There was a time in American history when the radio was the centerpiece for family entertainment and newsgathering.
As advances in technology made it possible to transmit and intercept images, the radio lost its importance. News became an industry of entertainment and a means of educating the public on the sex lives of our favorite celebrities instead of giving fair and balanced information about the important happenings in the world. Now, through the advent and advances in Internet technology, the radio station may be making a comeback.
Just under a month ago, Air America Radio aired its first transmission from a small radio studio in New York City. And, even though there are only 11 stations nationwide, and none are in New Mexico, anyone with an Internet connection and a curious mind can stream a live broadcast right through their computers at www.airamericaradio.com.
Conservative talk radio has had its say for the last decade, but Air America Radio is looking to change all that by playing the left side of the argument and doing it with the same gusto as people like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage. The difference is Air America attacks rightists with a certain amount of wit and a solid dose of the well-researched truth rather than the obscene lies and blatant hypocrisy that some right-wing nuts try to pass as fact.
Although the liberal talk-radio movement has never been able to pick up national steam - due partially to conservative-controlled radio behemoths and "expert analysis" from within the industry - it would seem that the more than one million daily streamers of Air America would fly in the face of conventional wisdom. But is it really so surprising? Remember, liberal-minded Americans are the majority and any doubt of this can be alleviated by a quick glance at the final numbers regarding the 2000 presidential election. Apparently, the silent majority is hungry to hear a new point of view.
True, I do have a vested interest in seeing Kerry win the upcoming election. I would like to find a job after graduation that doesn't involve triple-thick shakes and tiny ketchup-covered pickles. However, I also have an open mind and little time for research. And, as any college student or graduate should know, research is essential for understanding a complicated topic. Defendable judgments can't be made based on one-sided arguments. Just because the president is an admitted non-reader isn't an excuse to make assumptions based solely on something that some guy on the boob tube or in the college paper said.
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The point of all this is that people lie, misdirect and generally spin information to build up their side while making their opponents look foolish in the eyes of uninformed Americans. Air America Radio has now offered an alternative.
So in the words of "The O'Franken Factor" host Al Franken, "Liars beware." Air America Radio is doling out its own brand of truth, justice and the American way.
