Conservative Internet Radio

AM talk radio is one form of media dominated by conservative commentators. Many radio shows also simul-cast over the internet.

I've written before about some local Connecticut shows available on WTIC 1080 in Hartford.

I stumbled upon a station that plays all the big national shows back-to-back-to-back and is available over the internet. "The Big Talker" AM 1210 out of Philadelphia broadcasts Glenn Beck at 9 AM Eastern, followed by Rush Limbaugh at noon, followed by Sean Hannity at 3 PM. They also have local personalities before and after these national shows. I'm able to fire up AM 1210 over the internet starting around 9 AM, and leave it on for rest of the work day.

If you're looking for a one-stop-shop for conservative talk, check out AM 1210. I've included the link below.

http://www.thebigtalker1210.com/

Please let Liberty Alert know if you have other favorite radio shows available over the internet.

Book Review -- Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

Lone Survivor is the true-life chronicle of a Navy Seal team that was ambushed in the mountains of Afghanistan. The author was the lone survivor of this ordeal.

This book was a national best seller with plans in the works for a movie.

The book focuses on the events in Afghanistan, but it traces Luttrell’s journey from small-town Texas kid to highly skilled soldier. Luttrell was already preparing to become a Navy Seal during his high school years. The book spends a lot of time giving the background of Luttrell’s Seal training. It also explains the events taking place back at Luttrell’s Texas home while he is fighting for his life in Afghanistan. This background sets the stage for the hardships Luttrell and his Seal team battle in Afghanistan.

The story of operation Redwing is a powerful true-life war story. Just the dramatic events that unfolded on the mountains of Afghanistan alone would make a fine book. However, the book sets itself apart by the detail the author spends on the non-battlefield aspects of this story. Though the battlefield adventure is the climax of the book, Luttrell intersperses the themes of honor, valor, love, family, dedication, excellence, and leadership as much with his off-battlefield stories as he does with the actual war story. Luttrell also gives his own matter-of-fact assessment of the battlefield impact of political events back home. He pulls no punches as he explains how the soldiers fighting in hostile lands are handcuffed by the ridiculous rules of engagement thrust upon them by liberal politicians back home. He also discusses the negative impact the liberal-slanted media has on the fighting soldiers. Luttrell explains how tactics that are the absolute right thing to do from a military strategy perspective are second-guessed because of the potential for negative media coverage. Luttrell makes the case that these policies cost actual American lives. To the soldiers, they are not abstract. They are living with the result of policies implemented by Washington Liberal do-gooders.

The book is an interesting look into the mindset of an elite soldier. It’s an action packed, and often gruesome war story. It’s an interesting political commentary. It’s a reassuring story about family, community, and ideals. This book is a recommended read.

Why Newspapers Are Failing -- The Closing of The Bristol Press, New Britain Herald, and the Steady Decline of The Hartford Courant

It was announced last week that unless a buyer can be found, two local central Connecticut newspapers, The Bristol Press and New Britain Herald, will close within the month. This comes on the tail of a 25% newsroom reduction at the largest paper in Connecticut, The Hartford Courant. The Hartford Courant revamped (read: cut content) from their paper following this staff reduction. The paper is noticeably thinner. Despite this most recent big cut, the down slide of content and quality at the Hartford Courant is not a new trend. For years the paper has been going downhill. As a long time subscriber, I've witnessed the decline first hand. I can remember when the Sunday Courant used to be so think and so full of interesting information that I could hardly finish it in one day. Now I finish the Sunday paper before my first cup of coffee is done. Papers across the country are having a difficult time adjusting to the "new media" of 24 hour cable news and the internet. They are floundering to find a strategy in today's reality. Perhaps the most troubling trend for the newspaper business is an apathetic younger generation that seems to have no interest in serious news in any format.

This story is certainly not unique to Connecticut. All around, the newspaper business is in a bad place.

I am a dedicated newspaper reader. It's part of my routine and part of my life. I start every day with the Hartford Courant. However, these days even I'm having second thoughts. The content of the paper has never been thinner. Of the remaining content, much of it has fallen into a heavy bias. Perhaps the Hartford Cournat is simply playing to their market with Connecticut being one of the bluest of the blue states, but if that's the case it's not good journalism. Good journalism is supposed to be non-biased. I am not naive enough to believe that anything can be truly unbiased, but I do believe that a paper can at least strive to be impartial. The Hartford Courant has lost it's way. Out of the 5 significant regular columnists (Stan Simpson, Jim Shea, Susan Campbell, Helen Ubinas, Colin McEnroe) to the Courant, all 5 are unapologetic liberals. The paper has absolutely no conservative counterpoint to balance out the opinions. I wonder if I'm the only reader who's noticed this. Does the editorial staff notice? Do they care? They've sold their journalistic soul and become a shell of themselves. Intelligent readers, regardless of their political leanings, can tell the difference.

