Does this guy have any responsibility for decency or (gasp) telling the truth? At what point is there a limit to free speech?
Should this type of threat cause the involvement of the FBI? Secret Service?Is there a difference in the rhetoric found here and the obviously bad taste tweet of Lizz Winstead? (tornadoes are targetting conservatives.) Winstead did self correct and admit her timing was horrible and she should have known better. Has Santilli issued any remarks admitting stupidity?
It should come as no surprise, I listen to a fair amount of talk radio. That said, there are some national hosts I can’t stand, Michael Savage being the worst.
My favorite is John Bachelor. Regardless of your leanings, you will feel smarter and better informed after listening to his broadcast.
Pete Santilli? third-tier guy trying to make a name for himself. Is what he said any different than some of the things Ed Shultz has said, regarding what he’d like to do to conservatives? He once said he’d “like to rip out Dick Cheney’s heart, and kick it around the floor like a football.” Not defending the content of Santilli’s comments, as they bring nothing to the debate, but in the drive to ratings, some on both sides love to be political shock-jocks.
I have never heard Ed talk like that but I am not saying he didn’t say what you said. I know that Ed Schultz has also been admonished. Maybe he learned. I guess that is the point….if he said it, he stopped being like that.
I can’t stand Mike Savage either. I am one of those weirdos who hates hates hates talk radio. I hate it on AM worse than anything.
Ripping the heart out of Dick Cheney? Pretty fierce. Shooting Hillary in the vagina? Yea, that’s worse, just because of the personal nature. Neither comment
I just don’t know why people have to be that way.
@Moon-howler
“I just don’t know why people have to be that way.”
Ratings…
Listen to John Bachelor some time. News and current events. Lots of stuff on NASA, ever-so-slightly right-of-center.
That is akin to walking down the street naked so people will look at you. There are people who want attention so badly they don’t care if it is good or bad.
Where might I find this John Bachelor? Why does NASA have to be political at all? I realize the funding or lack thereof is political but short of that…I want my NASA news without politics.
@Steve Thomas
What station and is he on in Richmond?
John Bachelor broadcasts out of WABC in NYC. I listen to him locally on 105.9 WMAL. You can listen to the livestream from the WMAL website. Also, you can find other stations and times here:
http://tunein.com/radio/options/The-John-Batchelor-Show-p138426/
Actually, his coverage of NASA isn’t politically biased. It’s more informational, in “what’s going on in our space program”, of which he is a proponent. He also does a good job on the goings on politically and economically in China. His show is more like the old-style Sunday talks shows with David Brinkley. Very civil tone, no invective. Probably why he’s on so late. Not throwing red meat to a target audience. Guy has class, which is lacking in talk radio today.
There is very little class shown on radio. I agree with you.
John Bachelor is the best. Among other things, he does some excellent and extensive interviews with authors of books on history, including many lesser known stories of heroics from WW II. You listen to one of those broadcasts and you learn things you probably never encountered before. Very educational. About a week ago, I listened to the tale of a German WW II ace fighter pilot who, after the attempted assassination of Hitler at the Wolfs Lair, turned against the killing and mayhem of the war. When he was involved in a battle with American or British bombers and encountered a wounded Allied bird trying to make it home, instead of knocking it from the sky he tried his best to just let it go. The book author described one incident in which the fighter pilot fell in behind a smoking bomber and wondered why it didn’t shoot back at him. Then he saw that the gunner in the rear turret was dead, and the plane was helpless against him. Instead of shooting it down, he just followed it for awhile, almost like a protective escort on its tail. In the middle of the blood of war, sometimes you find small miracles of humanity.
Mrs. W reminded me of something else about that story on the Bachelor show of the WW II air war. The German fighter pilot and the pilot of the American bomber he allowed to escape both survived the war. Afterwards they met and became friends.
ST: I understand that this kind of vulgarity is motivated by seeking ratings. However, the larger question is why one could generate better ratings by indulging in this. The same could be said for Beck, even though he is not as crude.
@Wolverine
I also heard the story about the German fighter that allowed American bombers to escape near the end of the war. Very heart-warming in the midst of the death and mayhem …
I am a fan of John Bachelor also. The thing I like is that he discusses international topics in depth so as to yield light on a complex subject. I almost always learn something when I listen to him.
Somehow I have never heard of Pete Santilli.
I hadn’y heard of him either.
