Stern's muzzlers expose themselves as hypocrites

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04062/279846.stm

Howard Stern hasn't said anything in 20 years that anyone with a spare brain cell is obliged to respect. For all of his puerile attempts at humor, nothing he concocts with his studio cronies has the sting of morally subversive truth.

<snip>

It's more likely that opportunism and not moral outrage has driven a corporate behemoth with business before the Federal Communications Commission to divest itself of an irritant who has, in recent weeks, upped his criticism of the Bush administration after nearly a year of mindless boosterism of its Iraq policy.

The born-again moralists at Texas-based Clear Channel have figured out an ingenious way to curry favor with the White House and its flunkies at the FCC. In the wake of the hysteria created by Janet Jackson's decision to bare a single middle-aged breast during the Super Bowl, paying lip service to a zero-tolerance policy for indecency while whacking a loudmouth Bush critic is more than enough to pass for "reform" these days.

[tomreedtoon]

1. Yeah, well...

It's an interesting trap that Clear Channel has entered. They have kicked Stern off the air in my home town, Orlando. The same radio station has obvious and clear new restrictions on their other talk shows.

And yet, it was that freewheeling talk that attracted people to their station in the first place.

As good little employees, the formerly wild men and women are toeing the company line (they were told, do it or you're fired). But this bucket of cold water dumped into their laps is not making them more funny or interesting.

So, will their stations stand? Will their original programming be around? Or will their talk shows (which occasionally featured liberal or centrist opinions, not Limbaugh opinions) be replaced by crappy pre-programmed music outsourced from India?

And as for Stern, for the longest time he supported Bush and knocked Clinton. Will this new change of heart of his, towards Bush-whacking, last very long? Or will he become another lapdog again and beg forgiveness? (And will he be accepted back if he does?)

[murielm99]

2. Hey!

Wha choo got against middle aged breasts? x(