AirOne Christian Radio: More Fear More Often...

A group of us have been monitoring Christian radio...the hidden voices in your area that occupy many spots on your radio dial and spew some of the most right wing and pro-Bunnypants propaganda. Never is there any rebuttal or fairness...it isn't tolerated.

Today I was checking out a new station...Air One...it's a Christian "Rock" format...lots of alternative sounding Alanis Morisette and Phish soundalikes mixing Christian messages inside the lyrics (kinda the thing they used to bitch about in Real Rock music) and a very slick, professional sound. It's like "Family Friendly" formats like "The Fish" and it's coporate's other format "K-Love".

Unlike those other formats that are aimed at mostly adults, Air One is aimed right for teens. In the past year, this format has appeared on company owned transmitters all over the country (using FCC rules that work in their favor and against local broadcasters) and, in conjunction with these other networks have formed their own grapevine of disinformation.

Today, the lead story on Air One's newscast was about the Terror Alert. Unlike major media that has debunk the warning and started to finally investigate the "wag the dog" factor of these alerts, Air One this morning said that the warning was still very dangerous...and we could expect an Al Queda attack soon. There was a quick mention of the fact the information was 3 to 4 years old (as Bill Mahrer said last night: old enough to have sex with Michael Jackson) and no mention that nothing new had been added to what we know.

It was total denial of some very important facts that ALL Americans should know. But that won't stop Air One or Salem (a chain of the most right wing hate radio hosts) from spreading fear and disinformation to their listeners with no alternative point of view or even any responsibility to accuracy. And since it's a religious format, the assumption is that it has to be true since this is on a "moral" and "family safe" station.

While we've been monitoring the tube and the more high profile hate radio programs, this is a very quiet, silent grapevine that uses public airwaves for religious and now political motives. Religions broadcasters live in their own world that has turned into a cash cow...all at the altar of fear and inclusion.

I welcome others to pop up to the 88-92 part of your FM dial and fish around...you're sure to find several of these stations in your neighborhood and, I believe, worth monitoring, and if Kerry is elected, time to finally review the status of these station/companies in an overall review of broadcast station ownership. Just like in the real world, if a religious broadcaster is promoting a political party it should lose its tax exempt status.

Please share your listening with us...and if there are some responses, maybe we can move this to the media forum and keep a watch over there for all DU'ers to check in on.

Cheers!

I've often wondered how these stations get away with what they do. Does your "group" have a site? Lately, I've become very interested in media-related issues, almost to the exclusion of this upcoming election. I have even brought up the possibility of a targeted campaign of pressure on various media outlets (protests, harassment, etc.), but I was pretty much ignored around DU. Phhhhht! So much for anarchy...

If there are people who are interested in forming a monitoring group, I'm all for that. DU is proving a great resource of instant response from many people when the media attempts to manipulate information...very little gets past the people here.

Yes, I get frustrated at how many posts of substance get ignored on here since there's not the "sizzle" of a good flame or bash, but I do see a lot of good people here, if we can connect, that can start forming networks that can mature into bigger and better things. Remember, it took the right wing 20 years to build what they have now, and it won't come down overnight.

Maybe, as part of the next DU upgrade, we can provide a forum for strictly TV and Radio shows...as well as getting more people involved in the Media forum here...to shine light and offer alternatives that we all can benefit from.

Pitchforks and torches at CNN Center is a wonderful dream, but not how we really "take back the media"...it has to be done from within. First step in that process is to understand how the monster is made.

Cheers!

A lot of the "posts of substance" to which you refer do seem to be lacking in responses, but I wonder if there is something other than a willful avoidence of these posts. I, for one, often read these big posts, then go off to find more information. By the time I get around to writing letters, calling congresscretins, or other actions, I have not been around DU for about an hour--and then it's time to get away from the computer and get some work done! Perhaps others do the same.

I stand accused of rushing to DU (the evils of a wireless laptop that goes anywhere) when I see something on the tube and going for the strings.

I always look at the low number posted strings closely...as those are the most interesting topics and lead to the discourse like is happening here.

DU's problem is it's getting too damn big and popular. The server must be going nuts with all the requests for pages and writes and rewrites. I'll bet Elad hasn't slept a good night's sleep since 2002.

Again, I posted here to see if there was any interest and see if others would like to continue this in the Media forum or set up an outside forum where we can do a "watchdog" status on the public airwaves.

Cheers!

To be truthful, Mrs. Cat would be even better; she has a sharp eye for bias, and frequently notices things that I miss. She spent most of the DNC yelling at the television.

Many need to keep their "cover" and that's very much understood, but if there's a safe place...a truely safe place...where people can network, interesting things can and do happen.

