How Progressive Talk Radio Assistsed Obama's Victory

The big complaint by conservatives about today's so-called "mainstream media" is that America's radio, TV and newspapers are controlled and influenced by left-leaning power brokers who put a liberal slant on news and opinion.

The notion of a "liberal mainstream media" is promoted as native assumption by conservative talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly. Their urgent call to resist liberalism in all its forms has convinced millions of people that a culture war must be fought through combatting the so-called liberal media and its agenda. Somewhat ironically, media organizations like Fox "News" have assembled groups of commentators who process conservative opinion through news formats on hope that listeners and viewers will accept conservative ideology as fact. This formula worked exceedingly well until mainstream society caught up with its critical mass and began countering its formulaic bias through critical analysis and competitive response.

The direct competitive response to calculatedly conservative opinion outlets is the evolution of Progressive Talk radio. Starting basically from scratch, media companies like Air America cobbled together lineups of talk show hosts whose political leanings served as counterpoints to Limbaugh, Hannity and O'Reilly. Early efforts by Air America were rough and unpolished. Production snafus included dead air and commercials playing over content. Yet listeners seeking alternatives to the conservative talk radio bully pulpit were so eager for a counterbalance these flaws were easily forgiven. Liberal radio hosts sensed an opportunity and wrestled for dominance as Air America and other liberal outlets expanded their reach. The wave of liberal programming was not quite strong enough to counter the 2004 political hijinks of George W. Bush, the Republican National Committee and Swift Boaters against John Kerry, but as networks like Air America (which faced bankruptcy before emerging reformed) evolved into efficiency and profitability, something new and effective began to emerge.

That something new was Progressive Talk radio. The difference between Progressive Talk and liberal talk radio was semantic in part, but in the game of politics, semantics counts for everything. As left-leaning radio moved from using the word "liberal" to describe its content and goals to the more politically acceptable term "progressive," programming suddenly and emphatically matured. The hidden benefit of this shift was that listeners jumping over from stations with conservative programming hardly heard the word "liberal" any more. Talk show hosts like Bill Press and Ed Schultz adopted the Progressive mantle and even jousted on air with programmers who still preferred the "liberal" label. Progressive Talk emerged victorious just in time for the runup to the 2008 election.

Like any politically-focused media, Progressive Talkers run the gamut from mainstream to extreme. The Kings of Vitriol include talker Mike Malloy, a well-informed but highly contentious radio show host who likes to call Bush a "criminal." At the other end of the spectrum is Thom Hartmann, who is wont to have conservative personalities on the air to conduct arguments over issues. Hartmann rarely seems to lose these arguments.

In the early days of liberal talk, comedian Al Franken broke ground in important ways by directly confronting Rush Limbaugh on air and in print. Franken resigned as radio show host to run for a Senate seat in Minnesota, barely losing the race to Norm Coleman. Only hundreds of votes separated the two. This jump from media personality to near-Senator shows the growing success of Progressive centrism in America, however.

Which brings us to the presidential run of Barack Obama and how Progressive Talk radio contributed to victory for Democrats across the nation.

In the media market of Chicago, Progressive Talk shows were sparse and difficult to find prior to 2002. Meanwhile radio stations like WLS 890 AM ran Limbaugh, Hannity and a host of local conservative talkers. Along came a small player called Newsweb Radio, a regionally owned radio group that purchased a day-timer signal at 850 AM. WCPT AM 850 ran Air America programming that fizzled out when it got dark at night. Then the station migrated to a stronger signal at 820 AM. On October 20, 2008, WCPT programming took over three powerful FM signals owned by Newsweb formerly used to broadcast eclectic music under the banner NINE FM: "We Play Anything." As the Progressive message grew stronger, so has the broadcast signal for WCPT.

WCPT General Manager Harvey Wells has overseen the growth and transition of Progressive Talk radio from pipsqueak liberal voice on 820 AM to major player on the FM dial with three signals and coverage for most of northern Illinois, including Chicago. This ascendance follows the straight line of Democrats returning to power starting with success in the 2006 election and continuing through this year's victory by Obama. While Illinois has traditionally been a "blue" state, electing Obama over nationally-known conservative Alan Keyes in a race for Senator from Illinois, there is little doubt politicians like Obama and other Democrats benefited from the growth and support of Progressive Talk stations nationwide. Democrats gained additional seats in both House and Senate races in 2008 as well.

It has not been an easy road for Progressive Talk radio. When Air America suffered financially, a chortling Rush Limbaugh gleefully leapt on the story claiming "liberal talk" had no listeners. What he fails to mention is that his buddies at conservative Fox News have suffered financially as well. To promote sponsors local programmers like WCPT often run advertisements highlighting their advertisers outside paid commercials. Often these additional ads focus on a feeling of cause and community.

The biggest accomplishment in the evolution of Progressive Talk Radio has been the balancing effect on public opinion. The Progressive Talk informational approach has been complimented by the fact-checking and web-dogging efforts of organizations like Media Matters and factcheck.org. Together these media groups help dissolve the effects of smear campaigns and misinformation favored by aggressive political operatives. All these media forces ultimately protect democracy and solidify mind share in the marketplace of ideas we call America. No longer do claims and accusations by conservative talkers go unchallenged. From Bill Press to Keith Olbermann, Stephanie Miller to Rachel Mattow, the Progressive movement has a multifaceted voice.

For Progressives it has not been an easy road to travel, but it has been a fun road to ride.