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Our Majority Main News Media's Hold Back On Trump Finally Called To Task.


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More and more of our highest former military heads are finally taking an all out stance against Trump publicly.

The numbers doing so are unprecedented.

And their condemning and warning commentaries are far more inclusive of his entire term leadership and not just about the current nationwide protests of police misconduct.

Trump's authoritarian excesses have gone too far, according to these former military heads.

Trump's own appointees General Mattis's and General Kelley's rebukes of Trump are shocking in their stark ideological turning and comprehensiveness.

This new Trump criticism is so heavyweight in it's highest rank military authority origin and context, it's making it harder for the majority of our MSM to downplay it as they have typically and irresponsibly done so the last 3 and 1/2 years.

4 hours ago - By Jeff McCausland, retired U.S. Army colonel and former member of the National Security Council. On Monday, riot police supported by both ...
3 days ago - James Mattis, the esteemed Marine general who resigned as secretary of defense in December 2018 to protest Donald Trump's Syria policy, ...
20 hours ago - 'Stunning,' 'powerful,' 'overdue': Romney, Murkowski praise Mattis' stinging Trump rebuke. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she's ...
 
 
 

 

Edited by Joe Bauer
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Joe said,

"it's making it harder for the majority of our MSM to downplay it as they have typically and irresponsibly done so the last 3 and 1/2 years."

????? Hmmmm. I think you could get an alternative viewpoint on that Joe. Some would say they have seized on that story, just as they would have 3 years ago, and I'd probably agree with them. When you first came to the forum, I remember every other post from Di Eugenio had MSM in the title, and largely about current events. To me, It's no wonder a number of people who came in at that time can barely think straight about it. It was used irresponsibly by someone  in about every post.

And you mean to tell me that that MSM "downplayed" everything Trump did in the last 3 years, and Jim D. didn't? That's OK You don't have to answer that.

Either Jim was railing about the MSM, warranted or unwarranted,  or he was running to do damage control to any story that would hint at all at tarnishing  JFK or RFK as he has taken to do now with the JFK RFK -MM story. Even if I might tend to be closer to his idea about it.  I think at this point it's pretty useless, for anyone to look for sources that reinforce their biases, then claim they have the definitive story about it. That ship has passed.

Did you add the word "majority" into your title? Anywayr.

**********

Joe, you were mentioning listening to KCBS, so you don't listen to KGO? I listen to talk radio when I'm  in my car. KGO was in it's heyday about 10 years ago, then they purged and fired everybody, because they were carrying too many big contracts.

In the morning, there's Mark Thompson, who used to be a Bay Area weatherman  30 years ago, and has jumped back and forth from L.A.  He is really funny. He sometimes has been on TYT with Cenk.(If you know what TYT is) Then Pat Thurston is genuinely good hearted person who when she started in a late night after hours would have some conspiracy stuff. She had Russ Baker on a number of times. Then you won't find a funnier guy more down on Trump than previous comedian Chip Franklin in the late afternoon. And then even John  Rothman who is a Democrat centrist knows politics very well and is a general good guy.

Anyway, I don't want to sound like a commercial. Just giving you some suggestions, to get out and explore a little more..

 

Edited by Kirk Gallaway
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I listen to KCBS for one main reason.

They cover so much more over-all California news than our little stations down here in Monterey.

If you want to be kept up to the minute informed about Northern California news of every day in a practical context ( weather, traffic, sports, business )  they report it all, every minute of the day.

You ask if I ever listen to KGO?

I was listening to KGO back when I was a teenager!

Jim Dunbar, Jim Eason, Russ Coughlin days.

It was far from the hot political debate format of years later.

 

Of course I know these hosts well:

They are moderately entertaining compared to the fiery political discussion hosts of 15 to 20 years ago.

Fired by Cumulus Media soon after they bought the station.

Ray Taliaferro (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 12/1/2011.

Bernie Ward (program terminated due to federal investigation 12/31/2007)

  • And these other highly entertaining other talk show hosts.
  •  
  • Gene Burns — Dining Around, with Gene Burns (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 12/1/2011)
  • Michael Finney — Consumer Talk '[27] (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 3/31/2016)
  • Joanie Greggains — Health Talk (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 12/1/2011)
  • John Hamilton  — John Hamilton On-The-Go[27] (Hamilton retired March 8, 2020 after 49 years with KGO Radio)
  • Maureen Langann — Entertainment/News Talk, Hangin' with Langan[27][28] (program terminated by owner, Cumulus Media 3/31/2016)
  • David Lazarus  — News Talk (left in 2007).[29]
  •  
  • And then there was obsessive Nuclear Power promoter Bill Wattenburg — Open Line to the West Coast (program terminated 12/1/2011)
  • The guy was the antithesis of the other liberal left KGO hosts.
  • The guy riled me up but was so outrageously pompous, arrogant and condescending I would listen for laughs!  Do you know he practically built the beginning layout of Lake Tahoe? Started driving bulldozers up there as a teenager and leveled everything in sight! Ha!
  • Ever since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant melt down disaster in Japan, the guy just disappeared.
  • He used to brag incessantly how safe Nuclear power was and called those who felt otherwise stupid, ignorant "Greenies."   

Ronn Owens was imo a Repub sell out. Total Iraq war promoter.

I remember he once made an on air promise that if weapons of mass destruction were not found in Iraq...he would quit his show!

Guess what...that promise was just shamelessly buried and Owens of course didn't honor it.

Where's the integrity?

Do you know that Ronn Owens was paid 1 MILLION dollars a year?

Why is it that right wing radio talk show hosts make fortunes ( Limbaugh makes what-20 to 25 MILLION a year? ) and the few left wing ones make peanuts?

 

Dr. Dean Edell, MD, hosted syndicated radio medical talk show; aired live 1979-December 10, 2010. Really liked his show.

  • Bernie Ward " Lion Of The Left."
  • Poor Bernie. Sad way to lose everything.
  • Ray Taliaferro. God's gift to women! Ladies man extraordinaire.
  • Both were as aggressive in defending the left and attacking the right as Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage were on the right.  Ward and Taliaferro had huge audience followings due in great part to their super aggressive fiery deliveries. As do many of the right wing national radio propagandists of today.
  •  
  • Rothman and Thurston are mildly entertaining...but milk toast compared to Ward and Taliaferro days.
  •  
  • For awhile KGO even had a character named "Karel" ( Charles Karel Bouley) who gave gay pride a real voice beyond anything before on the radio airwaves.
  •  
  •  
  • Wonder who Cumulus Media was owned by when they bought KGO and ripped it to shreds?
  • Obviously someone who felt they had to do something to curb the powerful and effective left defending influence that KGO had up and down the West Coast for years.
  •  
  • And lastly KGO radio was THE highest Nielson ratings station in San Francisco for 27 straight years.
  • Even in 2011 when Cumulus Media bought the station KGO, it was still the third highest listened to radio station and just barely behind the two leaders.
  • I am guessing the drop in ratings from a clear number 1 to number 3 began with the Bernie Ward scandal.
  • Regardless, do you know where KGO stands now in the current San Francisco Radio Nielson ratings? 24 TH!
  • Think about this incongruous fact.
  • Cumulus purchases the 3rd highest rated radio station in Northern California in 2011. And since then this station has almost dropped off the entire rating system!
  • The income from advertising ( life blood of a radio station's financial health and value ) comes from these ratings.
  • Cumulus Media/Westwood One Media ( and whoever may have purchased it from them in the last few years) has run KGO into the ground.
  • Who in that company would make a decision to purchase a top nationally well known radio station and then through failure of management and firing of almost every radio host (which made this station so popular) end up with an almost totally destroyed one in it's place?
  • I always felt that whoever purchased KGO back in 2011 did so with only one main purpose in mind. To shut down the popular influence of their left promoting political talk show.
  • And these purchasers were so wealthy, they didn't care if they lost millions destroying KGO's popularity and political influence in the process and could easily afford the loss.

 

Edited by Joe Bauer
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2 hours ago, Robert Wheeler said:

Proposed headline for The Onion.

JFK Assassination Forum Participant Surprised Some of President's Appointees Might Want to Kill Him.

1963: President John F. Kennedy pushed back against Fascists in the military officer corps.

2020: US military officers push back against the Fascist in the White House.

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As I said, they're not as good as  they were 10 years ago,  but I prefer talk radio to the endless recycling of news every hour on KCBS. 'So you remember the better days there? I once phoned Bernie Ward and told him I agree with him 85% of the time, but I thought he was more into tricking people he didn't agree with to try to win an argument, rather getting to the truth. Which was sort of his Catholic handle. You remember he had that "God talk" show on Sunday Mornings? Then he gets  thrown off to prison for distributing images of child porn!

I didn't always agree with Gene Burns but I thought he was brilliant. I once turned him on to the JFKAC, Ok not really, but I caught him off guard and got him to consider some things. We also had a conversation when that block of cheese Pete Wilson unexpectedly died. I tried to give him a humorous eulogy, while poking  fun at him, and Burns said to me. "Yeah, you pretty much nailed him!"   heh heh!   He was first guy I remember to ask the question, where is the WMD? He called himself part Libertarian, he did want people to take more responsibility for themselves, which I liked. But he was the first person I heard to say Obama should use his majority and just slam his health care program through. And I don't think to this day, 20 years later, I've heard any radio personality put down  the" K-A-R-S cars for Kids" theme. But Burns said it was so repetitive and inane and of course wasn't to be pitched to children anyway.

I liked Ray a lot too, I just knew exactly where he stood on everything, which doesn't excite me as much. Good jazz pianist!, kind of strange how he went. The thing behind Ron Owens is that he's super pro Israel. I didn't listen much to him. I liked Dean Edell too, that ended up being nationally syndicated.

In 2003, I once saw all those guys  debating going to war with Iraq at the Cupertino Flint Center. It was pretty good! Owens was the moderate. I don't recall if Wattenberg was there. I don't think so. Not much of a business  Cumulus Media, it's plummeted recently from 26 to 7 in the last 2 years.

.

 

Edited by Kirk Gallaway
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Gene Burn  died 7 years ago and Bill Wattenberg died  2 years ago.

Joe said:

Do you know that Ronn Owens was paid 1 MILLION dollars a year?

Why is it that right wing radio talk show hosts make fortunes ( Limbaugh makes what-20 to 25 MILLION a year? ) and the few left wing ones make peanuts?

Ok why is it Joe?,

 

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20 minutes ago, Kirk Gallaway said:

Gene Burn  died 7 years ago and Bill Wattenberg died  2 years ago.

Joe said:

Do you know that Ronn Owens was paid 1 MILLION dollars a year?

Why is it that right wing radio talk show hosts make fortunes ( Limbaugh makes what-20 to 25 MILLION a year? ) and the few left wing ones make peanuts?

Ok why is it Joe?,

 

The right wing just pays that much for their propagandists. Money is no object.

I went to the DeAnza college Flint Center once to hear...George Carlin.

He was hilarious!

Yes, Ray Taliaferro's disappearance was very strange and suspicious.

KCBS's  format is boringly repetitive I admit. I listen off and on just to get the basic weather and other news.

Of course I miss the old KGO of the early 2,000's. 

Today, SF's highest listener rating goes to KCBS. 11%.

I think public radio is a close second.

KGO is at 1. something!  Yes, that's 1.+ percentage points!

24th in all the Bay Area.

Whoever bought KGO back in 2011 did so to rip it apart and bring it down to nothing.

Who does that kind of business deal? And why? 

 

 

 

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When you say Public radio, you mean NPR right?

Not Pacifica.

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Ok, maybe you were writing that already but you did quote me. You didn't answer my question because I assume you first asked because you don't know. I think I can give you an answer, or tell you what I can't answer..

It is a crime what happened to KGO. But it's all about money. When they took over they did what big sport franchises  do when they have a lot of  big contracts and they've determined that their margins aren't that good.   They get rid of the large contracts and start from scratch. The best they can hope for is to get a rising young star that they can pay peanuts to for a few contracts before they get too expensive and maybe move to a bigger market or eventually syndicate nationally.  

 All the talent is paid according to the broadcast hour niches. You may love Ray but the fact that he was 1-6AM , means he wasn't that successful. I found his Jesse Jackson liberal very predictable, though I liked him.You may hate Ronn Owen but there's a whole world out there that doesn't care what you think, it's driven by ratings and  he   makes a million because he's prime time, while being   a Centralist Democrat who manages to hold his own even though I don't particularly like him. I heard an interview he once did with Dean Edell where he expressed  he was jealous of all the money Edell makes because he's nationally syndicated and can make his own rules. Edell laughed at him and said "Go to medical school."

It has nothing to do with his  ideology.  They'll go with whoever pulls in the ratings. But they know what works where and they know the SF Bay Area is a liberal hot bed. Apparently they're not having much success at it, though. But  I can't explain why is it that right wing guys make it in radio. But I traveled to the 4 corners a few years back and Rush Limbaugh was on everyday.  I got an idea of what he does that make those people out there follow him. The classic 2 in Cable News. I compare Fox News and CNN, I think CNN is generally for a  more intelligent, thoughtful  audience, but when they both  go on the WTF human interest, Fox is more actually  more entertaining. You would have thought Al Franken, being as funny, clever and smart as he was would have filled a niche in radio, but it had the feeling of NPR.  I think he wanted to be more serious and factual, but it didn't work.

But you could argue that liberal women have  dominated daytime TV. How do you explain Oprah? She's  liberal and a media force of nature. Who is it that is holding her back? She's an empire!

Edited by Kirk Gallaway
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5 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

When you say Public radio, you mean NPR right?

Not Pacifica.

Jim, KQED FM.

April 2020 PPM 6+ Mon-Sun, 6a-12mid. Population: 6,710,000 (Black: 446,300) (Hispanic: 1,482,800) Last Updated: 05-11-20 (Nielsen Subscribing Stations ...

 

 

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On 6/7/2020 at 12:04 AM, Kirk Gallaway said:

 

It has nothing to do with his  ideology.  They'll go with whoever pulls in the ratings.

"But they know what works where "

They know what works where?

Cumulus Media own 5 S.F. area radio stations. The entirety of all 5 ratings numbers don't even come close to matching the "one" leader KCBS. 

 

and they know the SF Bay Area is a liberal hot bed. Apparently they're not having much success at it, though. And haven't for 9 years!

But  I can't explain why is it that right wing guys make it in radio. But I traveled to the 4 corners a few years back and Rush Limbaugh was on everyday.  I got an idea of what he does that make those people out there follow him. The classic 2 in Cable News. I compare Fox News and CNN, I think CNN is generally for a  more intelligent, thoughtful  audience, but when they both  go on the WTF human interest, Fox is more actually  more entertaining. You would have thought Al Franken, being as funny, clever and smart as he was would have filled a niche in radio, but it had the feeling of NPR.  I think he wanted to be more serious and factual, but it didn't work.

Ray Taliaferro was getting so tired in his last KGO broadcast days, he was nodding off I believe. Perhaps even talking with his eyes closed. Yes, it was time for him to go. That time slot is a dead zone mostly anyway but he was dramatic, forceful and even funny enough in his prime he actually lifted the listenership of it for quite a long time.

But you could argue that liberal women have  dominated daytime TV. How do you explain Oprah? She's  liberal and a media force of nature. Who is it that is holding her back? She's an empire!

Look at the demographics shown just under the Nielson Rating link I provided.

