Free Talk Live: Not a Typical Talk Show

When one listens to talk radio, you might traditionally think of the Rush Limbaugh or Al Franken types promoting hard-line conservative and liberal opinions. They will comment on the political issues of the day, present the mantra of their side of the aisle, and regurgitate the talking points given by think tanks. Well, there's a new kid in town who has chosen to not take either of the sides and instead has created a fresh breeze in to the room of stale air that is talk radio. The talk show, Free Talk Live, has been in existence since 2002 and is turning a lot of heads.

So what makes Free Talk Live different from the Michael Savage's, the Rush Limbaugh's, and the Al Franken's of the world? Well, instead of promoting traditional Republican or Democratic views, they instead focus on the ideas of freedom and liberty and discuss ways citizens might be able to protect their freedoms from the tyranny of government.

The show came into existence in 2002 on 105.9FM in Sarasota Florida, and soon became a regular weeknight show. The show had given the station the first ratings it had seen in quite some time, but the station changed formats and moved to an AM station where it was first syndicated.

The show broadcasts for an astonishing 18 hours a week, from 7 PM to 10 PM Eastern from Monday through Saturday. The hosts are also very dedicated, as they rarely ever take breaks and often broadcast shows on holidays in which nearly ever other talk show is on vacation. Most recently, they had a show on Thanksgiving Day of 2006. The show is currently syndicated in 16 markets across the nation, but also has a very large online following through the live stream of the show and podcast downloads.

The primary hosts, Ian Bernard and Mark Edge, discuss the libertarian viewpoint on the stories of the day, invite guests from organizations like Downsize DC to talk about the issues they are promoting, interview Libertarian candidates, and promote an organization called the Free State Project, which is an attempt to bring 20,000 liberty minded activists to the state of New Hampshire in hopes of shrinking the size of government and securing personal liberties for that state.

However the hosts do not limit the topic of conversation to political discussions, the tagline for the show is that it's the radio show "where you can take control," as one of the hosts often states. They invite listeners to call in about anything, and practice very minimal call screening. There are many instances in which personal issues, and other discussions come about because of calls.

Free Talk Live might not be the biggest and most well known talk show yet, however it is definitely providing something new to listen to then the traditional political mantra, and it is certainly growing in size and audience.