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61 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, September 19, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 16, 2003 Conservative talk radio host Garth Harrington talks with Erlene Thomson at a pro-military rally in downtown Medford. While Thomson started the weekly counterpoint to the Women in Black silent vigils for peace, Harrington�s show helps boost the numbers. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell TALK RADIO Conservative broadcasters stir the pot, cranking up public opinion By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune Love it or hate it, conservative talk radio has cranked up the political volume in America. From the Oregon Legislature to the U.S. Capitol, the opinions of everyone from Rush Limbaugh to Lars Larson to Rosemary and Garth Harrington are bombarding the airwaves in an attempt to blow holes in what they perceive as the liberal agenda. "People have been listening to the mainstream media for so long — ABC, NBC and CBS — and it has become more and more slanted," said Rosemary Harrington, whose show with husband Garth airs weekday mornings on KCMX. "Good old America is just hard-working taxpayers who just want a little common sense." Bryan Platt, chairman of the Jackson County Republican Party, refers to Limbaugh as a "national treasure" and to Portland-based Larson and Medford’s Harringtons as "a gift from God." Platt, who got hooked on Limbaugh during the first Gulf War, said, "When I’m doing my paperwork, I’ve got my right ear stuck to the radio." In Oregon, Larson in particular has given legislators fits as he blasts away with claims of waste in government and his own proposals to fix the state’s fiscal mess. Even people who don’t agree with most of Larson’s views find it hard to turn the dial. "Your stomach is turning, but you’re hanging on every word," said Kate Newhall, an aide to Democratic Rep. Alan Bates of Ashland. While conservative radio popularity has been fueled in part by interest in the impending war in Iraq and the state’s budget crisis, attempts by liberals to gain a foothold on the airwaves largely have failed in recent years. Bates said conservative radio has been successful because it doesn’t build a coalition of public opinion, but relies instead on stirring the pot. "It’s very easy to be negative and take potshots at people," he said. "It’s easier to drop a bomb on a building than to build that building." Bates encourages debate and wants people to find waste in government, but he believes unbridled attacks such as Larson’s give an unfair impression of the work legislators do in Salem. "If you find something legitimate, I am glad to track that baby down," he said. "But the time I spend tracking many of these things down is a huge hit. It is wasting our time." Both Bates and Republican Sen. Lenn Hannon of Ashland have criticized Larson’s views as overly simplistic and in some cases distorted. "What Mr. Larson needs to do is put his name on the ballot and run for any office," said Hannon. "I think he will find it may be a humbling experience at the same time." Larson, who refers to Hannon as a RINO — Republican in name only — said, "I can do far more good doing what I do behind the microphone to correct the misbehavior of state lawmakers, governors and mayors and everybody else by simply pointing out the flaws in their logic." Hannon said people like Larson can make proposals to change government all they want, but he urges them to try to get 90 lawmakers, a governor and the majority of Oregonians to back the idea. Referring, for instance, to Larson’s plan to consolidate school districts in Oregon, which also has been proposed by Republican Rep. Rob Patridge of Medford, Hannon said, "That will be as popular as leprosy." Hannon, who appeared once on Larson’s show (aired locally on KCMX), said he would never go on it again. "I have never been treated as discourteously as he treats people," he said. Larson responded, "I don’t buy that. What most of these people talk about as mistreatment is that they don’t like the hard questions. And unlike most reporters in the state, I ask the hard questions, and if you don’t answer I’m going to come right back and ask the same question again until I get an answer." Larson has presented a list of proposals to the governor and Legislature that he believes would solve the state’s fiscal problems. He doesn’t think his popularity is based solely on the budget mess, but agreed, "When there’s controversy going on, it does attract listeners." With 300,000 listeners to Larson’s broadcast, Hannon said he and other legislators are bombarded with questions from constituents about these proposals. "We simply don’t have the time or the staff to respond to each inquiry," he said. Larson said he could explain to lawmakers how to make each of his proposals work, but he can’t get them to listen, or even appear on his show to explain their views. "I have a tough time finding enough liberals who want to take their lumps," he said. "If you honestly believe in something strongly enough, would you be afraid to answer