DC radio loses gay-friendly progressive talk AM 1260
”The area’s only progressive talk station is changing formats, dropping such syndicated liberal hosts as Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller and Bill Press in favor of financial news, starting next week. The move by Redskins owner Dan Snyder, who purchased the station, WWRC, and others in Washington last summer, leaves the city without a liberal radio outlet. Program Director Greg Tantum says he thought the station could work because of enthusiasm over Obama, but that ratings collapsed to a level that could not be measured after the election.”
Washington Post media columnist Howard Kurtz explaining the sudden disappearance of the AM 1260 radio format that featured mostly gay-supportive, left-wing progressives. The liberal-friendly radio station, that included Rachel Maddow, originally began as Air America Radio a few years ago, then changed its name to Progressive Talk 1260 as a variety of syndicated talk show hosts were added to the line-up, and late last year to the rather ridiculous name of Obama 1260. (Washington Post)
”As first reported by the Post’s media critic, Howard Kurtz, Dan Snyder’s Red Zebra Broadcasting Company, owner of Obama 1260, has announced plans to jettison all progressive talk and replace it with canned, pre-recorded financial advice programming.
”The commercial use of public airwaves is supposed to reflect the local community. But not in Washington. On the AM dial, 630 WMAL features wall-to-wall conservative talk. So do stations 570 WTNT and 1580 WHFS. For the last two years, AM 1260 – even with a weak signal that can not be heard in downtown Washington – was the one exception. No longer. Starting Monday, February 9, our nation’s capitol, where Democrats control the House, Senate, and White House, and where Democrats outnumber Republicans ten to one, will have no progressive voices on the air.
”Or maybe one. In order to mollify critics, Red Zebra has said it will add Ed Schultz to its conservative line-up on 570 AM. Which means Shultz will be outgunned in this market by at least 15 conservative talkers: Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, Chris Plante, Michael Smerconish, Michael Savage, Andy Parks, Fred Grandy, Bill Bennett, Monica Crowley, Bill O’Reilly, Dennis Miller, and Lars Larsen. No matter how good Schultz is, that’s not a fair contest – nor a fair use of the public airwaves.”
Washington-based, morning talk show host Bill Press talking about his last day of his show airing on DC’s WWRC AM 1260, a formerly progressive and gay-friendly talk radio format. He makes the case for supporting the Fairness Doctrine in that right-wing conservatives continue to dominate the airwaves because station owners refuse to support and promote viewpoints from left-wing Democrats and other political progressives. (The Bill Press Show)
”There were so many wealthy progressives out there that could have made [progressive radio] happen. It ended up being on Sheldon’s shoulders.”
Anita Drobny on the mental breakdown and reported suicide attempt by her husband Sheldon Drobny after the financial collapse of Nova M radio. The Drobnys founded Nova M as a liberal presence on the talk radio circuit, but had previously helped to establish Air America Radio. Their most famous talk personality was Randi Rhodes who stopped broadcasting some days before Nova M filed for liquidation. (Wall Street Journal) Washington DC’s liberal talk station Obama 1260 recently converted to an all-financial talk format leaving the commercial talk airwaves to an overwhelmingly far-right political influence.
Most of the Progressive talk radio shows can still be heard online at a variety of sites:
- Air America Radio — The Lionel Show, Thom Hartmann, Ron Reagan
- The Rachel Maddow Show
- The Ed Shultz Show
- The Bill Press Show
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