Well, this Saturday morning July 7, 2007, I once again spent some time listening to radio station WLW-AM 700 from Cincinnati, Ohio. I like Cincinnati a lot and care about its future. I listen to WLW to hear newscasts from Cincinnati to keep up on things there. Saturday mornings are the best time to hear commentary from the hosts about the local scene. Though, as usual, that is not all you hear.
Mid-morning host, Darryl Parks decided his big story of the day was the recent plea-bargain agreement of a former suburban Mason, Ohio firefighter, who was caught drunk in a local park dressed in women’s swimwear and a wig. Ooooh, that was scintillating radio. Mr. Parks full titles are, “Director of AM Operations for Clear Channel Cincinnati. He is also Regional News Talk Brand Manager for Clear Channel (overseeing 700 WLW, 55 WKRC, 1360 WCKY and 1530 WSAI.)”
Then Parks got some bees in his bonnet. One had to do with a guest editorial in the day’s Cincinnati Enquirer newspaper. Entitled, “Give progressive radio a chance in Cincinnati,” by Jerry Baker, an engineer and sales director for GE Aviation in the area and a precinct captain for the Democratic Party in Hamilton County, Ohio. His case stated:
“…Progressive talk listeners are simply asking for an equal opportunity to present progressive views on the airwaves. Residents of Southwest Ohio who wanted to listen to this format got only a brief chance to do so when it was carried by WCKY, then moved over to the weaker signal on WSAI. Ratings weren't great, but the stations were poorly managed and poorly promoted…”
Parks scoffed at the editorial. A caller actually got by the screener to challenge Mr. Parks on his handling of the former Air America affiliate in town. He was in charge of that station as part of his duties. The caller even had the courage to describe himself as a homosexual. I cringed, waiting for Parks to go after him. Like many right-wing talkers, they will let the occasional opposing view on the air under the cover of giving a hearing to all points of view. Then they make sarcastic or subtle attacks of the person’s views, belittling them and trying to humiliate them.
The caller went on to say that Parks had helped to kill a great network, meaning Air America. What I think the caller meant was the station at the time, WCKY or WSAI depending on when you were listening. Air America is still alive despite the best efforts of station programmers like Darryl Parks and really bad business planning by Air America’s management. Far be it from Mr. Parks to correct the caller in his meaning. He seemed smug about the whole “helping to kill a great network.” Defending the editorial, the caller criticized the lack of promotion of the station.
That hurt Mr. Parks like an arrow through his heart, “You know how much money we spent to promote the station?!”
Parks went on to talk about the billboards and busboards around town at the time. I believe he said that $150,000 dollars was spent on promotion. I cannot remember that for sure. He talked about the poor ratings. Of course, he did not go over the dial position flipping he did. He moved the progressive talk format from a 50,000-watt transmitter to a 5,000-watt transmitter. So much for me hearing it here in Bloomington, Indiana. It reminded me of how Republicans like to use the term, “starving the beast,” for their aims to reduce the size of government built by bad liberals. Parks starved the liberal format on his station. One has to wonder if he really wanted it to succeed or not. He insinuated that the format failed because after you hear, “I hate Bush,” from Air America, they really have nothing more to say.
The caller said he started listening to the “Big One,” (WLW 700 AM’s nickname) after the liberal format left WSAI.
Parks said, “The Big One,” you like that name don’t you?” The caller either did not hear that crack or ignored it. I just knew Darryl would get a homosexual joke in at some point to demean the caller.
The caller challenged Mr. Parks that WLW was a conservative talk station. Here is where Park’s went off the rail. He claimed WLW’s programming was based on entertainment and as he said to the caller, “No politics.” WKRC (another station owned by Clear Channel in Cincinnati) he admitted was a conservative talk station. He added the claim that zero money spent on promoting WKRC! I took a look at WKRC’s website for signs of promotion. Sure enough, I found this amongst a few others quote:
“Freedom Concert contest
55KRC want to get you up close and personal with Sean Hannity during his visit to Cincinnati for the Freedom Concert. Register to win two tickets to the concert AND two VIP passes for the meet and greet with Sean at Kings Island. Winner will be drawn on Monday, July 9 and contacted via telephone.”
This is big time promotion! And you cannot tell me that WKRC will not spend a dime on this. I can see Hannity’s people possibly paying for it, but…well….let us be honest, okay Mr. Parks? Even if you have a number one rated station, you keep doing promotion. I think you would be incopotent in your job otherwise.
He claimed that WLW programming was done by layering it and making it entertaining. The Binki fireman story bar contest he used as an example. Yeah, I guess you got me there. That story was not political. It was adolescent, but not political.
However, so much of their “entertainment” as it were is permeated with their political bent. It is insidiously “layered,” into it either purposely or is there just by the nature of the host’s personality, WLW’s talk personalities, sports aside, are all conservatives! WLW cannot help but be conservative.
When Air America dares to be “entertaining” with political humor Mr. Parks and his ilk would just say they hate Bush. It’s the usual conservative come back. And yeah, a lot of that political humor is based on an anti-Bush theme. And yeah, some of it I condemn as well. Some of it goes over the line. When right wingers do it though, it is just entertaining fun.
Later in his program, Darryl Parks got to another bee in his bonnet; the state of Ohio’s banning of smoking indoors. He went off about how WLW was narced on and received a violation notice for smoking that had occurred in a break room. He denied it ever happened. Hey, I am willing to believe you on that one Darryl. It is quite possible that a listener with an axe to grind called the violations hotline just to hear you squirm about it on the air. Ah, but Mr. Parks, is not the smoking ban a “political” issue in Ohio? Yes, it sure has been. He went on to demean the Health Department employee who delivered the notice as a “stooge.” He also referred to the Ohio Health Department as the mark of the beast. Typical snide insults by right wingers who think everyone who works for a government agency is evil and out to get them. That is, of course unless it involves a tax break coming to them.
Then it was onto taking a shot at the Al Gore inspired “Live Earth” concert this weekend. Now, I will admit that I think rock concerts as political statement usually amount to little more than good feelings amongst the participants and the audience, but little else in the end. It is a typical liberal way of trying to spread a message. I always found it somewhat lame. Liberals can be such easy targets also with events like these. Darryl recited the right-wing talking points about how much garbage the concert will produce and what was powering the whole thing. This I found the coup d’ gras of the day’s hypocrisy at the “Big One.”
Conservatives accuse liberals in Hollywood all the time of using politics in their “entertainment.” This does sometimes happen. However, when right-wingers Darryl Parks of the world do it; it is just plain “entertainment.” Oh, yeah sure, right. It is just “entertainment.” And for that Darryl Parks and WLW get my Stinky Sandwich Award. Oh, do not worry, it is not about politics. I am just trying to be entertaining.
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