One thing that has a good chance of happening under a President Obama is the re-institution of the Fairness Doctrine. The Fairness Doctrine was in place in US radio up until 1981 (I think) and it said that every single radio station that had political opinion had to make sure an equal amount of opposing opinion was represented.
This could end political opinion talk radio aka conservative talk radio. Radio stations may simply opt out of talk radio because twelve hours of lefty talk ain't gonna sell advertising space. Radio stations will take on different formats so they can make money. As Air America proved, liberal talk radio doesn't sell.
The scary thing is that a President Obama does not need congress enacting the Fairness Doctrine to kill conservative talk radio. There is a little known clause in the communication act that allows the FCC panel to force liberals on radio station advisor boards in the name of community representation. This doesn't guarantee the death of talk radio, but it makes more likely. And while the FCC has to have two Democrats and two Republicans on it's panel, the fifth member is a presidential appointee. An Obama appointee.
Don't think it could happen? You may be right, but just the other day House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced she wants Congress to look into the Fairness Doctrine again.
The Democratic congress is trying to kill conservative talk radio. Yet us religious conservatives are accused of being frascists and trying to force our way of life on everyone else all the while clamoring for a smaller government. Smaller government means a less powerful government, folks. How can we be for forcing anything on those we disagree with if we want smaller government? The fascistic tendencies are on the left.
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I would be more worried if I were you about these two factors killing talk radio:
1. Most of it is on AM. And most of its listeners are over 55. It's a struggle getting younger people to listen to radio at all, much less AM.
By the way, there are two powerful disincentives to stations throwing in the towel on talk and going back to music -- music doesn't work on AM, which is why they started talk in the first place, and the record companies are about to get Congress to force radio stations to pay more royalties for their songs. That's going to cost radio stations more than hiring a boatload of liberals to balance things out.
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