The only distinct political advantage Trump has is talk radio.
One way to get Republican politicians to support impeachment is to destroy the weapon Trump uses to keep them in line.
At $1000/hr x 15 hrs/day 1200 stations are worth about $5BIL/year FREE for Trump, Republicans, and Putin, paid for mostly by national and local advertisers. No matter how unprofitable it is, talk radio has been worth $trillions for selling global warming denial, deregulation, tax breaks for billionaires, privatization, voter suppression, destroying democracy, and beating Democrats. The only reason it exists is that it is an unchallenged monopoly, Walmart vs mom and pop. It is also the only major medium with no direct challenge from the other side of the political spectrum.
Now the advertising industry can be forced to democratize it by making it apply actual market demand.
Recently, artificial intelligence-enhanced transcription has advanced to the point where talk radio can be easily and cheaply digitized ($5/hr at sonix.ai), searched, and monitored. Advertisers can be listed and associated with the content they sponsor with little listening required. The process is described at republiconradio.org. Software could be developed to automate much of that process.
The advertising industry will not want to risk exposing large numbers of clients to a Stoprush Flushrush type activism x100. To avoid that possibility, ad agencies will have to begin asking clients if they support Trump and global warming denial.
A growing number of the advertisers propping up Republican talk radio now will say no. True advertiser support for hate and lies is soft (see below). The 20-1 monopoly is not an expression of Americans’ demand for hate, lies, and ignorance.
The advertising industry wants the millions of ears those stations reach and will force many stations to change programming to music, or sports talk, etc., if they want to stay in business. Some stations may try to offer balance with liberal talkers. More stations will eventually open up to liberal talkers. And until the 20-1 monopoly is broken Republican talk radio should not be considered part of the free speech spectrum.
Without that 95% monopoly, Republican talk radio will lose its ability to sell lies and create its dominant messaging buzz. Even 5-1 will introduce doubt and destroy the certainty that authoritarians value over truth.
Democrats need offense and Republican radio is very vulnerable. Maybe all it will take is a few articles in ad industry media to warn the major ad agencies to adjust.
Republican politicians and media know how important talk radio is to them. Protests and boycotts targeted at their talk radio stations will cause Republicans to freak out. That will attract media.
Most radio stations are inconvenient places to protest but the 88 universities that support 260 Limbaugh stations are not. Protests at any of the 88 universities could have a cascade effect and get the advertising industry’s attention.
Cascade
1 Protest at university with possible AI-enhanced boycotts of the associated stations (it doesn’t matter what the university administration does or can do)
2 Local GOP and RW talk radio notices, freaks out
3 Media notices
4 Protests at more universities
5 Advertisers and advertising industry notice
6 In order to be able to use those very loud radio stations the ad industry finally applies market demand to the 20-1 monopoly and it collapses as radio stations have to alter programming or offer balance
The ad industry needs to get the message soon
Republican strategy is very predictable. Since inauguration, Republican talk radio has been used to sell the ‘deep state coup’ lies and now here we are with Trump using all that unchallenged repetition as an pretext to investigate the investigators and defy subpoenas. Now, for instance, it is being used to prepare the country for another ebola scare the way it was used in the 2014 elections. Those radio stations are claiming that Africans are coming across the southern border in those caravans. And ebola clinics are being attacked in the Congo. No doubt the Kremlin will be more helpful this time.
Talk radio will play a primary role in whatever national emergencies the Trump administration comes up with and the Kremlin will be piggybacking those memes and talking points the way they did to put Trump in the White House.
Until the RW radio propaganda operation is broken up real democracy in the US is impossible.
Reasons why many advertisers advertise on RW talk radio
Anyone who has contacted Republican talk radio advertisers knows the support is very soft. Reasons that a non-Trump-supporting business owner advertises on those radio stations include:
- they have no clue how important Republican talk radio has been for getting us into this disaster, and keeping us in it
- didn’t know their ads were aired during that particular radical’s show
- would prefer not to but are buying package deals and giving up control to save money
- are advertising on the local hosts’ shows, and they do local stuff like review the best burgers in town once in a while when they’re not echoing Limbaugh
- got the impression that Republican talk radio is a megaphone for a relatively harmless bunch of political entertainers being outrageous to get a bigger audience for advertisers, and really don’t know what they’re actually saying on those stations
- might say something misogynistic or racist once in a while but reach large audiences
- need it to reach the local population, a particular target audience, etc.
Artificial intelligence will force ad industry to kill RW radio. Dems can accelerate the inevitable.
20 unis in AL, AR, GA, KU, MI, MO, OH, UT helped sell anti-choice, anti-abortion legislation. WTF?
Nunberg, on list, said Trump team studied talk radio in '14. Same states as Russians targeted?
Trump base is vastly overestimated.
Republiconradio.org — talk radio myths, 88 universities that support RW radio, how to transcribe RW radio and list their advertisers