And it s unfiltered. There are no gatekeepers or spinmeisters. I can communicate directly with the audience, and they with me, and 8 to 10 million people are listening. T alk radio is the one media forum where ordinary people can actually be heard. Call a station manager to complain about TV news and get a polite brush-off or a recorded message thanking you for your interest.
Listeners know that what they re hearing is authentic.
Liddy confesses he can t manage the forum, the way news is often shaped on network broadcasts. If I hang up on a caller, it s obvious to listeners that I can t handle him. At least callers have a chance to make their points. Talk radio does more than just kvetch and criticize. The defeat of the Clinton health care proposal is attributed in part to activists of the airwaves.