I'm open to any ideas or suggestions on how we can use DU...and then go from there...

Cheers!

every night.

Gasp! Blasphemy! Blasphemy in my congregation!

First, is Salem's "The Fish" format guilty of this same kind of crap?

And second, are these guys similar to K-Love, who tosses up borderline illegal low-wattage transmitters like weeds all over the country? With the fight for groups to obtain LPFM licenses, this is an absolute sham that the FCC chooses to ignore. Keep in mind, LPFM rules mandate that the majority of the programming be live and local, not satellite delivered. K-Love is all satellite. It is basically pirate radio.

And third, who owns AirOne?

Salem is a commercial corporation...just like Clear Channel or any other "secular" corporation. A majority of their stations operate on commercial frequencies. They make a vast majority of their money selling blocks of airtime to churches and religious organizations as well as their own growing chain of Christian bookstores, recording companies and so on. "The Fish" is a syndicated format on Salem stations that is localized...but is no different than your local "Kiss" Top 40 station. They also own AM stations that have recently formed a "talk network" with fine folks like Ollie North, Michael Medved and others...adding to the concophony on the AM band.

Since Salem does compete in the commercial world, and is quite open about their mission, I don't consider them anywhere near as deceptive as AirOne/K-Love and other groups.

AirOne is a subsidiary of K-Love that operates out of California. Nope, they're not quite pirates. They transmit legally on hundreds of low power translators and LPFM stations...all hooked up via satellite. They also operate on some "regular power" station as well. The problem here is that groups like "Educational Media Fund" (the name of the corporate entity of K-Love/AirOne) get special preferences on both translator and LPFM licenses. They also have large private donors who are funding the building of these stations...while local groups have extreme difficulties obtaining licenses and finding ways to fund their stations.

There's other networks out there as well...Moody Bible, Family Radio, CSN International and several others. They fall below the radar since they're not rated, but they generate lots of tax free dollars and are open mikes for some of the most divisive voices in this country.

Thanks for your reply

Interesting...

I never understood the loophole that K-Love used to jam up the FM dial with their little 10 watt transmitters, some of which interfere with other stations. I do know that there is a complicated process to go through to obtain a LPFM licence, and the numbers are very limited. Besides, they are heavily regulated as far as programming and staffing (limited unmanned or satellite operation). And all must be non-commercial stations.

Many of the groups that have applied for LPFMs tend to be religious in nature. I noticed that there were religious organizations that applied for a number of them (exploiting loopholes?). And they squash various community, local church and ethnic groups to gain licences. K-Love seems to just circumvent the process entirely.

To top it off, religious groups are big players in the brokered radio market. They buy up blocks of airtime on failing AM stations (how Air America got their start) and broadcast to a very small audience.

Who pays for all of this and why? How can companies like Starboard, for example, afford to buy up all these stations? To broadcast to very small audiences?

http://www.emfbroadcasting.com/

that's the "Educational Media Fund" website...the corporation that opeates those two networks and more. Yep...they use the loopholes and get the preference at the FCC since they're existing station owners and have established non-profit status (as well as well paid DC broadcast lawyers). I'd be interested in your comments.

Brokering is another animal as it generally is done in the commercial marketplace. I'm very familiar with a lot of the failing AM stations you refer to and religious and foreign language are the bread and butter that keep these signals on the air. Few of these stations are ideologically operated...meaning you miss paying the bill and you're off the air (witness AAR in Chicago & LA).

There is brokered radio within non-profit Christian radio which is another "grey" area...where a station that uses non-commercial frequencies and sell time to other religious groups and that's generated a little black market that now fuels many of these growing broadcast empires.

Running a small translator is relatively cheap. EMF usually finds a church to "sponsor" a station...they usually pay for the transmitters and the permits to build the station...EMF brings in the toys and hooks it all up. Now if you look at the EMF website and play with your Google, you may come up with more answers to where that other funding comes from...it will surprise you.

Cheers!

.... It's like in North Korea when they put the whole country on alert anticipating a U.S. attack. It also plays into the cult-like siege mentality that Dave Koresh inculcated in his people down in Waco. They have them holed up and waiting for the apocalypse, in whatever form it appears.

One of my favorite things to do is that when I hear a Christian sticking up for Bush, is to simply tell them that he is no kind of Christa Christian whatsoever. He's a Roman - Jesus wasn't wandering around preaching war on Semites - the people who nailed him to the cross were. And that was the Romans. That one really gets them worked up. I guess they all saw The Passion or something.

...and avoid religious topics like the plague in this place, but would it be safe to say these companies "bear false witness"??