MovieChat Forums > Talk Radio (1989) Discussion > Liberal Talk Radio Hosts?

Liberal Talk Radio Hosts?

posted 10 years ago by pauluswiggus
19 replies | jump to latest

I lot of these boards mention that this film seems dated by the issues being discussed (not being 'edgy' by today's standards). But, what I found strange was that the host is so liberal. I'm Australian, and here talk radio is strictly the domain of right-wing conservatives. I had assumed that the USA was similar (Rush Limbaugh and the like). Were liberal talk radio hosts common in the 80s or has there been a shift in the political perspective on talk radio? Do liberal hosts like the character here really exist?

[–] Zuider_Zee 10 years ago

America used to have a left-wing liberal talk radio network called "Air America" but the hosts were pig-headed unpleasant people who were well known for their intolerance of opposing points of view. It went down the tubes very quickly.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Oediface 9 years ago

Air America tanked because of extremely poor management, which led to bankruptcy. Its only host who might be described as "pig-headed" was Randi Rhodes, who quit basically because the network wouldn't let her be a left-wing response to Michael "Savage" Weiner.

The network also lost two of its biggest (and most intelligent) names: Rachel Maddow to MSNBC and Al Franken to the U.S. Senate.

Nothing broadcast on Air America was any more "unpleasant" or "vitriolic" or "intolerant of opposing points of view" than a typical day of right-wing radio programming or FOXPAC "news." The network failed simply because its suits had little to no idea of how to do what they were doing.

[–] spongejeg 9 years ago

Air America was horrible. If you listened to one day of it that's what it was every day. The same exact crying and bitching by rich liberals that want to tell everyone else what to do but they're exempt. If it was only bad management it failed why does msnbc barely have any viewers? Mr. Maddow on a great night has 300,000 viewers.Randi Rhodes talked about Bush winning the 2000 election for ten years that's all she had to talk about. The main issue was moron "comedians" tried to talk politics and failed miserably. Just like every other liberal actor that tried the liberal talk show rout failed. Alec Baldwin to name one. The problem with liberals arguing is they have no facts just feelings of how everyone else should live their life. Countless liberals want to take guns from the American citizens but they all have guns themselves or body guards carrying guns but again they are immune from they're own liberal logic.

[–] kaligula 8 years ago

Anyone who talks about politics in this two-dimensional way as if it were sports (red team vs blue team) exemplifies the problem. And people wonder why we are consistently stuck with terrible political candidates.

But by all means, go ahead and keep beating that strawman!

[–] kurt7825 7 years ago

i agree. Air America was a bunch of elite libtard nuts

[–] snepts (11123) 5 years ago

U r n fing moron

[–] greg-goremykin 9 years ago

You obviously never listened to it while it was on; it was definitely not a left-wing version of Rush Limbaugh or Fox News like you're claiming. It probably would have done better if it was, it was more like NPR than anything. Quit making things up out of thin air, it makes you look like an idiot.

[–] freejazz38 9 years ago

Yea, Zuider, like Rush Limbaugh isn't. Hahahahahahahahahahaha. What a putz

[–] launlori 9 years ago

I see Bary as a less sex talking Howard Stern. Air Anerica was boring that's why it didn't succeed. Al Franken just isn't that funny. Now if they gave Bill Maher some air time on Air Anerica .... They may have gotten somewhere.

I think they didn't have the right format. I listened to Air America for about 6 months. I'm also a Howard Stern fan.

This is one of the best films from the 80's. I recently watched it again. It doesn't disapoint.

[–] activista 9 years ago

@launiori

Air America wasn't boring in the least---it was great to hear a liberal rebuttal to all the right-wing bull**** that pretty much still dominates the airwaves today. I listened to it for years, until it went off the air in early 2012,which,of course, pretty much eliminated most liberal radio voices in my area. I loved it---what sucks is that the only radio station in the area that broadcast it not only went off the air, the station itself was actually shut down shortly afterwards---now that was crazy as hell right there.

[–] marcjacobspants 9 years ago

I don't think the issue was about him being Right/Left or Liberal/Conservative. This had more to do with "Shock Jock", or Disc Jockeys who try to inflame passions and to flabbergast the listener. Obviously this movie is a morality play (like many of Stone's movies). In the mid to late 1980's Talk Radio was not yet a Politically "right" medium but the Shock Jock was definitely on the ascent. Howard Stern was the #1 DJ in two major markets including NYC by 1986. Many other local stations had something similar in tone.

[–] sonofbeach-sheet 9 years ago

Barry was no liberal. He wanted to lash out at anybody that didn't agree with his views or just plain moronic. The people he was good to were those that were hurting and didn't judge him.

[–] merh 9 years ago

This was patterned in part on Tom Leykos. Last time I listened to him he seemed more Libertarian.

It also seems like a midnight talk show I'd hear from time to time on the 70s where people called in talking about anything. Conspiracy theories, aliens, whatever

[–] lindsayross 8 years ago

Try Biggsy on 102.7 RRR Melbourne, 9-12 each Friday.

For the last hour he takes calls and is the definition of a left wing shock jock. It is a good show and he is interesting to listen to. But the callers are too often in furious agreement with him. It would be more colourful if he had some opposing viewpoints but either they are too scared, or right wing nut jobs would never be listening to a community station anyway.

[–] wylierichardson-966-922691 8 years ago

Eric Bogosian might have simply been injecting his own political views into the role that he created. It might not have been intended to be representative of all radio talk show hosts as a whole.