow beacuse they dont talk about anyhting anyone wants to listen to.. IE- they cant make any fucking money. ITS CABLE TELEVISION.. THEY"RE THERE TO MAKE MONEY. The Sean Hannity show isn't a fucking news show, it's a conservative commentary... he picks the topics and exploits the shit out of him as he see's fit. OP- Just because your a dumbass doesn't mean the rest of us dont understand that and take what he says with a grain of salt.

If liberals could put together a show that people would actually spend 30 minutes watching (lol yeah right). They would be plastered all over cable television too! making their share of the money and exploiting the shit out of their ideas.

Here's the main issue

A. Crazy Right wing Republicans sound like: old people with semi-older ideas

B. Crazy Left wing Democrats sound like: Someone we all ought to shun from normal society. People can't associate with them. they're fucking crazy

[Mist]

Originally Posted by hauwk

If liberals could put together a show that people would actually spend 30 minutes watching (lol yeah right). They would be plastered all over cable television too! making their share of the money and exploiting the shit out of their ideas.

I guess you've never heard of the Colbert Report or the Daily Show? I'm going to pretend you didn't make that post.

Originally Posted by Ashes Emberblade

The only medium in which liberally themed programming thrives is in a comedic format: Comedy Central. Ironically, the only way to make liberalism palatable is with self deprecation (Jon Stewart) or by satirizing conservatives (The Colbert Report.) Yes indeed, liberals have to emulate a conservative talk show to be successful in the media...

OR the past 8 years has been just so fucking ridiculous that there's really no other way to process it besides trying to make it into a joke.

[Mist]

Originally Posted by Ashes Emberblade

CBS, the most liberal of the big four networks, has its lowest ratings ever.

How is CBS liberal? Everything on it is aimed at old people and Christian, except for maybe Katie Couric who is a fucking moron that's going to be out of a job as soon as her contract is up.

Only conservatives could take the success of conservative media as a GOOD thing.

Lets look at it this way: This country is about lets say, 50/50 liberal/conservative. If conservative media has such large numbers of views, and liberal media is doing so poorly, that means the liberals have something better to do with their time and conseratives DON'T. They're either a) watching other TV programs that have actual artistic value, or b) doing something not TV related.

[Ashes Emberblade]

Originally Posted by Mist

How is CBS liberal? Everything on it is aimed at old people and Christian, except for maybe Katie Couric who is a fucking moron that's going to be out of a job as soon as her contract is up.

I should've been more clear; I meant CBS Nightly News, which has a definite liberal slant.

[Mist]

Don't confuse networks and their news divisions. FOX always was a VERY liberal channel, despite their news division growing into a conservative behemoth. Why? Because Rupert Murdoch doesn't give a shit about American Liberalism versus American Conservatism, he isn't even American, and all he wants to do is make money. FOX News is a business that fills a (rather large) niche solely for the purpose of making money, not because they actually believe in that shit. So yeah, it's successful, but to what end? Really just to make more money for some guy who isn't even American.

[GrobbeeTrull2.0]

Reality has a well-known liberal bias.

[I'm Rich Bitch]

The Republican Noise Machine has successfully convinced their people that there is "Liberal Bias". No such thing exists. Saying such a thing works on Conservatives because they like to be told how to think.

Meanwhile, media groups like Brent Bozell's Media Research Center have spent 30 years convincing the public that the media is, in fact, liberal. As Brock says, it's all a sham: "I have seen, and I know firsthand, indeed from my own pen, how the organized Right has sabotaged not only journalism but also democracy and truth."

Source

[Ancalagon]

Originally Posted by I'm Rich Bitch

The Republican Noise Machine has successfully convinced their people that there is "Liberal Bias". No such thing exists. Saying such a thing works on Conservatives because they like to be told how to think.



Source

Perhaps you've fielded this question, but I'll take a shot anyways: What's the purpose of your new avatar? Are you trying to discredit that ticket with your idiocy?

[Braen]

You are so far from being a Libertarian you make Nikita Khrushchev look conservative.

[Etoille]

YES LETS SUPPRESS FREE SPEECH!!!!! AWESOME!!!

this is hella dumb. its tv and radio and political speech, though you may disagree vehemently with its content at times, is the most sacred of all types of speech protected by the constitution and its bill of rights.

IRB you are a complete hypocrite. not that we havent figured that out from you flipping out over cheney's wv joke 5 mins after saying that wv shouldnt be a state but yeah. youre completely nuts.