The real answer is get rid of broadcast licenses altogether, and turn the spectrum over to unlicensed services (wifi, low powered broadcasting, do-it-yourself cell phones, etc). Getting rid of all the entry barriers is the only way to make things progressive.

How will TV networks be properly regulated? Do Republicans get to forge some documents about a Demcorat and go to air with them?

Regulated speech is not free. The government making licensing decisions based on perceived (by whom?) political beliefs would make the Founders roll over in their graves.

Jeebus, could you have been more off in your assessment of who I am, or did you think by putting it at the end of the thread that I would miss it? Idgit…

PS — I don’t know where in the hell you went to school, but at my college, I had a seminar on conservative political theory, in the heart of “liberal” Massachusetts, among several other courses that explored both liberal and conservative governmental principles and underpinnings. Educate yourself a little more about the facts before you hurt yourself.

But, you raised many excellent points Christy. The air waves do indeed belong to the public, if only at least technically. It’s hard to say what the right play is in this situation. Something needs to be done consistently until it’s balanced out for sure… I know too many old-timers back home who have completely skewed perspectives of politics because their only intake of information is early morning, extremely nutty conservative talk shows that have been airing the same message for thirty years.

Maybe the Fairness Doctrine was a little off, but something similar would suffice. Anything publicly owned should without question function in their good will. Ninety percent conservative doesn’t sound very good for anybody.

I tried listening to Air American once. Didn’t last long. Not my “cup of tea”. I don’t think that we win by becoming them. That just makes no sense to me.

Normalcy isn’t as entertaining as the train wreck that is right-wing nutlandia. Or, to be fair and balanced here, leftist nuttystan. Neither do much for me.

I don’t know who you listened to on Air America, but Thom Hartmann is one of the brightest and most interesting radio personalities in the nation. He is smarter by a landslide than anyone the right has to offer.

The reason talk radio is so popular is that it is a counter balance to most television, print,govt. media (NPR, PBS) and are universities which are completely dominated by the left.

You know it all, high horse liberals can’t see/admit this but we all know its the case.

The Liberals seem to have the leg up on the Wingnuts as far as the internet goes. That’s where I go to get my news and political opinion because of the seemingly endless choices out there. I can see the Conservatives of accusing Liberals of trying to regulate everything when the free market should be the decider in what gets on the air. Bill O’Rielly made this same argument just last night on his show. The argument makes sense until I read this article that makes the situation more clear. It seems like a few rich liberals could pitch in to keep liberal radio stations on the air. It’s a really important thing they could do without having to be so public about it or spend their valuable time a charity would require.

The entry fee to set up the Internet equivalent of a radio station is relatively small — no need to purchase a license and/or transmitter. With a bit of effort, one could even do the phone-in talk format without a studio.

There are two down sides to Internet radio:
– It doesn’t reach automobiles.
– The fees for broadcasting music are much higher.

A good investment for a well-funded progressive organization would be to get a really good 24/7 progressive stream onto XM. It would reach everyone who has satellite radio, and some of us would buy satellite radio just to have that available.