
 |
|
June 17, 2013
June 12, 2013
Stephanie Hanes: Little girls or little women? The Disney princess effect
Fred Weir: In tweak to US, Russia would 'consider' asylum for Snowden
June 10, 2013
The Kosher Gourmet by Anjali Prasertong: A tart filling so good it might not make it to the crust
June 5, 2013
John Rosemond: Mom, Dad: Talk More and listen less
Kristen Chick: Egypt court sentences 43 pro-democracy workers to prison
June 3, 2013
Molly Hennessy-Fiske: Military judge to consider letting Fort Hood shooting defendant represent himself
May 29, 2013
Andrew Connelly and Helene Bienvenu: The Little Synagogue that Refused to Die
May 24, 2013
Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb: When I didn't so 'humbly disagree'
May 22, 2013
John Thorne:
They launched the 'Arab Spring' but now yearn for the good old days of a strongman
May 20, 2013
Richard A. Serrano: Is Meir Kahane's assassin now a changed man?
Melissa Healy: Genetic copies of living people from embryos no longer science fiction
Jewz in the Newz by Nate Bloom : Jews Inducted into Rock Hall of Fame; Anton Yelchin co-stars in New "Trek" film; Kutcher (but not Kunis) visits Israel; Jewish TV Star Praises Jewish Rap Star
The Kosher Gourmet by Cathy Pollak: WARNING: This WALNUT CAKE WITH PRALINE FROSTING, perfect for afternoon coffee, is addicting
|
| |
Jewish World Review
March 22, 2007
/ 3 Nissan, 5767
On my campaign trail
By
Bob Tyrrell
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I am campaigning. Having just published my book chronicling Bill Clinton's death-defying retirement years ("The Clinton Crack-Up: The Boy President's Life After the White House"), I am now out on the campaign trail singing its praises and denying any foul intent to harm the Clintons. In days gone by, one went on what was called "the book tour." That involved traveling to major cities, making a few appearances on literate television and radio shows, and perhaps giving a lecture and interviews to newspaper writers responsible for the literary corners of their papers. Today all has changed.
The "book tour" mainly involves undertaking interviews with hundreds of hosts from talk radio all over the country. There are also a few television appearances. All, however, are related to current news. In years gone by, authors were interviewed by journalists whose beats were strictly books. That almost never happens today. When I published my first books in the 1970s, authors were often asked to appear on the "late shows," the shows now hosted by David Letterman and Jay Leno, and the even later late night shows. These "late late" night shows would have me on when I was a young man. I never made it to the shows of Johnny Carson or his contemporary rivals. Their successors, Letterman and Leno, now never have authors on, and if the later night shows do, I have not heard about it. The nature of audiences has changed.
The biggest change is the rise of what is called "talk radio," which is almost completely dominated by conservatives. The other day I asked an amiable producer of scores of shows for ABC why conservative listeners are so dominant in the radio markets of the country. I cannot recall that he answered the question, but he did cite studies that make it clear that the talk radio audience is overwhelmingly conservative. That has not always been the case. Before there were Rush and Sean and the gang there were popular talk radio hosts in major cities and as I recall they were almost all liberals. The audience has changed. The hosts have changed. And even the networks that own these stations have adapted to the market.
Television has been slower to adapt. Of all the networks, only Fox has catered to conservative viewers. True to its motto, the network has been "fair and balanced." Many of its shows feature both a conservative and a liberal host, for instance "Hannity & Colmes" and "The Beltway Boys" with Fred Barnes and Morton Kondracke. Yet Fox has offered conservatives a place where their views are given at least some attention. The consequence is that with smaller resources to draw on, Fox has outstripped CNN and become the No. 1 cable news network in the country. I wonder when the news sections of ABC, CBS and NBC will catch on. There is nothing immoral about paying heed to the market.
In fact, if major media paid a bit more attention to the conservative market they might serve one of the purposes that a free media is supposed to serve, to wit, accountability. An enormous amount of sheer nonsense spews forth from the liberal world and is never challenged. Recently I had occasion to dip into a major book by one of liberalism's most prominent figures, Terry McAuliffe, formerly chairman of the Democratic Party and a close associate of both Clintons. In "What A Party" he retails his life in politics. I read only the paragraph that discusses the growth of conservative magazines since the founding of National Review. Here is what he says about "something called The American Spectator."
He claims the magazine "took under-the-table money from an ultra conservative named Richard Mellon Scaife." Actually, we accepted foundation grants in a very public accounting and there has never been any evidence substantiating this mendacious charge. McAuliffe goes on to claim that the money was used to pay for articles that claimed President Clinton "ordered the murder of political opponents." Doubtless scores of mainstream media journalists have interviewed McAuliffe about his book. Has any ever asked him who it was we claimed was murdered at Clinton's behest or when our articles appeared?
Most of my appearances this week have been with conservative talk show hosts. If ever I published the twaddle McAuliffe has fabricated, I can tell you I would not get off lightly. The conservative mind is not as tolerant of bosh as McAuliffe's soul mates.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Bob Tyrrell is editor in chief of The American Spectator. Comment by clicking here.
Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Christine Flowers
Peter Funt
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
A. Barton Hinkle
Jeff Jacoby
Paul Johnson
John Kass
Jack Kelly
Ch. Krauthammer
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Clarence Page
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Michael Reagan
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Greg Schwem
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Lenore Skenazy
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
Cathy Young
Mort Zuckerman

Eric Allie
Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Nate Beeler
Lisa Benson
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
John Branch
Daryl Cagle
Patrick Chappatte
John Cole
Paul Combs
J. D. Crowe
John Darkow
Bill Day
John Deering
Sean Delonas
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Randall Enos
Mallard Fillmore
David Fitzsimmons
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Walt Handelsman
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
David Horsey
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Mike Keefe
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Chan Lowe
Jimmy Margulies
Gary McCoy
Rick McKee
Jack Ohman
Jeff Parker
Milt Priggee
Michael Ramirez
Rob Rogers
Steve Sack
Bill Schorr
Drew Sheneman
Kevin Siers
David Ray Skinner
Jeff Stahler
Scott Stantis
Danna Summers
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters
Christopher Weyant
Larry Wright
Dan Wasserman
Adam Zyglis

Tech Q&A
Mr. Know-It-All
Ask Doctor K
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|