Why Occupy Wall Street Needs to Occupy Radio!

In its September 29, 2011 Declaration of the Occupation of New York City, Occupy Wall Street wrote, "They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media."

And which media 1)reaches the most people, 2)promotes the most fear and disinformation, and 3) is legally subject to the will of the people?

It's Radio!

Compare these maps representing numbers and sizes of ~~"Conservative"~~,
"Right Wing" radio stations and "Liberal" radio stations across the USA:

Then look at a map of the 2010 Midterm Election Results:

About 50 million Americans listen to Right Wing Talk Radio.

Now here's the SCARY part:
Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity have far more reach on Radio than Fox News.
You won't believe it until you
See These Charts!

Radio is still the country's number one source of news and information,
but fewer than 10% of the country is able to hear any progressive talk radio.
Those who do tend to vote for more Democrats than those who do not.

How did this happen?

See the story from Broadcast Blues:

More on how the media became broken and how to fix it from SueWilsonReports:

Find a real plan of action to take our media back at the Media Action Center .

How Talk Radio and FOX News created the Tea Party

Folks seem to think that the Koch Brothers are the driving force behind the Tea Party. Well, they are quite literally funding the busses that drive supporters from town to town to make it look like they have big crowds. But even billionaires don't have the clout to create a national movement out of a grassroots gathering. Only major media can do that.

Here is the video of the very first Tea Party rally Michael Stavros and I put together on April 15, 2009 in Sacramento. Rallies were promoted simultaneously throughout the country by, you guessed it, Talk Radio and Fox News. THAT'S how the Tea Party movement was really born.

Does Occupy Wall Street enjoy the same coverage? No, because Talk Radio and FOX News only promote the pro-corporate side of the story. That's the only way "~~Conservatives~~" the "Right Wing" can remain in power. They demonize this very real grassroots uprising to promote fear about it.

Folks in Occupy LA asked me, "Who cares what Rush Limbaugh says?" Answer: 20 million VOTERS who listen to him.

Tony Trupiano Interviews Sue on the radio!

Thanks, Tony, for putting me on OUR PUBLIC AIRWAVES! For those who missed it, here's the Podcast:

Video Interview of Sue Wilson's Media Action Plan!

Many thanks to Bruce Fealk for writing this story and doing a videotaped interview inside the Frank Lloyd Wright designed UU Landmark Auditorium.

Click to watch:

Sue's Response to Charlie Sykes

Charlie Sykes is a popular ~~"Conservative"~~ Right wing radio talk show host who dominates Milwaukee's airwaves, as well as much of the state of Wisconsin. In true form, he today wrote about me in his blog, totally mis-characterizing my message. But d'ya think he would dare actually debate me on our public airwaves? Nah. He can only win the argument if he goes unchallenged.

So here's his blog, go through the comments to find my answer:

http://www.620wtmj.com/blogs/charliesykes/130560298.html

Sue's Response to Rush Limbaugh

Sue's Response to

Rush Limbaugh:

SacBee Laments Right-Wing Talk Radio as a "Threat to Democracy"

May 12, 2008

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: As you know, ladies and gentlemen, my adopted hometown is Sacramento, California. I worked out there at KFBK, 50,000 watt blowtorch, 'til this day carries the program, been on the air there since 1984, so 24 years at KFBK Sacramento, number one. And while there, one of my nemeses was the Sacramento Bee, the local newspaper owned by the McClatchy clan. It is still owned by the McClatchy clan, and it has still refused to accept what has happened to me, as evidenced by a story that is special to the Bee published yesterday. Headline: "Federal Rules Give Corporation-Backed Conservative Radio all the Local Voices." This is a story, this is a hand-wringing, tear-jerker story of how liberal talk radio couldn't make it out there, and damn it, it's not fair, it's not right, and it's because federal rules give corporation-backed conservative radio all the local voices. Listen to how this thing starts, by Sue Wilson, who I don't know. She was probably still in diapers when I was in Sacramento.

Hmmnn… I worked under the Fairness Doctrine, which went out in 1987, so my age must be at least …. well, you do the math.

"There's a mournful hush in Sacramento these days, the empty sound of an entire political viewpoint quieted. More than 32,000 weekly listeners who once tuned [to the local lib outlet] to hear partisan Democrats beat up on President George W. Bush, now hear only Christian hip-hop." Now, if that's not the funniest opening of a news story that I have ever read, I don't know what is. Thirty-two thousand weekly listeners is nothing! People don't understand radio ratings. Thirty-two thousand weekly listeners would add up to about 1,500 every 15 minutes, the average quarter hour would be about 1,500 to 2,000 listeners. I mean, for crying out loud, it's a 0.1 or 0.2, but it barely shows up as an asterisk in the rating books.

That 1,000 watt station was getting 20% of KFBK's ratings, the market leader. So by Rush's math, if KFBK had a 1,000 watt station instead of a 50,000 watt station, KFBK would get a whopping 0.5 or 1.0? Maybe he has a problem with mathematics. Math is precise, kind of like facts.

Now, Sue Wilson says, "There's nothing wrong with Christian hip-hop; it's a great outlet for artists breaking out of the gansta rap mold. But there are six other commercial radio stations licensed in the Sacramento area programming the Christian message. In the political realm, three local radio stations program 264 hours of partisan Republican radio talkers beating up on Democrats every week. Now, zero stations program any Democratic view whatsoever: 264-0." So it's 264 hours of partisan Republican bashing to zero hours of partisan liberal bashing.

That he got right.

Wisconsin is Watching!

I've been on the ground in Wisconsin for less than 24 hours, and I do not remember a time I've received a more warm welcome. To my delight, Milwaukee's Shepard Express alternatively newsweekly featured two stories about our project to reclaim Wisconsin's airwaves for their rightful owners, all the people of Wisconsin.

'They Are the Public Airwaves, Not the Republican Airwaves'

By Lisa Kaiser

Issue of the Week: The Big Lie: Liberal Talk Radio Doesn't Sell

And yet a third, only to be found online:

Media Reform Activist Sue Wilson on Right-Wing Bias on the Airwaves

Thursday morning, I talked with Tony Castañeda on his "8 O'Clock Buzz"

And Friday, I talked with Sly Slyvester on "Sly in the Morning," WTDY

I'll be at FightingBobFest tomorrow, on the Sara Shultz show tomorrow morning, and at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Landmark Auditorium tomorrow night. See you there!

The Media Action Center has Launched!

We are ready to start the ground game to take back our public airwaves from corporate control. Read all about it at the Media Action Center!

Wisconsin Media Reform Tour Schedule

In just one week, I will be flying to Wisconsin to remind folks that We the People own the broadcast airwaves! Click here for the Schedule of Events.

No More Cheney Plame Games!

Former Vice President Dick Cheney has been making the rounds promoting a new book intended to rewrite the history of his role in the most failed and corrupt presidency, possibly ever.

Here are the facts: the Bush White House outed covert CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson with the help of its close ally, the mainstream news media. Shame on them all.

This story is covered in its entirety in the documentary Broadcast Blues. Here's a 52 second clip: