Brian jennings: obama handed talk radio "a silver platter' (and vice versa)

Brian Jennings, flacking his new book, CENSORSHIP: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio is downright bombastic about how bright the future is for rightie talk radio... despite the prevailing gloomy talk about the explaining industry.

(photo: Brian Jennings, purposeful programmer)

(To be released in May, the book includes a blurb by Rush, and an intro from Sean Hannity -- so you know it will be what the right calls "deep.")

Jennings many not be the most objective observer of conservative talk: he invented it... or so's the legend he's been well behooved to perpetuate. Self-serving as it may have been, Talker's magazine has written: "The talk radio station that many radio people agree was the first to purposely program an all-conservative talk format -- KVI in Seattle."   

And Jennings was the purposeful programmer at KVI -- though we've never been quite sure where Jennings began in that legendary process, and Shannon Sweatte left off... (we're sure we'll be hearing soon).

He writes: "While it is true there are many sources of information today, talk radio listening has increased dramatically during the past year."

There's no way to check this -- the radio industry is so secretive about its numbers, but Brian Jennings ought to know.

He says talk radio ratings spiked since the Democrats, decided to make Big Pants the Designated Hitter for the Republican Party and the conservative movement.

Jennings writes:

Talk radio is at its best when it has opposition -- and we have the most opposition we’ve ever faced in Washington DC. When the new President declared war on Rush Limbaugh by telling Republicans to quit listening to him in January, we knew we had been handed a silver platter.  We were right. Winter ratings at talk stations across the board are increasing yet again.

At the same moment, the Sturm und Drang, and the blood on the moon drawn by radio blabbermeisters, has seemed to enhance Obama and the Democrat's popularity in people  polls.

Bloomberg reports: 

Obama’s approval rating climbed to a high of 66 percent in an April 1-5 New York Times/CBS News poll released today. The poll follows recent surveys by the Gallup Poll, Quinnipiac University and the Pew Research Center showing that about six out of 10 Americans approve of the job the president is doing.

A Gallup Poll taken in March gave Obama, a Democrat, a 64 percent approval rating. That compares with 56 percent for Republican George H.W. Bush, 52 percent for Democrat Bill Clinton and 53 percent for Republican George W. Bush at similar points in their presidencies. The last Bush left office with an approval rating of 34 percent, according to a Jan. 9-11 Gallup Poll.

These numbers haven't fluctuated much since he took office, despite all the griping and kvetching
on the radio. Obama's approval rating is more than double that of Congressional Republicans in Congress, and even with all the economic uncertainty, and fulminating danger in the world, Americans are, according to a CNN poll, less pessimistic about the future than they were a year ago.

We'd argue that what's good for talk radio, and Rush Limbaugh is good for the Democrats and therefore, the country.  

The crankier talk radio gets, the more popular it is with certain people. But so many more are apparently being driven into the arms of the liberals.

Hey Brian Jennings: you said, "For those who suggest conservative talk radio is irrelevant ... remember the only report card we keep in radio is ratings. Ratings drive advertising revenue. "

Here's the deal, our report card is the election. So let's work together: radio can stay mean and get its revenue; Rush stays in the Fat Taxi to Blimpie's; and Barack and the D's get re-elected.

Works for us.

Comments

[mrogi]

Michael Medved vs Thom Hartmann:
http://thomhartmann.com/bits/2009320-greatdebatepodcast.mp3

[sparky]

He looks so much like his father in that picture..I hear his dad liked to wear women's clothes.

[KS]

This apparent phenomenon makes a number of progressive/regressives clamor for the Fairness Doctrine, like Schumer, Pelosi, Boxer - the typical shrill shrieking shrews...

[Peter Cavanaugh]

While I enjoyed reading Brian Jennings' new book, "Censorship: The Threat to Silence Talk Radio" , the title and content of Mr. Jennings' new offering seems silly.

Fair?

It’s hard fitting “fair” into framework. As Supreme Court
Justice Potter Stewart once ruled on obscenity, he couldn’t define
it, but knew it when he saw it.