some questions?" Instead, legislators and other liberals brand him and other conservative talk show hosts as "hate radio," he said. "It’s like when Joe McCarthy called people communists — it’s an all-purpose label to throw on something," said Larson. Legislators also like to dismiss his show as just entertainment so they don’t have to appear, he said. He said most of the media, including the print media, rely on a certain amount of entertainment. He characterizes his show as "journalism in its rawest form." Larson isn’t the only conservative radio personality who has tangled with Hannon. Asked how he feels about Rosemary and Garth Harrington, Hannon said, "No comment." Garth Harrington said, "We’ve toasted him pretty good." His wife added, "He has been toasted, and in my opinion he absolutely deserved it. But at times we’ve thrown him many bouquets." Controversy over the problems in Salem and around the world have contributed to the popularity of the Harrington show. The Harringtons recently spurred interest in the "people in white" protests — which support President Bush and the military — Thursdays in Medford’s Vogel Plaza. The demonstrations are a counterpoint to the Women in Black silent vigils for peace held on the plaza on Wednesdays. The Harringtons say they don’t have the ability to calculate the number of listeners who tune in each day. "It is true we have this huge issue of Iraq and the budget issue, but what it really comes down to is we have the most phone calls about local issues," said Rosemary Harrington. Is conservative radio entertainment? "It is a generated atmosphere," said Garth Harrington. "It is not an orderly debate. You’ve got to have some pounding of the desk and a little screaming. You have to have at least an indication of the passion in your beliefs." He said the radio talk show world is filled with talking heads. "In order to deliver the product, there has to be a level of entertainment, of excitement." Conservative talk show hosts often blast government, particularly education, for costing too much. He likens the spending on education to the foreign aid money sent to help feed poor and starving people. "The beef is that most of the money doesn’t get where it’s supposed to. The same beef could legitimately be said of education." The Harringtons don’t believe their show engenders hate or racism, although they readily admit some people feel it does. "More and more, people are falling under the care of the government and they think we become hateful when we say no to that, when we say, ‘Get a job,’" said Garth Harrington. Rosemary Harrington doesn’t want everyone to think that she is entirely conservative in her beliefs and doesn’t care about social programs. "I am absolutely a bleeding heart liberal when it comes to social issues and when it comes to people and kids," she said. "I just want people to be responsible for their own lives." The Harringtons and Larson say attempts to promote a liberal talk show have failed because liberals can be just plain boring. Bates said he wasn’t sure. "I’d like to say that liberals are thoughtful and careful and that what they say doesn’t generally lend itself to media hype," he said. "But that’s not it. I just don’t know why. Maybe we just take ourselves too seriously." Legislators respond to Larson Legislators respond to Portland talk show host Lars Larson’s proposals for solving Oregon’s fiscal crisis. Larson’s ideas are in bold: —Get rid of the Oregon Cultural Trust and save $5 million. "We already zeroed out that account," said Rep. Alan Bates, D-Ashland. "We took all the funding away (about a month ago)." —Freeze all state hiring and save $200 million. "We’ve already done that," said Sen. Lenn Hannon, R-Ashland. —Consolidate school districts and save millions. "That would be as popular as leprosy," Hannon said. Some Oregon school districts have tried consolidation in the past, only to be met with a storm of protest from the public, he added. —End the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and save $100 million. "That wouldn’t be very wise because we make a frigging fortune out of it," Bates said. "It’s a cash cow." Bates could not readily provide the exact amount the state makes out of this program. —Reduce the amount of spending per student. It costs $10,037 on average to educate each student in Oregon, Larson said, compared to somewhere between $3,000 to $5,000 in private Christian schools. Oregon also is more expensive than other states, Larson said. Even factoring in those he referred to as "retarded" kids, and teaching other kids how to learn English, still shouldn’t rack up this kind of bill, he said. Bates disagreed, saying low-income, special education and bilingual education are part of the increased costs. Schools also have state and federal regulations to meet that make them more expensive to operate. Reducing teachers’ salaries to private school levels may make schools more inexpensive, but Bates said, "We don’t pay teachers enough anyway." Many of Oregon’s schools are rural and more expensive to operate, Bates added. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities