Why is talk radio dominated by largely conservative transmission of political ideology?
To discover possible reasons for a conservitive bias in public radio prgramming, it is helpful to begin by analyzing the demographics of both individuals whom identify as conservitives, as well as, the demographics of public radio listeners. Once information regarding radio listeners and conservatives is obtained, certain commonalities between the groups illuminate why there is a cooralation with radio and conservitivness.
Talk Radio - Information regarding talk radio is broken into two segmentations, News/Talk/Information and News/Classical (Public Radio Today: How American Listens To Radio, 2012). The audiance composition of both groups strongly favors older adults, with both groups consisting of more than 72% of listeners being 45 years of age or older (Public Radio Today: How American Listens To Radio, 2012). It is also worth to note that in both News/Talk/Information and News/Classical radio the highest single age demographics are in the 65+ catagory (Public Radio Today: How American Listens To Radio, 2012). There is also a higher than 3% bias in gender of the audience leaning towards male listeners (Public Radio Today: How American Listens To
…show more content…
More than 63% of all news/talk listeners are in income brackets above 50k (Public Radio Today: How American Listens To Radio, 2012). Futhermore, aprooximatly half of all News/Talk/Information listeners have a houshold income about 75k, a stark comparison to the meager 8.9% of low income listeners earning less than 25k annually (Public Radio Today: How American Listens To Radio, 2012). Also, in both news/talk catagories, listeners primarily tune in Mon-Friday, 6am to 7pm (Public Radio Today: How American Listens To Radio, 2012). Additioanlly, more than 66% of talk radio listeners are college educated (Public Radio Today: How American Listens To Radio,
Fox News is constantly being bombarded with accusations of media bias, furthermore, a number of different instances of have occurred which question the validity of Fox News (Groeling). These instances occur throughout normal news broadcasts. Some of the more recent, and grossly biased broadcasts, were from the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. Historically the Fox News Channel is known to lean heavily to the right, or on the republican spectrum. President Barrack Obama’s political party is widely known to the public as being democratic. Statistically, to this day according to studies over 17 million households receive some form of the Fox News Channel (Auletta). The Fox News Channel is published through a number of different channels to its viewers. These channels include: Television, radio, newspaper, internet and more increasingly electro...
...y and western music was the norm; and mainstream pop was practically everywhere in urban settings. However, as populations shifted, word of mouth spread, and radio stations were able to amplify the reach of their signals – white, middle-class teenagers came to discover a whole other world of music. Take for example, Alan Freed’s radio program, The Moondog Show, which played hit R&B records when other major stations refused to play them. Like radio stations, who utilized recorded music to garner an audience, TV shows did the same by holding special guest appearances by a famous musician or band. These appearances would not only generate views to keep the show on air, but it also elevated its popularity. As an example, consider Ed Sullivan’s television show, Toast of the Town, which went on to boost the popularity of Elvis Presley and several musicians and bands after.
Koppes, Clayton R. “The Social Destiny of the Radio: Hope and Disillusionment in the 1920’s.” South Atlantic Quarterly 68.3 (1969): 363-376. America: History & Life. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.
helping. Television is making the shows out to seem like one race is better than another. For
When the United States entered the First World War, the government took over all radio operations and shut down both professional and amateur radio broadcasters. The use of radio was reserved exclusively for the war effort. In the air, radio was used for the first time between multiple planes and the ground to keep formations and lead the pilots to their targets. This was the beginning of air traffic control and walkie-talkies. In addition, soldiers who had been wounded were entertained in the hospital by news and music played over the radio. Although radio was not allowed back into public until 1919, it continued to be used by troops coming home to entertain each other and was even used for dances. All of radio’s uses from the war soon became prevalent in everyday life and radio has been used in these ways ever since. Our lives are filled with constant sound most of it coming from the radio being on all the time; whether in the car or at home, music, news, weather, and traffic are provided through radio. There is a station for everyone. Moreover, when we travel by plane, airports would be chaotic and have no way to tell who is taking off and landing if not for radio use to control the traffic and make everything run smoothly. Many jobs also have much use of radio needed to communicate with other workers in careers such as law enforcement and trucking.
"Introduction to Mass Communication." EFFECTS OF RADIO ON SOCIETY*Introduction to Mass Communication| Lessons Free Online Read Lessons. Zainbooks, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013. .
When daytime talk show programs first appeared on television in the 1950s, they mostly consisted of celebrities gathered around a coffee table discussing secrets about trivial things, such as how to make the best sponge cake. It is unlikely that these shows promoted positive changes in the lives of their viewers in any substantial way. In the early 1970s, Phil Donahue introduced a new variety of talk show. His show was characterized as "an exercise in sociopolitical discourse," but was, in actuality, more successful for its coverage of titillating issues than important ones (Moorti sc 2-3).
