Whatever Trump is planning, talk radio is his only unique advantage. He is the talk radio president. He’s using it to sell the lies about stealing elections and voter fraud, he is using it to mobilize his base, to keep Republican senators in line, and excuse his criminality.
As long as Democrats don’t respond to Republican talk radio it will continue to enable him.
If you want Republican politicians to cry uncle and sweep Trump under the rug, threaten to destroy their locally-coordinated talk radio messaging advantage.
Artificial intelligence and Limbaugh’s impending death make the end the 30 year rain of lies inevitable but the process can be speeded up. Good things can happen if activists, progressive groups, and/or the Democratic Party begin or even merely signal an effort to digitize, monitor, and fact check talk radio content.
Here is a simple summary for small scale transcription of talk radio and here’s and example with details of using it in a previous diary.
And here is a proposal outline for large scale digitizing and monitoring of political talk radio just posted:
Outline for large scale digitizing, transcribing, and monitoring of Republican talk radio
If you want a more progressive Democratic Party, stop ignoring a few hundred ignorant racist Trumpers on 1500 radio stations telling tens of millions of Americans every week that COVID and global warming are hoaxes used by Democrats to pass a socialist agenda and you’re communist for supporting Black Lives Matter and single payer. Identifying and quantifying the lies and distortions will allow progressives to discredit constant efforts to paint them as ‘out of the mainstream’ by other Democrats and media.
Two reasons why the advertising industry will have to break up Republican talk radio
1 — Artificial intelligence — Advances in artificial intelligence make it faster, easier, and cheaper to accurately transcribe talk radio, with little or no actual listening required. Every advertiser and university and professional sports team that broadcasts on those stations can be directly associated with the content they are helping to sponsor. They all share responsibility for the Trump and COVID disasters and whatever happens in the transition to the Biden Harris administration. Digitizing and monitoring talk radio will force them to own that responsibility.
The Republican talk radio monopoly does not reflect American demand for the hate and lies, it broadcasts hate and lies. It may appeal to certain human fears and instincts but it is primarily a propaganda operation that relies on large scale unchallenged repetition to audiences that are often captive. Radio advertising companies will have to begin asking advertisers if they actually support Trump and the hate, lies, and ignorance — or risk losing them. When actual demand is finally applied to Republican talk radio it will fall apart.
2 — Limbaugh is on the way out — Rush Limbaugh has recently announced that his lung cancer is terminal. The Republican talk radio monopoly was built around him. His neighbor and golf partner Trump needs him. No existing talk show host can attract the advertising revenue he could to those 600 radio stations, which include many of the loudest stations in the country. Nor can any of them lead Republican messaging like he has for 30 years. Radio station owners of 600 Limbaugh stations will want different replacements and his disappearance will also present them with the opportunity to change programming altogether.
The advertising industry wants the tens of millions of ears those radio stations reach.
- Are Limbaugh’s absences for treatment already affecting advertising?
- Are Limbaugh’s loyal listeners going to keep listening? If so, to who?
- Are advertisers already wanting discounts for Limbaugh’s inferior substitutes?
- How are station owners reacting to Limbaugh’s absences and the prospect of his continued deterioration until he has to give up?
- How will the advertising industry and station owners replace the lost revenue?
If those and many other related questions are not already being addressed can a few press releases stimulate those and other discussions among industry analysts and writers?
Previous boycotts targeting Limbaugh have sensitized the advertising industry to future activism
Limbaugh would not have called COVID a hoax if it wasn’t coordinated with Trump. When Trump told him to call it a hoax (used by Democrats to sell big government socialist solutions) did he also tell Limbaugh that he had been briefed that it was a lot worse than the common flu, capable of killing millions? Media needs to ask that question.
Those radio stations are licensed to operate in the public interest. Station owners, staff, and hosts can defend their support for Trump and Republicans as free speech. However, in following the Limbaugh/Trump lead most of the talk show hosts on those stations also called COVID a hoax or the common flu, attacked scientists like Fauci, and politicized mask wearing.
They, their advertisers, and more than 87 universities and dozens of professional sports teams that broadcast on those stations share responsibility for the deadly consequences of following the Limbaugh/Trump lead instead of that of the CDC and health professionals.
Artificial intelligence makes StopRush x 100 inevitable.
How important is Republican talk radio to Trump and Republicans?
Simple math: if the GOP/Trump/Koch/Putin would pay $1000 for a one hour infomercial, 1200 radio stations x 15 hrs/day are worth $90M/week or nearly $5B/year. That is essentially FREE, paid for by advertisers and ‘endorsed’ by universities and professional sports teams that broadcast sports on those stations.
Republican senators and congressmen depend heavily on their Democratic opponents ignoring their advantage and they know they will need it to excuse their actions in support of Trump. Republican politicians know how important those stations are ($75,000/station/week) for:
- targeting propaganda to the state and local level (which Fox cannot do)
- creating and motivating made-to-order constituencies based on unchallenged exaggerations, distortions, and lies
- forcing compromise from Democratic politicians who are fooled into believing talk radio constituencies have legitimate concerns as opposed to being motivated by alternative realities
Below are 21 Limbaugh stations in Georgia that will be attacking Democratic senatorial candidates Warnock and Ossoff and helping their opponents. They all called COVID a hoax with Limbaugh, politicized mask-wearing, and opposed shutdowns. Generally it can be assumed in any state there are at least the same number of Republican radio stations that don’t feature Limbaugh.
14 of the stations listed below depend on 3 GA universities — Georgia 7, Georgia Tech 5, Georgia Southern 2, to keep broadcasting sports on them. Some are likely to also depend on professional sports to attract advertising.
Albany WALG 1590
Athens WGAU 1340
Atlanta WGST 640
Augusta WGAC 580
Brunswick WGIG 1440
Cairo WGRA 790
Clarksville WCHM 1490
Columbus WDAK 540
Dalton WBLJ 1230
Gainesville WDUN 550
Greensboro WDDK 103.9
Hiawassee WJUL 1230
Hogansville WVCC 720
Lakeland WVGA 105.9
Macon WMAC 940
Patterson WSGT 107.1
Rome WLAQ 1410
Royston WXFO 810
Savannah WTKS 1290
Statesboro WWNS 1240
Vidalia WVOP 970
Warrenton WGAC 93.1