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CBS News Takes Aim at Talk Radio

It’s ironic for CBS News to examine conservative media and blame it for the divisiveness in America. CBS News is neither self-reflective nor honest. 

Andy Bloom

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CBS News devoted an episode of its news program, “Sunday Morning,” to “exploring the ways in which America has drifted apart.” One of the segments was titled “Talk Radio: Widening the airwaves’ great divide.”

It’s ironic for CBS News to examine conservative media and blame it for the divisiveness in America. CBS News is neither self-reflective nor honest. 

Bernard Goldberg’s seminal 2001 book “Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News,” for the first time, confirmed what conservatives believed, the media isn’t an honest broker of information. A few years later, Dan Rather tried to discredit George W. Bush’s National Guard service using fake documents. 

The CBS News piece on Talk Radio dividing America is another hit job. 

Correspondent Jim Axelrod relies heavily on “industry expert” Brian Rosenwald. Axelrod and CBS News do not say what industry he’s an expert on, but I’ve worked in the radio industry since the 1970s and never heard the name. 

Dr. Rosenwald’s (he has a Ph.D., so I’ll be respectful) website states: He is “a scholar in residence at the Partnership for Effective Public Administration and Leadership Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania, an instructor at Penn. He received his Ph.D. and MA in history from the University of Virginia and BA in political science (with honors) (parenthesis his) and history from the University of Pennsylvania, and he wrote a book: “Talk Radio’s America: How an Industry Took Over a Political Party That Took Over America.” It’s not hard to guess what he thinks.

Rosenwald states Talk Radio has divided America and “hardened our politics.” Axelrod asks how is that good? To which Rosenwald replies: “It’s not. It’s bad for America.” 

You can certainly understand his liberal mindset; everything was better when there was no conservative response. 

The second expert in the report is Michael Harrison, publisher of “Talkers Magazine.” Unlike Dr. Rosenwald, Harrison is a long-time broadcasting pioneer and, by the way, friend. I have the utmost respect for Michael.

Harrison’s quotes in the story were surprising because he is a long-time supporter of Talk Radio. It’s hard to imagine the creator of Talkers Magazine being anything less than 100% supportive of the format.

I contacted Harrison to find out the rest of the story. According to Harrison, CBS News interviewed him for almost two and a half hours. After all that, they used only “a few sound bites that they were able to squeeze and twist into supporting their narrative,” he said.

In one quote they use, Harrison wishes for a balanced presence on Talk Radio which is understandable. I can’t count the times I’ve dreamed of an equal conservative voice in the mainstream media. 

In our exchange, Harrison states that’s his programming position – not a political one. “I’m a programmer, not a politician or partisan.” He adds,  “They failed to include my specific statement that it didn’t mean existing conservative formats should be replaced by liberal ones. I approach the business from a broadcasting perspective, not a personal ideology. I’m always for the expansion of Talk Radio.”

The CBS News piece goes from ironic to farcical. Axelrod states, “It’s not that liberals haven’t mounted a counter-attack; they just chose another battlefield,” Rosenwald concurs, “I think they’ve gone into other areas. I think Jon Stewart has been every bit of a trailblazer as Rush Limbaugh was, and he happened to colonize late-night comedy. Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, most of the late-night comics lean left at this point,” he said.

I could write a book explaining who the trailblazers of late-night television were to Dr. Rosenwald. Jon Stewart might be on the list, but he is a Johnny-Come-Lately. 

Saying that most late-night “comics” lean left is an understatement. Colbert, Kimmel, et al. could be mistaken for part of the PR apparatus of the DNC. The funniest late-night liberal “comics” joke is their ratings that have dropped precipitously since the current crop of hosts took over in 2015. Their ratings have eroded further over the past year as they continue to blast away at Republicans without noticing the hilarity across Joe Biden’s America.

Meanwhile, the new “King of Late-Night” is the one conservative, Greg Gutfeld, on Fox News Channel. I’ll tip my hat to Bill Maher for his willingness to criticize Democrats and woke liberals. He can see both sides – sometimes. 

