Obama and Conservative Right Wing Radio
Will a Democrat President Help or Hurt the Syndicated Talk Shows?
Dec 5, 2008
The future of conservative, right wing radio may depend upon actions that President Obama takes during his time in office. If Obama goes too far to the left, it will provide fodder for the media however, if he becomes a centrist, it could spell a declining audience for these shows.
The Clinton "Golden Age' of Radio Talk Shows
There are similarities between when Bill Clinton arrived in the White House with Democratic majorities in 1993. Clinton had the same speaking ability as Obama that endeared him to the voting public. It was during this time that conservative Republicans turned to talk radio to get their message on the airways.
Rush Limbaugh, witty, passionate, and ferociously focused on the Clinton agenda and followed by others who followed or imitated him, began fighting back against the Clinton agenda---gays in the military, Hillary's health care plan. Within a two year period, their efforts paid off as the Republicans captured both the House and the Senate. The Republicans were so grateful to Limbaugh, they made him a member of their caucus. (USA Today, 12/4/08)
Conservative Radio Competition
The Clinton era provided a wealth of material, including the Monica Lewinsky scandal as well as other tidbits from the President's womanizing past. But today, the competition for political junkies come from many other sources, some featuring progressives:
- Cable TV
- The Internet
- TV Comedians.
- TV Commentators
No time was there more evidence of the impact of the competition than during the November 2006 election when the Republicans went down to defeat and Democrats regained control of the House and Senate. The divisions between the "real conservatives" and "moderates" resulted in diatribes against those who voted with the Democrats or simply stayed home on election day. During this time, right wing talk show hosts, like Limbaugh, continued to back Bush even as the President's poll numbers collapsed.
Conservative Radio Future
Much will depend upon whether or not Obama repeats Clintonesque mistakes with polarizing programs. If he tries to bring back the "Fairness Doctrine" to please the Democrat far left, it may be a shot in the arm to right wing Republican talk shows. However, if the new president governs from the center, the conservative talk shows could become irrelevant. In addition, Obama is internet-savvy, as he proved during this last election, which could further undermine conservative radio talk shows.
Conservative talk shows have dominated radio for almost the last decade however in a slowing economy with a shrinking advertising base, Republicans may have to begin to rethink how to attract an audience who may be looking for answers rather than diatribes. For broadcasters, that may begin with what Obama does about the Fairness Doctrine or a substitute for it. The response from right wing radio may determine the approach that will be used in the future.
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