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JHB

(37,128 posts)
45. There were others before Rush...
Thu Oct 31, 2019, 01:02 PM
Oct 2019

Bob Grant, Barry Farber, Joe Pyne, and others, in the 60s, 70s, and early 80s. I know Grant, who was NYC-based, gained a following far outside his station's normal broadcast range due to late-night shows. At night the atmosphere bounces AM signals in a different way than during the day, and form what I've heard Grant could sometimes be picked up as far as eastern Ohio.

By the early 80s, thought, AM radio was in decline as more and more things moved to FM frequencies. Stations needed to fill time, talk radio was relatively cheap, and call-in formats allowed a level of interactivity that was relatively unique at the time. Them during that time, deregulation lifted some of the restrictions on media ownership, making it easier to have the same shows play live in different markets.

Combine that with elimination of the Fairness Doctrine, and it created conditions ripe for someone like Rush to flourish. Combine that with his rallying the conservative faithful after Bush lost the 92 election, treating Clinton's plurality win as if it were merely technical and wasn't really legit.

Combine those with other conservative media that had been built, like The Washington Times in 1982, and Roger Ailes bringing his Nixon-era idea of GOP-TV to life as FOX News in 1996, plus hundreds of conservative religious stations, and that propaganda becomes the background radiation which affects everything.

they were fools before fox, now they just have a national voice for their foolishness. n/t MerryBlooms Oct 2019 #1
Fox fools the fools. But there's nobody else listening. The gullibles will never exceed 40% lagomorph777 Nov 2019 #68
They were already fools, or they wouldn't watch Fox News. MineralMan Oct 2019 #2
I would not call them fools as much as just simple minded people. LiberalArkie Oct 2019 #26
I know of some simple minded people in congress. pangaia Nov 2019 #64
I know some very smart, highly educated people who get their news from Fox. KPN Oct 2019 #33
Thank you for saying that ZERTErYNOthe Oct 2019 #37
Thank you for sharing all of that. II've also seen that many seem to agree with Democratic Maru Kitteh Oct 2019 #42
Thank you Cetacea Nov 2019 #60
I agree. I have two brother-in-laws, and their wives, patphil Oct 2019 #54
They obviously drank the kool aid somwhere along the way and since have turned to KPN Oct 2019 #59
"hey are still, after all that has gone on, adamant Trump supporters." pangaia Nov 2019 #65
I watched Fox for about a year in the early 2000s because I thought it was just another... Pacifist Patriot Oct 2019 #49
fox is an addiction... a little swig of bourbon one night, then ,then then... pangaia Nov 2019 #66
just another national addiction crisis Hermit-The-Prog Oct 2019 #3
I wish there were some sort of class action.... Bonhomme Richard Oct 2019 #4
Rupert Murdoch's propaganda and misinformation organization has done more to damage sop Oct 2019 #32
Fox News validates their conservative world view TheRealNorth Oct 2019 #5
Here we go round in circles... MissMillie Oct 2019 #6
I went to a Catholic grade school in the 1960s and the nuns taught us critical thinking skills. OMGWTF Oct 2019 #17
Fux viewers are holding themselves hostage. FM123 Oct 2019 #7
I only have disdain for them. Rorey Oct 2019 #9
Me too... remaining purposely ignorant is not a virtue. BigmanPigman Oct 2019 #14
Sat with a woman from Pennsylvania on an international flight, she said she didn't like Hillary kimbutgar Oct 2019 #8
I'm trying to hide my initial eye-roll and ask them leading questions. maxsolomon Oct 2019 #19
Whenever someone says to me knowing I am liberal marlakay Oct 2019 #34
Oh, but it's so much easier to have someone else think for you! nt 42bambi Oct 2019 #10
Fox News viewers are un-American. They were already there from listening to limpballs rockfordfile Oct 2019 #11
That believe anything that contradicts their great leader is fake news. Flaleftist Oct 2019 #12
It's true D_Master81 Oct 2019 #13
You combat brainwashing with truth bucolic_frolic Oct 2019 #15
100%: True, Fast, Clear, at same audience lie was told to. Bernardo de La Paz Oct 2019 #21
This will work better Baked Potato Oct 2019 #38
Yes, this Baked Potato Oct 2019 #39
With the enthusiastic cooperation of those same Americans. n/t TygrBright Oct 2019 #16
they were well on their journey before Fox! NRaleighLiberal Oct 2019 #18
the fix was laid out in skinner's Beyond Freedom and Dignity Kurt V. Oct 2019 #20
Conservative-brained people prefer authoritarian thinkers and doers. Texin Oct 2019 #22
It will take a massive de-programming effort to... mudstump Oct 2019 #23
And also Limbaugh notinkansas Oct 2019 #41
talk radio is the real problem. fox is part of the democratic free speech spectrum and there are alt certainot Oct 2019 #55
We need a law.... NCcoast Oct 2019 #24
Some years ago Murdock was asked/challenged regarding his right wing tv channel... TryLogic Oct 2019 #25
Fuck them Alpeduez21 Oct 2019 #27
Quite frankly, Fux News should be taken off the air and banned. BigDemVoter Oct 2019 #28
I think a few countries have banned it. Not sure though. Funtatlaguy Oct 2019 #29
There was one of those memes about NZ and Australia doing that, but its false. oldsoftie Oct 2019 #48
Thats not how we do things in this country. oldsoftie Oct 2019 #47
It ... isn't ... "education." Cosmocat Oct 2019 #30
they must be brainwashed. barbtries Oct 2019 #31
Blinded by hatred fueled by decades of propaganda. First heard Rush 30 years ago. He is the model. Evolve Dammit Oct 2019 #35
There were others before Rush... JHB Oct 2019 #45
JHB- Thanks very much for this post. I was not listening talk radio in my early years (1960's) Evolve Dammit Oct 2019 #58
Repetition works underpants Oct 2019 #36
The thing that's so sad is they have many choices... but they stay on the same channel (R)... FormerDittoHead Oct 2019 #40
Fox and Hate Radio have done enormous damage to this country appalachiablue Oct 2019 #43
It is far easier to fool someone than to convince them they've been fooled... Wounded Bear Oct 2019 #44
Faux is just validating everything they have believed yellowdogintexas Oct 2019 #46
it mainly validates the unchallenged repeated lying that only talk radio can do certainot Oct 2019 #57
And they still remain a shrinking minority. Lock him up. Oct 2019 #50
They are against education... Mike Nelson Oct 2019 #51
Only way to stop Fox is to cut them off at the knees which means boycotting any advertisers cstanleytech Oct 2019 #52
Mandatory media literacy curriculum in every school. Garrett78 Oct 2019 #53
fox is not the problem. fox is the cartoon cliff notes for talk radio and everyone has easy free alt certainot Oct 2019 #56
A common tactic of FOX News and right wing radio is Progressive Jones Nov 2019 #61
Rupert Murdoch Aussie105 Nov 2019 #62
I think we will eventually find out Murdoch is on the Kremlin payroll. roamer65 Nov 2019 #63
people are simple-minded and accepting in their daily lives bucolic_frolic Nov 2019 #67
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