Proglodyte thinks there's too much free speechin' goin' on

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

certainot (3,546 posts)

15. it should not have been close enough to steal

the only reason they were close and the only reason they have been able to create this alternate reality in which these ignorant corrupt lying global warming denying nutjobs can get elected because of a private email server and other bullshit is the free speech free ride they get with 1200 think tank coordinated radio stations.

we have to get house and senate in 2 years and can if the left/dems do something about talk radio

and if your state universities are helping trump radio attract advertisers to pay for global warming denial and defunding public ed, making excuses for trump, trying to end net neutrality, and generally everything undemocratic, protest anything trump there.

and tell their student groups and newspapers this:

xxxxxx

Your school is on a list of 88 universities at republiconradio.org that broadcast sports on 257 of Rush Limbaugh’s 600 radio stations. They could also be called Trump radio stations.

Your university is not only mocking it’s own mission statement, it is undermining the interests of most of its students, faculty, employees, and surrounding communities.

That makes your own school a legitimate place to protest any issue related to the Trump agenda.

Many of those relationships began prior to the 90’s, before they all began broadcasting propaganda for one party. There is no reason for those schools not to start looking for apolitical alternatives immediately.

The school administration will claim that it does not make business decisions based on politics. This is a question all those schools need to ask: If a radio station went to KKK programming would the university still let its mascot be used to sell a KKK agenda?

Those stations weigh in on elections for university regents and selection of administration including presidents and chancellors - is there a conflict of interest?

All of those stations will continue to deny global warming, deny reproductive rights to women, excuse racism and homophobia, and promote and excuse the Trump agenda. Republicans want to privatize public education, social security, and the post office. Their policies will raise college tuition. They want to reverse gains in health care reform. They want to end net neutrality. Those stations will be cheerleaders for the next war, as they were for the last one.

The station pays a licensing company a fee and the school gets a part of that. The station then gets to use the school logos, mascot, and community standing to attract advertising revenue. It gets to declare things like “850 KOA, home of the Buffs,and Rush Limbaugh!” Compared with TV licensing revenue talk radio stations pay very little.

Advertising revenue is used to fund station operating costs and pay for the national and local talk show hosts that broadcast from them most of the day.

Except for occasional innocuous programming all of those stations operate exclusively for the benefit of the Republican Party. They are coordinated with national and state GOP and their allied think tanks

If Trump would pay $1000/hr for a radio ad, 1200 nationwide stations x 15hrs/day x 5 days/week are worth about $5BIL/yr FREE for Trump. 255 x $75,000 = $19,125,000/WEEK FREE for Trump, or about $1BIL/yr endorsed by institutions of higher learning.

Those stations, licensed to operate in the public interest, are heavily dependent on the schools they parasitize and they all:
- deny global warming and science
- use public airwaves to sell voter suppression legislation
- use and excuse racism, misogyny, homophobia, and hate to divide communities
- work to deny reproductive rights for women and access to contraception
- fight environmental regulation, push fracking, and always support fossil fuel solutions over renewables
- fight to defund and privatize public education, attack teachers and work to lower their salaries, attack their unions, push voucher solutions and standardized testing, and obstruct efforts to lower student debt
- fight efforts to increase minimum wage
- undermine the economic and environmental interests of their communities
- use public airways to repeat propaganda that is demonstrably false and continue to lie after being corrected
- use public airwaves but use call screeners to exclude dissenting callers

How much revenue does the licensing company pay for radio broadcasting portion compared to the TV portion? Could donors make up the difference if there is a monetary loss? If there is a loss, how does it compare with the harm it is doing to its own principles, funding, students, and surrounding communities?

Are they violating their 501c3 tax exempt status? Here’s the IRS rule for political activity:
“Political activity. -  If any of the activities (whether or not substantial) of your organization consist of participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office, your organization will not qualify for tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3). Such participation or intervention includes the publishing or distributing of statements.”

No university has a good excuse not to reexamine it’s relationship with partisan radio stations and look for apolitical alternatives. If an existing contract cannot be voided without penalty, can donors be found to cover it?

Any university, state or private, supporting Republican talk radio is shooting itself in the foot, demeaning its mission statement and professed goals and values, and harming its students’ futures. 

<bitch list of university radio rates>

http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512649349#post15

[VelvetElvis]

Don't tell me, let me guess.
DUmmy certainot's favorite shirt color: BROWN

[BattleHymn]

we have to get house and senate in 2 years and can if the left/dems do something about talk radio

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMTDQZzQMKk[/youtube]


Can we nominate for The Ralphie? 


I humbly offer up to Mr. Wiggum the phrase "Do something" for 2016. 

[Carl]

That thread swims into uncharted waters of delusion and insanity.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

That thread swims into uncharted waters of delusion and insanity.

Uncharted, perhaps; but the depths have been well-plumbed.

[Ralph Wiggum]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMTDQZzQMKk[/youtube]


Can we nominate for The Ralphie? 


I humbly offer up to Mr. Wiggum the phrase "Do something" for 2016.

I've already made the selection.  Since I've been counting the votes and used to compile the yearly recap for over 10 years, decided to start my own award last year.  It will be worth the wait.

[Patriot Guard Rider]

Yes, instead of countering the argument, let's shut down the opposition.

Here's an investment opportunity for you DUmmie. Start your own left radio station. You can call it something like, "Air America". I'm sure it's going to be worth a fortune once it catches on.