I live in Charlottesville, VA and commute to Maryland once a week for my job. Every morning I looked forward to the excellent radio program The Breakdown with Todd B. That is until last week when Talk 1580 took the show off of the air!
The channel, owned by CBS, really blew it here. Talk 1580, if given a little more time was heading for primacy in the DC market as a leading source for independent, progressive, and yes, even conservative commentary and news. Todd B's show was pivotal in this development because of his ability to get to the heart of issues and present both sides of the argument in an even handed manner.
What makes the show's cancellation a real tragedy for the DC area is that we are on the eve of the historic election of our first black president. As such Todd B and Talk 1580 were in the unique position to be the voice for DC politics for the next several years.
Ownership saw things differently...
I was fortunate enough to talk to Todd after his show ended and asked him a few questions about his experience on the Breakdown, about the role of black media in the age of Obama, and about some of the dynamics of the campaign.
I am presenting this diary in an effort to raise Todd's media profile with the community and to urge any DC, NoVa, or MD progressives to keep an eye out for Todd's future work and to support this brilliant and brave progressive foot soldier.
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CC: Todd, What was your goal with The Breakdown?
TB: My goal for the show was to challenge the current paradigm of the audience from a knee-jerk/emotive episteme to a more balanced emotive/reasoned approach. In my view, this would benefit not only the listener, but also those who are within her/his sphere of influence, thereby leading to an instrument of substantive change. I sought to do that by embarking into thoughtful dialogue with the audience, allowing them to get their thoughts in without unnecessary confrontations; sort of along the lines of a Moyers-meets C-SPAN-meets-Tony Brown-meets-public radio-meets-talk radio amalgam... all from a prevailing historical/psychological perspective.
Todd's show was unique in the aspect that he dedicated equal time to multiple points of view. he played points and counterpoints. Obama speeches and McCain speeches. This even-handedness with the way Todd dealt with primary source material is absolutely unheard of in today's media environment.
One of my favorite segments of the show was when Todd B would have conservative Armstrong Williams on his show (Armstrong was recently given his own show on the channel. Todd was a capable debater; he was easily able to push Armstrong on the issues. One key conversation I remember dealt with Scott McClellan. I asked Todd about what it's like to speak truth to the conservative orthodoxy through Armstrong Williams.
CC: How much fun did you have interviewing Armstrong Williams? Did you know him before you had your show?
TB: I thoroughly enjoyed the weekly exchanges with Armstrong. I did not know him prior to my doing the show, though I knew of him.
CC: Were you ever able to get him on the defensive about an issue? What single issue do you think he changed your mind about?
TB: Yes. He became quite defensive when we discussed former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan's whistle-blower-like book What Happened: Inside The Bush White House. We got around to the issue of loyalty, to which Armstrong -- sticking to his Republican talking points -- accused McClellan of being disloyal. He nearly lost it when I asked him whether McClellan's loyalty should lie first with The U.S. Constitution, or to Bush. He tried to waffle and pull the typical red-herring-type Republican gymnastics, but I continued to hammer him on it. He lost it! It was quite a revealing and memorable episode.
This was one of the most telling exchanges I have ever heard. Todd was able to trap Armstrong in the defense of an absolutely indefensible position. Williams believed in the instance of McClellan that the defense of the Imperial Presidency comes before the defense of the Constitution of the United States of America. This rings fundamentally familiar today with the reaction to Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama. The conservative orthodoxy clearly puts the party's larger electoral and governing interest above that of the United States.
Todd B's audience were clear to see through Williams' position, they called in and called him out for it. Classic progressive radio!
CC: What do you think the role of African American news and talk radio should be today? How do you feel the mainstream media views African American talk radio?
TB: The role of Black news and talk radio should be what it has traditionally been since the days of Ida B. Wells-Barnett to David Walker to Hoyt W. Fuller on down the line: to inform the community with solid, in-depth information, to include the stories that the mainstream are (and have been) unwilling (and/or unable) to tell. I believe that good Black media, in particular has the potential to add much more depth to the topics at hand. As DuBois presciently observed over a century ago, we are "ever aware" of our "twoness," noting that we are both American and "Negro." Given this "double-consciousness," we have the ability to cover the entire media spectrum from mainstream to marginalized, with equal aplomb.
CC: Has the Obama (or Michael Steele) campaigns been game changers for black media?