The Latino radio audience and over-all general population is now the much larger ethnic one ( by far ) throughout California.

They are younger too.

The traditional and majority listening audience in KGO's heyday was white as was the population of California.

This group is now aged and dwindling and relatively a small minority of radio listeners anymore.

I remember 30+ years ago, scanning the radio and finding one, maybe two Spanish language radio station. Music only. AM.

Now, it appears to me half the stations are now Spanish language ones, and that includes FM!

Times have changed in California socially, culturally, ethnically, linguistically to degrees that nobody even imagined 40 years ago.

Oprah has a core base that is so loyal she can't lose. Majority women. Especially women of color.

The American national daytime TV talk show format has always been hugely popular and successful.

Early morning and late night as well.

A format first dominated by men, now women during the day.

The formula has been refined to a can't miss degree from a woman's perspective.

My theory of why right wing political demagogues dominate in radio broadcast nationwide is that there are two major factors involved.

I think working class people ( trades people ) in America who work outside of the home such as carpenters, plumbers, electricians, construction, truckers, mailing and delivery, etc. generally listen to their car and truck radio stations while traveling to and from their jobs much more than people of the higher paid professional and inner office worker positions.

Poorest lowest pay workers ( millions of people ) such as fast food, gas stations, motels and hotels, working class serving chain stores, etc. also do not have access to radio's while they are working. 

I have personally worked in the trades and can tell you, the crews I have worked with often listen to talk radio while they are traveling or even working and on their lunch and other breaks.

Usually a foreman would choose which talk show is played. Back in the 60's and 70's PAUL HARVEY would come on with his right wing propaganda rants every day, most always during the lunch hours, adjusted for the time zones of each station area.

Our foreman would blast this and you didn't dare let on that you didn't agree with Paul Harvey's views.

Rush Limbaugh inherited Paul Harvey's audience since then, but there are a dozen more extreme right wing political radio commentators who now broadcast like Limbaugh every day as well.

This first outdoor trades group ( tens of millions in number ) has always been over-all less liberal and actually pretty hardcore right in their political sentiments imo. Lot of rough necks in the trades.

And the money pumped into this right wing talk radio medium seems to be massive and unlimited. Like they know the political influence power and worth of this medium.

Why the left political power base doesn't commit any similar level funding into this area is a mystery to me. Maybe the left just doesn't go in for massive, daily, nationwide propaganda machine media broadcasting, at least not national radio broadcasting for sure.

An ethics thing maybe? Or maybe they just can't afford to do so?

 

Edited by Joe Bauer
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On 6/7/2020 at 5:21 AM, Joe Bauer said:

Look at the demographics shown just under the Nielson Rating link I provided.

The Latino radio audience and over-all general population is now the much larger ethnic one ( by far ) throughout California.

They are younger too.

The traditional and majority listening audience in KGO's heyday was white as was the population of California.

This group is now aged and dwindling and relatively a small minority of radio listeners anymore.

I remember 30+ years ago, scanning the radio and finding one, maybe two Spanish language radio station. Music only. AM.

Now, it appears to me half the stations are now Spanish language ones, and that includes FM!

Times have changed in California socially, culturally, ethnically, linguistically to degrees that nobody even imagined 40 years ago.

Oprah has a core base that is so loyal she can't lose. Majority women. Especially women of color.

The American national daytime TV talk show format has always been hugely popular and successful.

Early morning and late night as well.

A format first dominated by men, now women during the day.

The formula has been refined to a can't miss degree from a woman's perspective.

My theory of why right wing political demagogues dominate in radio broadcast nationwide is that there are two major factors involved.

I think working class people ( trades people ) in America who work outside of the home such as carpenters, plumbers, electricians, construction, truckers, mailing and delivery, etc. generally listen to their car and truck radio stations while traveling to and from their jobs much more than people of the higher paid professional and inner office worker positions.

I have personally worked in the trades and can tell you, the crews I have worked with often listen to talk radio while they are traveling or even working and on their lunch and other breaks.

Usually a foreman would choose which talk show is played. Back in the 60's and 70's PAUL HARVEY would come on with his right wing propaganda rants every day, most always during the lunch hours, adjusted for the time zones of each station area.

Our foreman would blast this and you didn't dare let on that you didn't agree with Paul Harvey's views.

Rush Limbaugh inherited Paul Harvey's audience since but there are 10 more right wing political radio commentators who now broadcast like Limbaugh every day as well.

This first outdoor trades group ( tens of millions in number ) has always been over-all less liberal and actually pretty hardcore right in their political sentiments imo. Lot of rough necks in the trades.

And the money pumped into this right wing talk radio medium seems to be massive and unlimited. Like they know the political influence power and worth of this medium.

Why the left political power base doesn't commit any similar level funding into this area is a mystery to me. Maybe the left just doesn't go in for massive, daily, nationwide propaganda machine media broadcasting, at least not national radio broadcasting for sure.

An ethics thing maybe?

 

You answered your own question. Like it or not the purpose of the broadcasts are as filler content for advertisers. The broadcasters present an audience they can sell advertising to. Mostly they don't really care who they are as long as they can reap money from Stihl or John Deere etc. The Times has a more valuable audience and you can see that by the advertisers they attract. Doesn't mean there isn't a lot of money in other audiences it's just that KBRO can't compete for the Ameritrade/Mercedes dollars. Doesn't make sense to try and create that audience in Kallibelle Mt as it is prohibitely expensive.

Edited by Bob Ness
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  • 3 weeks later...

Since I first posted the original thread Trump has been immersed in more than a dozen new outrageous nation troubling, dividing and concerning controversies with him at the center.

The protest tear gassing, bible holding photo op in front of the church, his defending Confederate names of bases, his tweeting a "White Power" shouting video, his new "Bountygate" affair, his push back on Black Lives Matter, his humiliating Tulsa rally turnout ( 6,000-no outdoor crowd at all ) after bragging about having 60,000 there, his team pulling separation tags off seating there, his endangering 3,000 people attending his no mask Phoenix church rally, his advance campaign team contracting the virus, his SS members under quarantine... and on and on. It never ends!

Oh, and don't forget the thrashing of Trump by Bolton in Bolton's new book where among many outrageous charges, Bolton claims Trump asked the Chinese to help him in our next election ! 

Followed by Trump's attacking Bolton as "washed up"  before he (Trump) even appointed him to his staff ( uh, which makes Trump look totally incompetent again ) , the court rejection of a Bolton book stoppage, the SCOTUS rejection of Trump's agenda in two areas including abortion, the rejection of the Trump family's lawsuit to block his niece's tell-all.

This is just the latest "one month's" worth of almost unbelievable craziness involving our President.

Cherries on top of a mountain sized sundae of 3 and 1/2 years of the most authority and constitution abusing, unethical and nation angering and dividing and anxiety causing presidential leadership in 100 years.

What more does our mainstream news media have to see us suffer through before they finally call for Trump's resignation in a unified consensus way as they did regards Nixon in 1974 and Clinton during Lewinski times?

Okay, so there is possibly only 6 more months of Trump madness, however, the call for his resignation to end all this nation dividing craziness is just as needed and valid right now.

Some well known figures in the main stream media individually have and are still passionately calling for this. Chris Hayes at MSNBC is the latest.

But, by and large, the MSM has purposely downplayed Trump's constant and never ending crazy nation dividing and upsetting behavior.

 No consensus front page calls for Trump to resign ( like they did with Nixon and Clinton ) which has enabled him in getting away with it all without consequences. And it looks as if they will continue doing so until he is voted out. What a monumental failure of their most basic tenets and ethics and responsibility by our protective fourth estate imo.

The Trump presidency has been like a surreal, exaggerated crazy TV reality show.

What a relief ( hopefully ) from this national anxiety causing nightmare come this following January 20th.

 

Edited by Joe Bauer
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