Tom Fudge: There was an interesting story in the news over the past week. Exit polls show that a very large number of Republicans were voting for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries in Texas and Ohio. This was very much of note, since most Republicans don't like the Clintons. In earlier primaries, Barack Obama was the one who was getting the crossover vote. But many GOP voters, who were subject to exit polls, said they voted for Clinton to help republican John McCain. If the Democratic contest wears on, that's bad for the Democratic nominees, and besides, if Clinton wins, she'll be easier to beat than Obama. So goes the thinking among these Republicans.
The reason I bring this up is it's a phenomenon that was driven by conservative talk radio. Rush Limbaugh, among many others, was urging his listeners to go out and vote for Hillary Clinton, for the reasons given above.
Conservative talk radio is a phenomenon that both fascinates and frustrates people in the radio business. It's given a whole new meaning to the expression "talk radio," and it has transformed AM news stations like KOGO in San Diego and KGO in San Francisco. Some say it's also helped public radio, as it has presented itself as the alternative to conservative talk.
Guest
- Michael Krasny , host and senior editor of the talk show Forum on KQED in San Francisco. He's also a professor of English at San Francisco State , and author of the book, Off Mike: A memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life.
