Fox News does Radio in addition to TV, did you know?

[netmouse]

I just sent the following note to Airtran Airways:

This is a comment on your satelite radio offerings. On my recent flight to BWI I plugged in my headphones to your seat arm radio jack, hoping to hear music. Instead I heard hateful racist talk radio. Looking at the Jack, it indicated I was listening to Fox News Radio. But that wasn't news. Glenn Beck was on and they were acting all righteous that anyone was even asking the question as to whether or not his appallingly racist comments were actually racist. "Do we have to be having this conversation, in this day and age?" They asked. I certainly feel we do. This is not a post-race society, and their radio program was in no way news. In point of fact, I found it offensive, and I was very concerned how much it might have offended any black passengers or staff who might have turned it on. I changed the channell and listened to classical music the rest of the way, but I encourage you to drop the Fox News Radio program from your listing. I am very distrubed at the thought that Airtran Airways is helping provide a medium for them to dispense such offensive filth to more people.

Thank you for your consideration,

--Anne

Their in-flight magazine was so nice and diverse, and two of the stewards were black. I would think they would be sensitive to this sort of thing. Apparently not.

Comments

[netmouse.livejournal.com]

According to Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/30/jane-velez-mitchell-beati_n_162448.html),

Jane Velez-Mitchell, the HLN host who replaced Glenn Beck when he jumped ship for Fox News, is already topping Beck's ratings from when he held the time slot.

In its third full month on the air, "Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell" posted HLN's largest 7PM audience since it launched its primetime block in February 2005. For January 2009, "Issues" averaged 531,000 total viewers and 221,000 Adults 25-54, a 50% increase in total viewers and a 46% increase in the demo over Beck's January 2008 ratings.

Velez-Mitchell's January ratings also represent an 8% increase in total viewers and a 19% increase in the demo over Beck's last (and best) month on HLN. Beck's last full month on the air there was September 2008, when he averaged 492,000 total viewers and 185,000 in the demo. Velez-Mitchell took over the time slot on October 17.

Granted, Beck is drawing more eyeballs at Fox News, where he debuted earlier this month to 2.4 million total viewers and 467,000 in the demo. But Velez-Mitchell's success quiets any critics wondering whether HLN could recover after losing the popular conservative host to Fox News.

eek! 2.4 Million viewers! I mean, 467,000. That's... that's... less than 1% of the polutation of the United states.

But that's not fair. a quarter of the US population (27%) is under 20, so, let's see, 73% of 305 million people is 222.65 million people, and 2.4/222.65 is .... almost exactly 1%!

aha! So, 1 percent of the adult (over 20) population of the united states may have *watched* Glenn Beck on Fox News when he debued. From this you get that a third of the country agrees with him? despite the statts above that indicate this new person attracts more viewers on this other show than he did?

I do think we ignore the people who agree with Glenn Beck at our peril. Really, we need to engage with them and get them to understand they are wrong. Did you have any luck doing that at your family reunion?

I do believe reasonable people can be swayed by this sort of message, especially when it's endorsed by an authority like a news channell. That's why I'd rather not see it mistaken for news, or listed like that. It's fraudulent.