[tw]

Originally posted by Undertoad
The point of talk radio is not to communicate news, but opinion, and while I agree that it doesn't support a broad set of views that creates a healthy marketplace of ideas, ...

Correct. Talk radio is not to communicate news. However too many people use talk radio as their only source of news. To requote my post:

The scary part is that talk radio is problaby source of all news for many people.

As kbarger notes:

What bugs me is usually the callers, who often display a shocking amount of ignorance.

And yet this is the only news source for too many people. I never said those talk show caller's viewpoints were invalid. Instead, I agreed with kbarger:

posted by tw
Even [KYW news radio] is too simplistic - and yet probably [provides] more fact that most who call into talk radio know.

Originally posted by Undertoad
There isn't a force on earth, or off for that matter, that can take away a high-level broadcasting license right now.

I mistakenly assumed what is happening to many PBS stations is common knowledge. Christian Evangelicals "are on a campaign to remove PBS radios from the countryside." The legal process is quite simple. Religious broadcasters require a more powerful station to revoke PBS station repeater licenses. Worse still, PBS station cannot get those licenses back. In the countryside (not to be confused with urban areas), PBS is slowly being replaced by Christian Evangelical broadcasters. Have you noticed how many new Evangelical TV stations have started broadcasting in the Philly region? I count 4 - 3 more than two years ago. In radio, this expansion comes at the expense of PBS stations which Christian Evangelicals despise since PBS discusses topics like family planning and Darwinism.

Many now tune into the 700 Club (or whatever it is called) as their only source of news. It is their right. But it is also their responsiblity to learn of others so different - the only way to promote and understand tolerance. Religious broadcasters so often don't promote tolerance.

a man who marries outside of his religion inherits the devil for a father-in-law.

As kbarger notes, talk show callers "often display a shocking amount of ignorance." Same applies to Christian Evangelicals who even advocate a new Arab-Israeli war because that will lead to the second coming of Christ.

I find this widespread ignorance of the world more than just Leno comedy. I recently asked some high school graduates if they knew about Enron (as a result of a bad joke that no one seems to understand). Not one had ever heard of Enron even after being provided a summary. Yet a few knew that Darwinism was an outright lie.