This is why the Republicans, despite always being wrong, still get the lion's share of airtime

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18. the most important medium is talk radio. all other media are significant for what they leave out.

print, tv and internet still have to pretend they're 'balanced' because there is still some competition- for politics you can always change the page or channel to some political alternative.

talk radio has been used to run classic psyops and short circuit democracy.

it played a big part in enabling and pushing republicans and corporate dems to allow the deregulation and consolidation of media, and it's played a big part in putting in the corporate cons on the supreme court.

Republican radio is classic Psyops

You can buy a lot of TV ads with that Citizen’s United money, but to sell big lies you have to, as George Bush said, "keep repeating things over and over and over again, for the truth to sink in. You gotta catapult the propaganda."

Here's what the US Army Psyops Manual says about radio (Psychological Operations Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures 12/2003 - available online).

The manual points out:

Repetition is necessary for oral learning; therefore, key themes, phrases, or slogans should be repeated to ensure the TA (target audience) gets the desired message.

Talk radio is much better than TV, print, and internet for doing just that.

According to the PSYOPS manual advantages of radio include:

Emotional Power: A skilled radio announcer can exert tremendous influence on the listener simply with pitch, resonance, inflection, or timing. and The emotional tone conveyed by the voice may influence the listener more than the logic of arguments.

Or, as Limbaugh would call it, "talent on loan from god".

Wide coverage: Radio programs can reach members of large and varied audiences simultaneously.  and Since radio can reach mass TAs quickly, radio is useful for all types of PSYOP.

In most parts of the US there are no free alternatives for politics while driving or working. The talk radio monopoly includes more than 1000 coordinated radio stations reaching 50 million Americans every week.

Speed: Radio programs can be quickly prepared for broadcast. Speed is important when attempting to capitalize on targets of opportunity.

And for spinning and distorting breaking news.

Ease of perception: Radio requires little or no effort to visualize the radio message. Illiteracy does not prevent the listener from forming his individual image as he listens.


Availability of receivers. Where availability or ownership of receivers is common, listening to radio is a habit.

Talk radio stations are usually the loudest stations in any state and often provide local news, traffic, weather, and sports. These are the go-to stations in national emergencies.

OTHER REASONS IT’S SO EFFECTIVE

It’s loud and it’s everywhere: 1000+ radio stations. Average 20 per state. It reaches 50 million Americans every week. It’s loyal listeners spread the disinformation to family, friends, and co-workers. There is no bigger buzz machine on the planet.

It’s a monopoly: 95% of political talk radio is Republican. In most parts of the country there are no alternatives for free politics while driving or working. The monopoly actively reduces the radio stations available to liberal and moderate talk show hosts. There is no significant talk radio competition to challenge its messaging dominance.

It’s practically free for the Republican Party: Advertisers pay station operating costs and donor-supported think tanks supply much of the propaganda and coordination. The Republican Party and its politicians and organizations can generally expect full support and cooperation from Republican radio talkers.

In Wisconsin, the Reindfleisch emails showed Republican Governor Scott Walker relies heavily on talk radio. Republican politicians can expect major corruption and incompetence to be ignored or excused while Democrats can expect minor mistakes to be distorted and exaggerated.

Anti-Rush Limbaugh organizations such as StopRush.net have hurt advertising revenues for many stations with their campaign to educate advertisers as to Limbaugh’s racism, homophobia, misogyny and bigotry. As a result, Republican-friendly organizations and think tanks have had to increase their support for Republican radio with politically related advertising and announcements.

It’s invisible to Democrats and liberals because they don’t listen to it: The Democratic Party as well as liberal/progressive/democratic organizations and their supporters are regularly caught by surprise because they evaluate their strategies and the failings of the representatives they support as if Republican radio doesn’t exist.

Most concerned citizens and activists are unaware of how much one radio station can trash their candidates, distort their values, negate their activism, and minimize their protests.

There is no written record of Republican radio: Until now there was no way to search, read, and analyze what Republican radio pumps out (see Record and Transcribe Talk Radio). Republican politicians and candidates make regular appearances on Republican radio and can say just about anything without fear of fact-checking.

Republican talkers are always right: While liberal talkers encourage opposing viewpoints, Republican talkers seldom take callers that will contradict them. They're paired with call screeners for protection and use custom software to prioritize preferred callers, including paid callers. Since they can't be challenged in real time they're always right, and lies sell better when delivered with certitude.

Republican radio messaging is coordinated: On important issues at critical times, all 1000 plus radio stations will pump out the same talking points as instructed. National and local GOP and related think tanks supply material, topics, and guests coordinated for national and local political objectives. Paid callers are used. Republican radio’s more visible little brother, Fox ‘News’, also helps coordination.

Limbaugh and the national talkers set the overall tone but can also focus considerable attention to a local level when they name names and places. Especially if they repeat them a few times.

The local talker’s job depends on following the party line. They and their callers reinforce previous messaging from national talkers and play a significant part in local politics. On a loud station, staff and talkers may have close connections to Republican elected officials and their aides (like WIS governor Scott Walker).

Republican radio can dominate messaging in the US: A non-Republican President only has the bully pulpit when he’s on it. Republican radio provides the groundwork repetition and buzz for everything Republican. When 400 talkers reinforce each other with the same talking points and memes on more than 1000 radio stations it can drown out truth and common sense. It enables and pushes mainstream traditional media to portray the interests of 10% as mainstream. It excuses racism, misogyny, homophobia, and ignorance to make them ‘acceptable’. It enables vast amounts of denial and hypocrisy.

The success of ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) electing candidates and passing and stopping legislation on the local level directly corresponds with the rise of Republican radio.

Republican radio short circuits democracy with alternate realities: Republican think tanks monitor local and national events and sentiment and combine their radio advantage with PR campaigns to short circuit the fact-based discussions that a democracy depends on for solutions and reform. Long term unchallenged repetition on a national level has distorted US politics and makes fact-based dialogue of important issues like climate change, health care, racism, immigration, and gun control practically impossible.

Republican radio constructs made-to-order constituencies: Well-timed messaging to the base motivates public outrage and ‘concern’ based on distortions and disinformation and used to enable or intimidate politicians and media. Or tar and feather a Democratic politician or pubic servant. Republican radio is the loudest political correctness cop and censor-by-threat in the US.

Republican radio beats TV, internet, and print for selling lies: Other media leave a record and have to at least pretend to present other viewpoints. And within limits you can easily turn the channel or the page to another source for politics. Traditional media are more significant for what they leave out. Still somewhat democratic, the internet is diffused and disorganized.


Republican radio myths

MYTH: Republican radio’s primary purpose is to sell product for advertisers.

Republican radio’s primary aim is to spread disinformation and outrage to convince Americans to hate other Americans and to act and vote against their own best interests. The advertising pays rent and salaries.

Republican radio’s true, and much more profitable purpose is to sell:

war
global warming denial
deregulation- wall street, banking, environmental, media, etc.
tax breaks for the 1%
privatization of the commons and the public sector
sycophant Republican politicians
unqualified Republican judges
lies and distortions used to swiftboat Democrats and liberals, short circuit democracy, and obstruct reforms

MYTH: Its popularity and success is market-based. Liberal radio fails because no one listens to it and it can’t compete.

When Ronald Reagan got rid of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, Republicans started buying up hundreds of radio stations and subsidizing talkers like Rush Limbaugh. The Fairness Doctrine would have prevented the levels of unchallenged lying and distortion used so successfully today to create alternative realities and made-to-order constituencies.

One of Republican radio’s early successes was media deregulation that allowed consolidation of Republican radio ownership to fewer companies/owners.

Liberal radio talkers have shown they can compete on an even playing field and even beat the main Republican talkers. That is why the Republican radio monopoly controls most of the loudest radio stations and works hard to limit direct competition by liberal talkers. Republican radio can’t handle the truth.

The argument that 95% of the people who would listen to talk radio prefer the hate and disinformation that the Republican radio monopoly is using to destroy American democracy is an insult to Americans.