TB: Yes, from many perspectives. Aside from the obvious historical significance at play, it has given the mainstream an opportunity to hear from more leading and, heretofore, marginalized Black voices. Unfortunately, Black media has yet to benefit from the hundreds of millions of ad dollars that the major presidential campaigns have doled out this election season. As far as Steele? Next question. He's not even in question in the Black media. If anything, he is of question: "Michael Who?" And for those who are familar with Mike Tyson's former brother-in-law, he's questionable, at best.
An excellent article highlighting Todd's point can be found here:
Media Channel- Obama Snubs Black Media
CC: What is the single most compelling argument against Obama that you've heard from a member of the African American community?
TB: I think that the arguments/revelations that have been raised by Naomi Klein and that New Yorker piece, the cover of which caused so much furor (you remember, Obama in Muslim garb, bin Laden pic on the wall, Michelle depicted as an Angela Davis-styled "radical," et. al.), reveal some very compelling info about the nature of his rise, sans the nutcake propaganda. No. These particular pieces of investigatory journalism (yeah, there is still some of that around) are well worth reading, as they reveal quite a bit about Obama's seemingly out-of-the-blue beginnings -- having had key opponents disqualified, gerrymandering, the "Chicago Boys" (Klein) and his connection to Milton Freidman and the infamous Chicago School of Economics, via Goolsbee, etc.
Obama's Chicago Boys
Milton Friedman Institute Official Site
CC: Do you feel that race plays a bigger factor than religion in this campaign or are the two related?
TB: I think that now, race and religion are more merged. We discussed this on the show back in April/May, I believe, when we talked about Kotkin and Huntington's respective books, Tribes and The Clash of Civilizations. Both of these works focused on the importance of culture as a method of identity and distinction between groups. They both pretty much observed that religion is, as the late J. H. Clarke put it, "the deification of culture." For instance, just recently at a McCain rally, Obama was "accused" of being "an Arab," which pretty much implied that he was a Muslim, which of course in the eyes of many, equates to "terrorist." McCain didn't even mention the Fourth Amendment, which basically mandates that Obama's -- nor anyone else's -- religion should even be in the equation at all! In a politically correct society such as this, even racists have felt the need to "hide." No, not by, expressing their disdain for the Black guy because of their irrational fear of his abundance of epidural melanin, but rather because he's a Muslim who, in the words of that wise sage, Sarah Palin, "doesn't see America the way that we do..." Bottom line is, whether it's race or religion, the lynch mob spirit is alive and well in some circles, including the US military, where the term, "sand nigger" is not an uncommon appelation for "Arabs."
Even though Arabs serve amongst them and die with them in support of our freedoms and democracy: Kareem R. Khan page at arlingtoncemetery.net
CC: What was the single most memorable call you received from a listener? What did they say?
TB: I had a Black conservative and an Iranian-American on once. The Black guy responded to the topic of the implications of the US becoming a "majority minority" population by 2042 by saying that that scenario would result in America becoming "a Third World nation." The Iranian gentleman called and offered up some very profound and well-researched counterpoints. I ended up holding them both on for about an hour or so. We had quite a fruitful conversation, which opened up other areas of discussion that many listeners found beneficial.
I think this quote gets to the heart of conservative fear mongering. The writing is on the wall for the US. Each census inches us closer to the inevitable. The country is turning at least a few shades less darker- which eats at the soul of the white supremecist grip of power.
CC: How much control do you feel corporate entities have with what is said and done on the air?
TB: They have total control. And along with their consultants, they work vigorously to tighten their grip well past "vise" level. Most radio announcers are in the business of finding clever ways to increase the audience's "time spent listening" so by warning them not to "touch that dial" in hopes that the listener won't turn the channel and listen to the commercials. This has become such a standard practice that most jocks don't even realize why they do it!
And finally:
CC: Any final shout outs?
TB: I would like to encourage those who seek true understanding and knowledge. There is a "natural mystic blowing in the air" that is moving to make clarity a way of life. It will take time, but the journey is not in vain. Continue to support indedpendent media (financially) and resist the oligarchical corporatocracy that seeks to condense the mental radii of the globe's populations so that we'll all end up like those who are in such a "rush" until it becomes impossible for them to think outside the "fox."
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I am willing to pass on any thoughts or comments to Todd regarding his show.
We need to stand up for folks like Todd B. They provide valuable information to their audience, promote dialogue, and show the true potential of an inclusive American media.
I miss the show terribly and I know I am not alone.