Having over 90% of government regulated, publicly owned
AM/FM radio airwaves devoted to right-wing
commentary is simply unfair. And this 90% plus percentage is, pun intended, a conservative estimate.

Such dominance in the last two decades came about through the
mechanics of “free market” economics. It's The Golden Rule 2.0."He Who Has The Gold-- Rules.
Commercial sponsorship
commands programming. Business loves Rush, Sean, Glenn and Mark.

As of this week, Fresno, California, has four full-time talk stations, KMJ-AM (580), KMJ-FM (105.5), KJZN (105.9) and KYNO-AM (1330), all devoted to Conservative thought. For example, between 9 AM and Noon, it's Glenn Beck against Rush Limbaugh vs. Dennis MIller opposite Laura Ingram.

In earlier times, the Federal Communications Commission
enforced what came to be known as “The Fairness Doctrine”. This
was a policy, not a law, firm definition proving elusive. It just
meant all sides of important issues should be heard.

It was never meant to shut people down, but open discussion up.

In August of 1987, under President Ronald Reagan, the FCC
abolished the Doctrine.

In August of 1988, Rush Limbaugh, through the magic of newly emerging satellite technology, began national syndication with radio stations unhampered by the need to
offer reasonable rebuttal. Ratings scored, profits soared and “Rush Rooms” flourished coast-to-coast. With lemming-like instinctive drive at
full throttle, rewarded by riches, the American broadcast industry
took a right hand turn, now intransigently locked in place.

Might I suggest that when 2009 financial covenants can't be met, taxpayer owned (or owed) banks should seize the stations and/or broadcast groups
which they funded and transfer the facilities in Federal
Communications Commission-sanctioned public auctions to local
interests.

In such transactions, former employees would receive special
consideration, including the opportunity to be considered for
small-business loans to not only gain control but participate in
common, community-oriented ownership.

It’s only fair.

Peter Cavanaugh
WildWednesday.com
Oakhurst, California

[Frank Provasek]

unlike Print, Internet, Cable and Satellite...the airwaves belong to the people, and stations are licensed to "serve the public interest." Corporate radio has no right to use the public airwaves for 24/7 GOP talking points any more than if they tried to claim only Republicans could use the public roads. It's not censorship to give other viewpoints. The Republicans are all for "other viewpoints" when it suits their agenda...such as Creation taught in public school alongside evolution.

[Gus O. Kahan]

Unlike all forms of information the parasitic aggregator
will take and leave original work alone, isolated, bereft of its source material, like:
http://scari.org/threats.etc.html
Now, right or left, lest we forget, History reminds us that we Humans have short Memories.
Scari.Org makes images for those who link to source material.
Perhaps source material is at least as interesting as those
who appropriate without attribution. The image is J. Edgar Hoover with forehead callus or zebiba. Please correct your image to reflect original content.
Please link to source material for authentic context.

[Gus O. Kahan]

-Where is you Webmaster-----------Parasitic Aggregator Blather Watch

Dear parasitic aggregator / incestuous amplifier, when you steal intellectual property you do a disservice to yourself, you steal the thought of others without attribution and you jigger the web to do evil. When you use images taken from others without linking to source material you steal the soul of what the web is about. As an parasitic aggregator you are killing the very source of you own inspiration. Please fix this now!
You have stolen images from Scari.Org

Link to source: http://scari.org/threats.etc.html
This is the second time I make my request: J. Edgar Hoover image is not yours, link to source. What happened to our other post on you "blog?"
This J. Edgar Hoover image belongs to Scari.Org and relates to a narrative that speaks to religious duplicity. It has nothing to do with your selfpromotion, either link to source or delete our image.
link to source now.
You are denying access of information by stealing keyword and image.

Link to source: http://scari.org/threats.etc.html

Please in the future regard our site with respect and make thoughtful posts
thank you, Gus O. Kahan of SCARI.ORG
------------------------

[AuthenticAndrew]

I suspect he typed in J Edgar Hoover into Google Images and WOW IT'S THE THIRD PICTURE linked from this blog which you obviously already know about. I doubt the blog operator has ever heard of your site.

[Gus O. Kahan]

Blather-Snatchit
-----------------
The SCARI.ORG image J. Edgar Hoover with zebiba was ranked #3 before Blather-Snatch stole both image and rank for its own end. As you can see the other image of zebiba-Hoover goes to another page from which Blather-Snatch has also stolen the "Little Kind in Crisis."

http://scari.org/rhyme.of.history.html

So your theory falls apart; I would guess he found my Justice Thomas or Don Rumsfeld and got excited about stealing something, "Maybe I'll just steal a little image of lessor importance and no one will be hurt."
When intellectual property is takeen from source material it hurts the web and the body of knowledge.
Scari.Org relies on image search for its traffic so when dim-wits steal it is vexing; creating yet another "Classified Meritocracy."
I think the Blather site is so manic and freakishly liberal; one overlooks the details to serve the greater good.
God Only Knows, I hate the right's willful ignorance banter too but discrediting one's-self to mirror the other is no way to gain
traction for global understanding.
As you can see, with a few searches, our RHYME OF HISTORY page is much trafficed.

http://scari.org/rhyme.of.history.html

I wonder where the gate keepers are on the Blatherwatch -- God Only Knows?

GOk

[chucks]

Gus
That is a lovely picture of J.Ed. When and where did you take it?
One other minor issue. Please do not confuse our little blog community with anything intellectual, property or otherwise. As you may have noticed, we have joanie. Intellect and joanie are like water and oil. You can store them together but they will not mix.

[thaddeus quella]

If BLATHER is so powerful, why use images?

BlatherSatchers:
it's gang rape by fellow Blathersnatchers, "PLEASE, DON'T MAKE ME SQUEEL LIKE A PIG."
So Parasitic Aggregation Bloggers are claiming willful ignorance as a path to enlightenment?
Incestuous amplifiers breed like the spawn of satan; making more more because less in not enough.
Yes Martha, more blogging is mo-betta cause we all gotta to flood the planet with incestuous skree.

If BLATHER is your calling then, make blather and leave images alone; your words should suffice.
If you wish to illustrate your narrative, then make what you must to drive the message home, but,
leave us out of your loop.
Yes intellectual you are not, like a Bald Eagle to carrion you snatch whatever you desire to get through to the next day's blog.
Now that you made it you can't leave it alone just keep blogging and blogging and blog some more. Perhaps, one day you will be all blogged out.

The Mormons call what they do "THE BLOGGERNACLE."

http://scari.org/Mormons.Reconstructed.html

One might call what you do "THE BLATHERNACLE."

http://scari.org/papas_room.html

Here's hoping your "little blogging community" will lean on your own inspiration and leave others out of your loop.
I don't rely on your blather to inspire images and text, please reciprocate.
If you must, if you just can't help yourself, then link to source material and I will understand;
sometimes there's writers block and bloggers know better than anyone of this phenom.
As a media slut, there is much to be done, like making sausage, Blathersnatchers are driven by the need to use whatever is at hand,
"Hell Jake pick it up off the floor and chuck in the hopper, it don't smell bad, do it."
"It's not pretty but we got another blog out the door. Like George Bush, you did it because you could.

Just link to source,
thaddeus quella

[Jake Lucci]

Brian Jennings is the biggest tool Portland has ever seen!!!!!! Hes got local celeb and radio personality Chad Doing in cuffs!!!!! Because Jennings is old and out of touch with whats in. Jennings may have been good....in 1780 but now hes just destroying 95.5 The Game...

[12th Man]

When Brian Jennings programmed then-Conservative Talk KVI in the early '90s(in which he came to KVI from the old KING 1090), KVI had this business news sounder going "Da Da Da Dum Da Dum...De De De De De De". When he was programming KING, they took NBC off in the fall of 1990 & replaced it with ABC Direction for TOTH network news. This was blamed on Westwood One's ownership of NBC Radio. They should of gone with CNN Radio for TOTH Network News or maybe Mutual.