Lynn Woolley and the Fairness Doctrine Straw Man

Lynn Woolley is a local Dallas talk radio host on a third string AM station. He wrote a book about how liberal are trying to reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. Since I have never listened to his show, I must assume that there are other issues he must talk about. But since he wrote this, I had to let him know just how weak his talking points are. Here is my email correspondence with the illustrious Mr. Woolley:

Lynn,
Conservative arguments have much more resonance when there is some small smattering of truth in them. The Teabaggers failed because they were protesting tax increases 2 weeks after 95% of Americans got tax reductions. Besides the fact that there is no legislation pending or suggested to control of content on talk radio in Congress, your "Talk Radio is Under Assault" meme also fails because nobody can turn on the radio without hearing right wing rants.

But we can all remember when Clear Channel automated its small market radio stations and local communities were not warned of deadly weather moving into their areas and lives were lost. To try and turn a public safety issue into an assault on your ability to attract an audience is laughable. I'm surprised that the DMN buys these silly straw man columns, but the content on AM radio only moves me to stop using AM radio as a source for information.

The last real content battle on radio forced Howard Stern to satellite radio. No government agency was able to silence him. I've never listened to your program but if you have a large audience, I'm sure they will follow you to your next soapbox.

America has enough real problems right now without having to worry about imaginary threats to fear mongers like you.

So Lynn replied:

The facts in my column came directly from an FCC commissioner. can you read, Mark?

Questioning my reading comprehension pisses me off so I replied:

Sure I can read-- what you interpret as an assault on what you say on the radio, I interpret as a public safety issue. To me, local content includes weather alerts to save lives in the event of deadly storms. We can disagree on the pluses and minuses of consolidation of radio ownership into the hands of a few large corporations, but the lack of local weather reports in small markets due to automated program formats is a serious public safety issue. Spin the issue if you like, but it does not change the fact that in some small markets, nobody can get early warnings on deadly weather heading their way. And that's the real issue about local programming.

I remember the good old days when Morton Downey Jr. was the leading voice of conservative talkers. Once he called you a pablum puking liberal he was out of ammo. If your only argument opposing group ownership of radio stations is content, you lose the public safety issue. Your argument is that Conservative radio listeners are so wimpy that if local stations were forced to broadcast severe weather warnings they would cease listening. I laugh at your fear mongering.

Are you saying that there will be no outlet for your thoughts if your ratings tank and you are replaced by a nationally syndicated program? The facts show that Howard Stern is a much more fearless broadcaster than you are. When he was under assault for the content of his program, he moved beyond the reaches of the FCC.

You want me to be afraid of little men who hide in caves and make conspiracies. You want me to fear the President who has sworn to protect the United States. You preach fear of everything that does not conform to your narrow view of reality that is still based on the problems that faced the nation 30 years ago. You've cried wolf too often. Real Americans aren't afraid of anything! Especially whining from guys like you who have cushy radio jobs...

If I might make a suggestion, if you frame a positive message about how consolidation of radio station ownership has benefited the nation, I might not be so inclined to laugh at you.

Still thinking that this was his radio show and he could get the last word, Woolley replied:

Almost no one who works (toils) in this industry is thrilled with consolidation and the thousands of jobs it destroyed. But it was brought on by government incompetence. So many stations were approved, and (on the AM band) so many had weak signals that it became necessary for a company to own "clusters" to survive. But I don't think that's where Obama's mind is. I think he wants to be rid of Rush. It you disagree, that's just fine. Think whatever you like.

Woolley agrues against free enterprise and competition. My reply?

The FCC could not silence Howard Stern-- are conservative talkers weaker than him?

Woolley could not stop himself:

He went to a subscription service that is not content-controlled by the FCC.

Falling into a rhetorical trap of his own making, I answered:

Exactly-- there are many outlets for your voice and opinion. If you do not enjoy working in an industry segment that is regulated by the government, go someplace beyond government control. Start a pirate radio station in your bedroom if its really that important to you. The problem in the newspaper business is not too many newspapers. The problems of broadcast radio (and broadcast television) are not too many stations. That's another straw man unless you do not believe in free market capitalism. If there is an audience for what you're peddling, somebody will buy it. I do not subscribe to satellite radio, but I believe that there are conservative talk show channels there. Fox News is on cable, beyond FCC control. Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one. Buy your own station or launch your own satellite and program with whatever you like. If you attract an audience that is desirable to advertisers, you will be successful. If the audience is not there, you business will not succeed. Just because the public airwaves belong to all Americans and is regulated by the FCC does not mean that AM radio is the only medium available to you. Stop complaining and build a better mousetrap. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps and stop playing the refs. Its a loser of an argument. It sounds like whining to me...

He had no answer to this...