The Hartford Courant and the newspaper business in general needs to do what any business needs to do when they are losing out to competition. They need to improve the quality of their product. They can start by getting back to doing some real reporting and dropping the political agenda.

Why I Can't Cancel My Newsweek Subscription

I've been a subscriber to Newsweek magazine for years now. The magazine has always had a left-ward slant, but in recent years it has become nearly unbearable. The magazine is filled with liberal opinion pieces, and liberal-biased journalism disguised as non-biased reporting. While reading the most recent issue, I became disgusted vowed to cancel my subscription. This vow has passed my lips several times before in the past. However, this time, like all the previous times, I was drawn back. I read George Will's column on the very last page of the magazine. George Will's column, once again, prevented me from canceling my subscription.

The subject of this weeks column was the erosion of election day due to the rise of pre-election day voting. You can read the column at the following link:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/161202

I was appalled at the mess our election process has become.

But beyond the actual issue discussed in the article, I was taken aback once again by the skill of George Will. His use of language and ability to lay out an argument is unparalleled. No other person has had the ability to change my mind on a subject as often as Will.

George Will is known as a conservative columnist, but more often than not his articles are non-partisan. The article this week has nothing to do with Democrats or Republicans. He also throws in a column about sports and other various subjects on occasion.

The columns written by George Will are so good that they keep me subscribing to the liberal propaganda publication by the name of Newsweek magazine. I recommend taking the time to read his columns regardless of your political leanings.

Why Does An All-Conservative Radio Station Thrive in a Blue State?

Recently while flipping through the AM dial on my way home from work I discovered a new (to me) talk radio station in Connecticut. The station calls itself the "Talk of Connecticut". The station affiliates include WDRC 1360, WMMW 1470, WWCO 1240, and WSNG 610 providing coverage through most of Connecticut. I tune in on 1360. The stations contains a continuous stream of conservative leaning talk shows starting with local radio guy Brad Davis in the morning, moving to Bill O'Reilly in mid-day, again to local radio guy Dan Lovallo in the afternoon, and ending with Michael Savage in the evening. I enjoy listening to the station, especially the shows that put a local spin on issues. The stations website is:

http://www.talkofconnecticut.com/

Keeping in mind that Connecticut is one of the top five "bluest" states in the US, how is an all-conservative radio station able to thrive? Why do conservatives unquestioningly dominate talk radio, as well as having an upper hand in the blogosphere? I'd be interested in hearing your ideas.

I have a few theories:

Theory #1: Liberals so dominate the print and TV media, that conservatives are hungry to hear their message. Rush Limbaugh is such a powerful and successful radio personality that he pushed open the door for an entire legion of conservative radio show hosts.

Theory #2: The radio format is more conducive to a conservative message. The liberal message relies more heavily on emotional manipulation. TV and print allows the use of images that can more easily play to our emotional side. In radio it's more difficult to illicit an emotional response, therefore, it becomes more difficult to convey a liberal message. Radio plays into a more logic based conservative message.

Theory #3: Outside the urban centers, America is generally a conservative-leaning country. The news media has propagated the incorrect theory that the coasts are blue states and the heartland is red. This is not the true blue-red divide within the United States. If you look at the red-blue breakdown you will see that even in the reddest states, the urban areas are solidly blue. The real red-blue divide is between urban and rural. The coastal states are blue simply because they are the most densely populated (i.e. the most urban), not because of some liberal elixir in the ocean air.

Theory #4: The Democratic base largely does not listen to talk radio. Radio stations create a format to attract listeners, which attracts advertisers, which attacks revenue. Remember, radio stations are a for-profit business.

Regardless of the reasons, there's no denying that conservative ideals dominate talk radio, even in a blue state like Connecticut.

Neil Cavuto is a New Liberty Alert Hero

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but Neil Cavuto of the Fox News Network has become my new hero for this week. Up to this point, I have not seen a lot of Neil, but the other day I happened to catch an interview he conducted with New Jersey Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone regarding off-shore oil drilling. Neil Cavuto totally whipped the floor with this clueless congressman. You can see the transcript of the interview here:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,399384,00.html

Unfortunately I was not able to find a video of the interview. However, since I was so impressed with this interview, I searched for other Neil Cavuto interviews. Check out this one on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUsLLDClJRE

It's refreshing to finally see a reporter that does not take any bull from these double talking politicians.

I can't speak for Neil Cavuto's entire body of work, but these recent interviews really impressed me. I will be looking to catch Neil's show on the Fox News Network in the future. Neil's show is called Your World with Neil Cavuto. A link to the show is below:

http://www.foxnews.com/yourworld/index.html