Listening to KSL radio recently, I was astounded to hear their Editorial Board commentator, Don Gale, deliver an essay that was essentially negative regarding talk radio.
He listed reasons to disregard or discredit talk radio as follows: It is produced and listened to by mostly "chronic dissidents"; its few listeners are mostly "nay-sayers"; the overall effect is "sour grapes"; and it can have no effect on public thinking.His essay disregards the fact that his very own commentary is an aspect of talk radio and that KSL radio itself has interesting and informative talk shows hosted by announcers Bob Lee and Doug Wright.
In another radio broadcast I heard recently, talk radio was referred to by Sen. Bill Armstrong, R-Colo., as "The town meeting of the 20th century."
I am convinced that talk radio had a strong impact on the 1992 general election, being at least partly instrumental in voting about 124 career politicians out of Congress.
Since the talk radio hosts have the capability to interview directly those politicians suspected of wrong-doing - or to praise those having accomplished some action in favor of their constituents rather than their special interest, they constitute a watch-dog for their listening public.
Thanks in great measure to them, the American public is ever becoming more aware of the propensity for deceit, graft, waste and corruption of government at all levels.
R.B. Swenson
South Ogden