It’s not that there haven’t been attempts at liberal Talk Radio, either. Rosenwald may not be aware of Air America, but Harrison certainly is. He maintains that he told Axelrod that the primary reason Air America failed was that, in his opinion, “it was done extremely poorly,” adding, “Al Franken was a lousy talk show host.”  

Harrison does draw the correct conclusion when Axelrod asks him what the mission of Talk Radio is. “The mission of Talk Radio,” Harrison replied, “is to generate ratings and revenue.”

Also left on the cutting room floor was Harrison telling Axelrod that NPR is “relatively liberal and has a huge audience. Therefore, it is unfair and inaccurate to claim that conservative talk has a monopoly on the airwaves when it comes to political discussion.”

Harrison claims that one of the show’s producers said that Ted Koppel responded, “Public Radio and Talk Radio are apples and oranges.”  When he sought clarification, the producer told Harrison, “Koppel says Public Radio tells the truth, and Conservative Radio lies.” 

If we are to believe CBS News, “Talk Radio is bad for America” and “lies,” but liberal late-night hosts, “trailblazers” that they are, have no culpability in the fracturing of America, and “Public Radio tells the truth.” But there is no bias in the mainstream media, and they don’t have an agenda.  

I am also critical of the report for not including a practitioner of Conservative Talk Radio. I learned CBS News spent an hour and a half talking with my former colleague Dom Giordano at WPHT-AM/Philadelphia but left him out of the story. Giordano confirms this information. Apparently, he didn’t sound loony enough or spout right-wing conspiracy theories. 

Shame on CBS News for producing a segment on Conservative Talk Radio with a predetermined agenda based on their liberal biases. Their reporting continues to show Bernard Goldberg’s book, “Bias,” is as accurate now as when he wrote it 20 years ago. It’s well past time for CBS News to do a little soul-searching and examine its role in causing the rift in America. Dishonest reporting by the mainstream media has done more to pit Americans against one another than anything ever invented by Talk Radio.

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BNM Writers

News is the Only Thing Missing From Election Coverage

Coverage of the election is, as we’ve discussed, still very horse-race-centric, and there’s been, of course, coverage of the various Trump court cases, but where is the coverage of exactly what the candidates plan to do if elected?

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The first thought I had when I heard NBC had hired Ronna McDaniel as a commentator for $300,000 a year was to wonder how many actual journalists they could have hired for that money. Then, I recalled that NBC had laid off dozens of news staffers just a few months ago. Then, I remembered that I had just recently written a column decrying news organizations throwing pretty much anybody on the air as a “pundit” and this….

This was worse. It’s one thing to grab some rando who happened to be a minor functionary for the Executive Branch. It’s another to hire someone whose job was to promote election denialism and pretend that her opinion is something valuable for viewers. And, yes, it’s just as ridiculous when news organizations hire former presidential press secretaries (that’s you, Jen Psaki and Sean Spicer), their very jobs were to spin everything in their bosses’ favor and now you’re going to pay them big salaries for, um, what? Because they “have a name” or you’re afraid someone else will snap them up? Why them?

The McDaniel deal lasted five days, one completely unilluminating interview, and one unexpected Chuck Todd spine-growing outburst, so it’ll all blow over soon enough. The problem is, though, the part about having fired several news staffers, and what it means in an election year on both the national and local levels. If you have the money to hire an alleged pundit – any alleged pundit – you have the money to hire reporters, and I don’t mean anchors or opinion show hosts.

Coverage of the election is, as we’ve discussed, still very horse-race-centric, and there’s been, of course, coverage of the various Trump court cases, but where is the coverage of exactly what the candidates plan to do if elected? Who’s probing Project 2025 and why isn’t it front-page, first-segment news? Who’s pressing the Biden administration on Gaza? Is anyone reporting on the candidates’ record on climate change?

Beyond prescription drug prices, is anyone digging into the broken healthcare system and demanding answers from the candidates about what they’ll do to fix it (and not letting Trump get away with “I’ll have a better plan, a beautiful plan” without a single specific detail, like they did in 2016)? Why didn’t anyone focus on, for example, the GOP candidate for governor of North Carolina and his incendiary past comments well before the primary?

