The radio station that has so frequently tortured truth to protect its financial interests is suddenly standing up for the First Amendment. Bengals President Mike Brown has been accused of trying to ''muzzle'' some of The Big One's bigger mouths before selling his team's radio rights to rival Chancellor Broadcasting. No surprise there. WLW said nothing of the sort. The station lost the Bengals not by standing on principle, but by stepping on toes.
Conflict is what works in talk radio nowadays.
Mike Brown had had enough of it, and the station wasn't about to abandon a proven formula for the sake of a football team. Ultimately, the station's interest in ratings superseded its interest in rights holding. Confrontation is nearly always more entertaining than bland boosterism. Still, the line between debate and debasement often becomes blurry at The Big One. They are not sincere.