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Dan's Opinion #3

All Talk and Some Action

by Daniel Tobias


Is it just me, or is talk radio much too one-sided to the far right? Notjust the national shows like Limbaugh, etc., but also the local shows, whichare (in theory) free forums for all viewpoints (and a lot easier to get throughwith your calls than the national shows).

In particular, Shreveport, LA, has a daily talk show on KEEL (710 AM) every weekday from 10 to 11 AM (Central Time) called Talk Back Ark-La-Tex. [NOTE: This show has since been cancelled.] Also, every Tuesday from 9 to 10 AM, Frank May, editorial page editor of the local Times newspaper hosts a one-hour show for talk about his paper and news in general. These shows have been almost unanimously far-right, with callers including bible-thumping moralists denouncing any entertainment involving sex or gambling, conspiracy-theory buffs convinced that the Illuminati and Bildebergers control the world, people saying that all our social problems are caused either by the removal of prayer from school or the acceptance of gays in the military, and others in that vein. During Frank May's show, he gets called a communist a lot, and his paper is attacked for such "looney-left" things as allowing people to express opinions other than those of Fundamentalist Christianity on the op/ed pages.

I'm not a politically-correct liberal, and I support a lot in the right-wing agenda, like fiscal responsibility in government, balanced budgets, less regulation, etc. However, next to the typical callers in this local show,I sound like a flaming leftist, and have been called this when I called the show with my own opinions.

Do the opinions expressed in these shows really represent the majority in this area, or is it just a biased subgroup who calls shows like this? Whatever, it would be fun to shake things up a bit by having a few more calls from people outside the far-right section of the spectrum. I can't do it all by myself (and besides, my boss has gotten nasty to me about doing stuff like calling radio shows on company time). So, how about if some of you with a multiplicity of viewpoints would try calling in once in a while. They even have a toll-free number, so those of you who are outside the area can join in the fun. Call them at 1-800-648-5335, or locally, (318) 320-5335 and 320-5336. The show is from 10-11 AM Central time weekdays, which is 8-10 on the west coast and 11-12 on the east coast. If you're in Singapore, figure out the time zone yourself. [NOTE: The show is off the air now, but Frank May still has a show Tuesdays at 9 AM.]

Let's get some liberals, libertarians, moderates, communists, socialists,feminists, anarchists... anything but far-right-wingers... onto the air!


This page was first created 02 Jul 1995, and was last modified 28 Apr 1996.

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