Pundits are not going to do the legwork on the issues; they’ll just talk about swing states while John King and Steve Kornacki point at their touchscreen maps. We need reporting on the things that matter (and can affect that horse race, even if most people have made up their minds). It shouldn’t just be Pro Publica and scattered independent journalists doing the dirty work.

Honestly, I don’t want to hear the complaints about the quality of the candidates or how this is a rerun or any of that. (We’ll leave that to The New York Times.) We are a horribly underinformed electorate and we got the horse race we deserve. It might just be idealists like me who think that, just maybe, the news media can play a role in educating the public and bursting the bubbles and echo chambers. This country has survived and prospered for a few centuries with the press shining a light on injustice and corruption.

Now, when we need that most, they’re more concerned with what they think will bring them ratings and money (although someone will have to explain to me who thought having Ronna McDaniel as a paid commentator would draw a single viewer to NBC).

Here’s a thought: Don’t lay off reporters, especially in an election year.  Assign them to dig deep on issues that matter to the voters.

Let the pundits talk about that.

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8 Ways to Take Your Commercials From Drab to Fab

Our main source of income is derived from commercials. There are a lot of bad commercials.

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Another reason to read this column, I often add an Easter egg. We are in the advertising business. Our main source of income is derived from commercials. There are a lot of bad commercials. Frequently, clients write these ads. You can excuse it if the spots suck. But when the commercials are written by Account Executives or the production department at the station, it is kind of unforgivable.

I am going to share the most meaningless phrases in commercials.

Locally Owned and Operated

Customers do not care. If customers cared about a business being locally owned and operated, Walmart would not exist. People want service, selection, and value. They do not want to get soaked. When you purchase something, are you willing to pay 20% for a local company? If you say yes, you are wrong. People want a deal.

The Phone Number

Doing 70 down the 405, John slammed on the brakes to write down the phone number for an amazing HVAC Company. That is not how it works people. HVAC companies rarely have or should have regular customers.

Normally, your AC is out. You call the HVAC Company that you are familiar with. Radio advertising allows people to have “TOMA”: Top of Mind Awareness. There are stats that show when a company is advertising on your radio station, their website shows an increase in traffic. When you needed a service for your home, you hit Google and choose the company that you’ve heard of. It’s that simple. I actually heard a commercial asking listeners to add a businesses phone number to their contact list. That is a moronic use of advertising real estate.

Street Addresses

“Tequilaberry’s Prime Rib is located at 106 East Governors Drive in Peoria.” 

The people listening cannot process that detail. You could say “Tequilaberry’s Prime Rib is on Governors Drive just off 10th in Peoria.” That is almost digestible. That creates a picture of where it is.

Trust me, people interested in prime rib will Google you and load the address in their navigation system. Spend that precious spot time selling the experience of the restaurant.

Always Using the Company Owner/Founder in Commercials

Sometimes, it is amazing when business owners are their spokesperson. They have passion and are natural salespeople. Some business owners are terrible at speaking about their product.

When you have a business owner who is a natural promoter, they can drag listeners into their business. I once worked with a family who owned a couple of hardware stores. They spoke about the benefits of visiting their stores. It was heartfelt and real. They promised that their employees can help solve any problem in your home. If you went to that store and had a simple or complex problem, the employees helped you out.

I once worked with a man who owned a really nice flooring company.  For whatever reason, he thought that he was funny. He had spots written by him, his wife, or a kid. The ads were dreadful. They were not funny at all. Account Executives need to talk these clients out of doing commercials like this. Nothing says wacky hijinks like flooring.

Overuse of Numbers

“We have grapes at 99 cents a pound, Chuck steak at $1.99, two-for-one zucchini.”

Trust me, no one driving in city traffic can keep track of that. “The 2025 Chevy Chevette is back with 45-mpg efficiency and amazing 18-inch tires. Prices start at $19,999…  The New Chevy Silverado starts at $32,999.”

It gets really confusing fast.

WWW.

Yes, I hear commercials saying check us on the internet at “W-W-W dot business name here dot com.”

WWW is assumed and not needed anymore unless you are running a Commadore-64 with the latest floppy disc technology.