I call it the “Howard Stern Effect”. Howard Stern pushed the envelope, and set the bar. Then other’s tried to first copy him, then surpass him. There were two afternoon shockjocks (Opie & Anthony) who started a radio game called “Sex for Sam”, where participants (accompanied by members of the show’s production staff) went to public places throughout NYC, and engaged in intercourse. The prize? A few cases of Samual Adams beer. Then they had “Wip’em our Wednesday”, where female listeners were encouraged to flash their breasts at cars displaying the “WOW” bumperstickers produced by the show, and the drivers of these cars would call in to the show and report the flashing. All of this was for increased ratings, and upward movement to the “Top Tier” of shockjocks.
We also have the “Pam Anderson Effect”. Want to generate buzz? Make a sex-tape and have it “stolen” and released by Vivid video, or go viral on the web. Exhibit A: Kim Kardashian. Exhibit B: Paris Hilton….and now the latest Farah Abraham, teen mom reality “star” and Courtney Stodden, wannabe recording star who at the age of 16, married her 51 yearold actor/agent/coach.
Regarding talk radio, on both sides of the spectrum, you have lesser known personalities trying to out do each other. There is a system of tiers. On the right, the top tier is occupied by Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, Levin. Those on the lower tiers who aren’t satisfied with their regional shows or smaller syndication deals are competing in a “Red Ocean”, and will say outrageous things to generate a buzz, and attract listeners. Each is trying to tap and develop a certain core group of listeners, whether it be topical, geographical, ideological, etc. The advent of “web radio” and “web tv” has only served to increase the availability of these types of shows, and expanded the reach of those who previously would have been relegated to some low-power AM station in the wee hours of the morning, or some crappy public access tv channel.
“Howard Stern pushed the envelope, and set the bar. Then other’s tried to first copy him, then surpass him”
Probably true. But I’ve never heard anyone nearly as gifted. He did use shock value and sex to build his empire, but his greatest gifts are the ability to create compelling drama out of mundane daily life, and a facility for “instant analysis” of people and things.
I don’t listen to Stern much anymore – he leads an insular life, doesn’t try hard anymore, and is usually pretty boring – but when I do hear him coimment on politics he usually gets to the heart of the matter better than any other commentator.
As to Santilli, he’s marginalized himself and it’d probably be better for everyone if we all ignore him.
@Rick Bentley
“Probably true. But I’ve never heard anyone nearly as gifted. He did use shock value and sex to build his empire, but his greatest gifts are the ability to create compelling drama out of mundane daily life, and a facility for “instant analysis” of people and things.”
There was a time that I listened to him has well, mostly to see what all the buzz was about. But I have to ask, has the net-effect been positive or negative? I would say negative, because it has contributed to the coursening of our society. Just my opinion. Your mileage may vary. Some might make the same argument about Rush Limbaugh, and they’d have a valid point. Without Stern, no Opie and Anthony. Without Rush, no Alex Jones, no Pete Santelli. No Michael Savage.
I would also argue that if it weren’t for the drift to the left of the MSM, there wouldn’t have been a market for conservative talk radio. Best I can tell, this began during the Viet Nam war.
Steve, I agree that Stern definitely did some (small) part to accelerate the coursening of our society. I’ve participated in that coursening – I enjoy vulgar humor, curse when there aren’t children around, and take as much pleasure in a good Quentin Tarantino script as anyone. Sometimes I can see negative effects to this coursening, and the accompanying loss of civility. I can see the value of a society that treats people with respect as a default, and doesn’t express every twinge of anger and frustration in loud diatribes.
But I”m not sure that genie can go back into the bottle. We live in a different world than the one we grew up in. Children and developing adults have access to sexual and violent material at the click of a button. 90%+ of male children play amped-up video games that move at a mile a minute and are frequently shoot-fests. Belief in religion is becoming less prevalent in the information age, also.
Hopefully the young of today are going to find a way to stay in touch with humanity and compassion and respect within the maze of modern human existence. Perhaps better than my generation did. We grew up in a shadow of the 1960’s and 1970’s, when anti-authoritarianism became perceived as having value in and unto itself, and we collectively indulged ourselves in sex, violence, and anger to a degree that’s probably unhealthy. Probably in large part because we resisted becoming authority figures, i.e. responsible adults.
IMO Stern belongs on satellite radio, segregated away from children’s ears. I’m amazed looking back that he lasted as long on terrestrial radio as he did. For consenting adults – and any kids who choose to look at his material scattered all over youtube – he is frequently a source of pleasure, arguably unhealthy pleasure, but definitely interesting and psychologically complex pleasure.
The people who have contributed the most to mainstreaming vulgarity (or if you prefer “broadening free speech”) are the people who could make it REALLY FUNNY … you can “get away with murder” and break rules in life if you are truly funny while doing it. South Park, Saturday Night Live, Howard Stern … they changed the world, and then left us with less-talented imitotors trafficking in vulgarity.
@Rick Bentley
Can’t argue with your logic.