Dear Friends,
I feel like a broken record (broken in several places, perhaps), but I’ll keep saying it: We’ll never restore democracy in the US until we break up corporate media conglomerates.
Jen Senko
Worst of all is radio. The airwaves used to be public. Now they’re almost the exclusive domain of a handful of big players who present a thoroughly lopsided view of our country’s challenges.
I’m all for balance, for providing a forum for differing perspectives. But on commercial radio stations, that doesn’t happen anymore. It’s one-sided, Republican-good-Democrat-bad blather 24-7.
You’ll appreciate the first conversation on this week’s program. I talk with Jen Senko about her film, The Brainwashing of My Dad, and about her book by the same title. (Click on the image, below, to purchase a copy of Jen’s book.)
As I thought about how to describe the film, I stumbled upon this excellent review by Bonnie MacKinnon, which pretty much encapsulates my take: “The information and message are important and relevant. Anyone who’s had a family member influenced by Fox News and Hate Radio and, as a result, now has a family member who’s become an awful, intolerable presence in a family, knows how Fox and Rush Limbaugh can ruin a formerly enjoyable family dynamic.
“The Fox viewer becomes a ‘dry drunk’ of vitriol and invective, and no amount of rational persuasion will change his views. Jen Senko brings in experts of various fields to examine and explain the phenomenon, and those views are fascinating. At the film’s end, through a series of chance happenings, the family member, in this case her dad, stops ingesting the Fox/Hate Radio media, and becomes a kind, loving person again.
“As someone who has ‘that person’ in my family, I was glued to the movie and appreciated Jen’s efforts and information. It made things a lot clearer and more tolerable for me, knowing how this brainwashing was taking place, and eventually, with any luck, how to stop it. A must see for viewers with Fox Friends in the family, or for those who are simply interested in the psychological influence of media.”
Of course, there are some local radio success stories, though they are few and far between. One station that broadcasts The Fallon Forum is community-owned KHOI 89.1 FM (Ames, Iowa). Station Manager, Mike Murphy, joins me briefly this week to announce the station’s upcoming tenth anniversary.Congrats, KHOI!
Check out the other conversations on this week’s program as well:
WATER QUALITY. Alicia Vasto with the Iowa Environmental Council discusses a range of water quality issues, from the bizarre (brain eating amoeba and a massive carp die-off) to the really serious stuff (nutrient management and drought).
THE FBI VISITS MAR-A-LAGO. Those shock jocks that Jen talks about during the first segment of this week’s program? I actually listen to them. I do it so you don’t have to. Given how influential they’ve become, it’s important to know what they’re saying. And what they’re saying about the FBI’s search for classified records at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago palace is, not surprisingly, pretty unhinged. I never thought I’d see the day when the far right blasted federal agents and even used the slogan “Defund the FBI” as a fundraiser.
LEAD IN BACKYARD CHICKEN EGGS? In our Farm & Food segment, Kathy Byrnes and I discuss a couple research projects that spawned some incredible headlines, including these: “Backyard hens’ eggs contain 40 times more lead on average than shop eggs, research finds” and “Eggs of Urban Chickens Contaminated with Lead.” Sigh. Such inflammatory stuff. Kathy and I dig into the detail and find a lot of hype in those headlines. That said, if your home was built before 1978, it’s a good idea to test the soil where your chickens scratch.
Thanks for reading, listening, and caring about our planet and future. — Ed Fallon
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(01:17) The Brainwashing of My Dad, with Jen Senko;
(21:06) Water quality woes worsen, with Alicia Vasto, Iowa Environmental Council;
(36:58) KHOI celebrates 10 years, Mike Murphy;
(40:44) Shock-jocks’ take of Mar-a-Lago search;
(55:03) Farm & Food: Lead in backyard eggs?.
– KHOI 89.1 FM (Ames, Iowa)
– KICI.LP 105.3 FM (Iowa City, Iowa)
– WHIV 102.3 FM (New Orleans, Louisiana)
– KPIP-LP, 94.7 FM (Fayette, Missouri)
– KCEI 90.1 FM (Taos, New Mexico)
– KRFP 90.3 FM (Moscow, Idaho)
– WGRN 94.1 FM (Columbus, Ohio)
– KKFI 90.1 FM (Kansas City, Missouri)
Please support the local businesses and non-profits who make this program possible. Click on their logos on the Fallon Forum website and in our weekly email, and visit Dr. Drake Family Psychiatry, Story County Veterinary Clinic, Bold Iowa, and Birds & Bees Urban Farm. Thanks for supporting the civil alternative to the shock jocks!
Ed Fallon