Canadian Associates of Broadcasters. “TRENDS IN CANADIANS’ USE OF RADIO AND TV” http://www.cab-acr.ca/english/industry/hearing/submissions/sub_sep1001_b.pdf, consulted on Friday, April 11, 2003
To begin with, the use of Radio as source of information can be viewed in its news broadcasting services. The prosperity of the 1920s was followed by the economic downturn and widespread unemployment of the Great Depression, and radio provided a variety of informative and entertaining programs at little cost (Longshore). The politicians were using radio likewise of today to reach their supporters. During early 1920’s the well-to-do family owned the Radio; it was not easily affordable by the public. Of course, some farmers were challenged to buy it. Time after time it became a must have furniture for several reasons. For instance, the radio helped to negotiate changing gender roles at a time when women were entering the workforce in inc...
Along with a new decade came a new attitude from the media. By 1922 there were 22 magazines in circulation and by the end of the 1920s, 40% of Americans owned a radio.
Stereotypes In the Media Stereotypes play an important role in today's society and particularly in propaganda. According to the Webster's Dictionary, stereotyping is defined as a fixed conventional notion or conception of an individual or group of people, held by a number of people. Stereotypes can be basic or complex generalizations which people apply to individuals or groups based on their appearance, behaviour and beliefs. Stereotypes are found everywhere in the world. Though our world seems to be improving in many ways, it seems almost impossible to liberate it from stereotypes.
Non-profit college radio is, by its nature, a medium dedicated to the local community and the public interest. The media landscape in the new millennium has brought about a homogenized world of radio. Large conglomerates like Clear Channel and Infinity Broadcasting own thousands of radio stations. Clear Channel designates one programming director for a particular format in an area, giving sometimes a hundred radio stations the same play list. These stations then have local DJ’s insert voiceovers into the programs, forming, basically, a nationally syndicated radio show. This national play list has caused most listeners to feel that radio has become a cold and stale medium. No longer can listeners pick up the dial and call a DJ to request a track. Instead, they would probably find only a board operator inserting commercials in between an already chosen play list. The role of college radio lies in the bleak future of diversity and innovation that is lacking in the industry today.
After getting out of bed, getting ready and entering my car for my 90-minute commute I turn to one of the older forms of media my car radio. I listen to “Elvis Duran in the Morning” each morning. When I first started my media consumption list I wasn’t sure if I wanted to include radio then I realized how much I take in from this wonderful talk show. They provide news updates, celebrity gossip (which is a guilty pleasure), treading items off of the Internet – which occasional spark my interest. The crew talks about Belvita Breakfast Biscuits ev...
Television is a vital source from which most Americans receive information. News and media delegates on television have abused theirs powers over society through the airing of appealing news shows that misinform the public. Through literary research and experimentation, it has been proven that people's perception of reality has been altered by the information they receive from such programs. Manipulation, misinterpretation, word arrangement, picture placement and timing are all factors and tricks that play a major role in the case. Research, experimentation, and actual media coverage has pinpointed actual methods used for deceptive advertising. Television influences society in many ways. People are easily swayed to accept a belief that they may not normally have unless expressed on television, since many people think that everything they hear on television is true. This, however, is not always the case. It has been observed that over the past twenty to thirty years, normal social behavior, even actual life roles of men and women and media, regulatory policies have all been altered (Browne 1998). Media has changed with time, along with quality and respectability. Many Americans receive and accept false information that is merely used as an attention grabber that better the show's ratings and popularity. Many magazines and Journal reviews have periodically discussed the "muckraking" that many tabloid shows rely on to draw in their viewers. This involves sensationalizing a story to make it more interesting, therefore increasing the interest of the audience. "Along the way, all sorts of scandalous substance and goofy tricks appear, but not much mystery in the logic," (Garnson 1997). People often know that these shows aim to deceive them, but still accept the information as truth. Many times, people have strong opinions on certain topics. Yet, when they are exposed to the other side of the argument, they may be likely to agree with the opposite view. As Leon Festinger said, "If I chose to do it (or say it), I must believe in it," (Myers 1997). This is an example of Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, which pertains to acting contrary to our beliefs. Television influences many people to change their original beliefs. It has the viewers think that the majority of other people hold the contrary idea. Once these views are presented, people have the option to hol...
Scott, Gini, Graham. (1996) Can we Talk? The Power and Influence of Talk Shows. New