The moral perspective…
A liberal radio network is one step closer to reality, John Cook reports in the Chicago Tribune.
I think this effort is doomed to failure (defining success in economic terms). I just don’t see it attracting enough loyal (read: ditto-head) listeners and advertisers to make it a commercial success.
Why? I think George Lakoff says it best. You might wish to revisit this recent interview in which he says, quite correctly I think:
Right now the Democratic Party is into marketing. They pick a number of issues like prescription drugs and Social Security and ask which ones sell best across the spectrum, and they run on those issues. They have no moral perspective, no general values, no identity. People vote their identity, they don’t just vote on the issues, and Democrats don’t understand that.
Lakoff is speaking about campaign politics here, but the lesson is instructive for liberal radio, too. One of the important things that makes conservative radio so appealing to its audience is the clarity of its moral vision.
This does not mean that Democrats or liberals are immoral or have no morals. That’s not what Lakoff is saying. Instead, they do not do an effective job of bringing a moral perspective to politics–well articulated through a coherent set of values.
Let’s suppose a liberal radio host starts talking about taxes. What’s likely to happen is a class-warfare rant against the rich who, it will be argued, do not pay their fair share. Who wants to listen to, or identify, with that? With a proper program of values development–and the effective articulation of same (i.e. rhetoric)–taxes might be turned into a patriotic value, in which it is understood that our precious Constitutional rights and civic welfare are protected and defended in a tax system that brings in enough money to ensure their continuance (re: The Cost of Rights: Why Liberty Depends on Taxes). Just one example.
right-wing radio appeals to people who have no way to identify with the targets of rightwing attacks: feminists, union leaders, minorities, homosexuals, college professors, and the rest of the usual suspects. People do, however, identify with their employers and rich people and they hope to emulate them … it’s hard to demonize corporations and the rich when so many people depend on both to earn their living.
Appealing to people’s fears is one of the easiest ways on earth to make a living, and appeasing their prejudices is the easiest way to find an audience … if lefty radio goes the same route as the right, what will we have accomplished?
Lefty radio shouldn’t go the way of righty radio…and THAT’s what will kill it economically, IMO.
We already have an experiment in left/liberal radio. It is called the Pacifica Network and it exists at the bottom of the economic spectrum and is proud of it.
I have not heard of Pacifica, but I’ll look into it. Thanks for calling it to my attention!