Yellow Pages Ad

“Check out our new ad in the Yellow Pages!”

OMG, no one reads those damn things anymore. Most people born after 1960 just toss those suckers in the trash. There was a time when the Yellow Pages were the largest revenue generator in advertising. Yes, a book of ads. Like Facebook, without your buddy’s political, vacation, or food posts. It was just ads. Zero content.

I had stuffed salmon tonight that I engineered myself. I would make Sydney Sweeney quite the trophy husband. Set us up. Hey, I am single. It was not that long ago that you would hear a radio ad that promoted a coupon in the Sunday paper.

Well, that copy should be deader than a doornail.

Amateur Theater

A husband and wife discussing their lawn and how she heard about Telly’s Lawn Service from her friend Stacy. 

Those commercials are obviously contrived and not interesting at all. 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Open every commercial must have an attention-grabbing opener. “Totally Jammed…  The floor covered with the guest towels. Fearing the horrific consequences of another flush…  I did the right thing. I called ABC Plumbing. Quick service, a great price, and peace of mind.”

The next time that the plunger is failing to get the desired results, the listener of that commercial will identify with the very realist scenario.

We are in the advertising business. Use radio as it was meant.

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The Lost Art of Using Sound as a Springboard

Use sound it wherever you can. All you need is a loyal, capable and willing board operator, to go along with a conscientious host.

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Jon Stewart was the first guy to do it — take a politician’s words from the news of the day or week. Search his or her entire past and find a sound byte saying the exact opposite.

It became an art form – and a great way to keep people accountable.

Most radio operations don’t have the resources necessary to consistently do something like that, but truth be told, that kind of journalism isn’t really the point of this week’s column.

It’s an example of the simple power of sound. We need to use it more within our shows. Use sound it wherever you can. All you need is a loyal, capable, and willing board operator, to go along with a conscientious host.

Speaking from experience, not doing it is lazy.

Doing it takes minimal effort and helps conversations tremendously – especially when it’s in real-time. I know. I’ve been there – missing opportunity after opportunity because I didn’t think of it, ask for help or just do it myself.

Put simply, good sound is a better springboard to a question than just a question.

Just the other day, I realized how well it works and how little I’ve been doing it.

Here’s what happened.

We have one particularly heated congressional race in our state. The Republican candidate is running for a second time after narrowly losing in 2022 in an election where Connecticut’s gubernatorial candidate from the same party got smoked, and the Republican presidential candidate lost the state as well.

This time around, there’s a struggling Democratic President with real doubts about the economy and the country’s standing in the world.

Put simply, the Democratic congressional incumbent has a massive task ahead to get re-elected.

On my show, I try to be consistently independent and be a place for both parties to appear with the expectation that the conversations will be fair and honest.

The Republican candidate came on the show earlier this month, and we went through a number of issues. Connecticut is a relatively strong Democratic stronghold, where the party controls the legislature, the Governor’s Mansion, and the entire congressional delegation.

Having said that, the largest voting block is unaffiliated, so appealing to independents is crucial for either side to win. I asked the Republican candidate twice about whether he will support Donald Trump, and both times, he equivocated. I asked the follow-up, we were on the record, so I moved on.

The following week, his opponent, the Democratic incumbent, was scheduled to appear on the show. Before her arrival, I realized the Trump Q&A should probably be replayed for her. Duh.

My producer found it, clipped it, and had it at the ready. I felt that I should have realized it sooner and not put some added strain on my partner’s morning routine. He was fine, but it definitely added unnecessary work within the show.

Lesson learned.

The sound byte worked well. I played it. She responded. We moved the story forward, and it was compelling – as you might imagine, the topic of Trump vs. Biden is pretty compelling these days.

By no means did it create a “wow” moment. That would be a little much. But it did make the show better, using the opponent’s own voice as opposed to my paraphrasing something. That lends credibility, not only to the topic but also to the show. He gave this important answer on our show, and she gave her response … on our show.

My final thought on this is that we (I) need to look for more places to utilize sound as a springboard to conversations, as opposed to simply raising the topic and discussing it. Maybe you’re already good at it and do it all the time, but this past week, I realized I need to push myself to do it more.

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