Talk Radio's Credibility

January 12, 2005

I have to tell you, I'm very concerned. I'm concerned about the industry I love – talk radio. The recent revelation by radio and TV talk show host Armstrong Williams that he had taken $240,000 from a PR firm to promote the president's No Child Left Behind program is troublesome on several different levels. Those who syndicate his newspaper column found it troublesome enough to cut him loose. However, the potential damage to talk radio is even greater.

 

In defense of Williams, the money, he says, was paid to advertise on his television show, not go directly into his back pocket. He, subsequently, talked about the topic and wrote about it in his columns. He has acknowledged the mistake and wants to move on but it's not quite as simple as that. Almost all of us in talk radio supplement our salaries with what are known as “live endorsements.” We accept money from advertisers to promote their products. There is, however, a wall of separation between those endorsements and the content of our programming. I would never dream of accepting money to talk about a certain topic or, worse, not to talk about a certain topic. That wall should be impenetrable. Now there's that glimmer of doubt in the public's mind.

 

I have maintained for years that the most insidious part of the talk radio business is the pressure put on some hosts regarding topic selection. Although I don't believe that to be widespread, it does happen. Hosts must make the difficult decision to either bow to the pressure or rebuff it and face the consequences. Once topic tampering is allowed to occur, the entire program is called into question. Conversely, if we allow someone to dictate content by paying for it, the programming is equally contaminated. It's tantamount to the dreaded infomercials. At least in their case, a disclaimer is read before they begin alerting listeners that the host is about to sell out.

 

After the revelation of money paid from the government, Williams later clarified that the money was for advocating the Bush policy on television and not radio. But who can honestly distinguish between the two? If a host is getting paid to push a topic on TV, there's no way to be sure that doesn't bleed over into radio.

 

Atlanta talk legend, Neal Boortz, felt compelled to offer a $10,000 reward for anyone able to prove he'd ever taken money to talk about a topic. I doubt he's alone in the assault from the Left. After all, talk radio is dominated by conservatives. I can only imagine the James Carvilles and Terry McAuliffes of the world rubbing their hands together in glee over having possibly found talk radio's Achilles Heel.

 

Armstrong Williams may regret his actions but the can of worms has already been opened. He has unwittingly cast a pall across the entire industry. Who knows how many other hosts will come forward or be exposed for doing even worse. This could be the ‘Quiz Show' scandal of talk radio. I pray it's not.

 

Conservative talk radio is now credited with giving the Republicans the majority in Congress and electing George W. Bush twice. Now, the liberals who loathe talk radio may have found the sword with which to slay the beast. Listeners will put up with all sorts of personal problems – substance abuse, divorce, even arrest. What they will not tolerate is doubt. If they doubt a host's sincerity in talking about a topic, it's over. Credibility is our only commodity. Without it, the industry is in grave trouble. Let's hope Armstrong's case is an isolated one.