An Open Letter to Ed Schultz & His Listeners

Remember when AAR launched in March of 2004? I do. I was living in Portland and was ecstatic. All of the shows were refreshing to listen to during the daily commute. Listening on AM 620, I caught parts of the Al Franken Show and Ed Schultz Show regularly. Ed Schultz was quick to let his listeners know who were calling in that he was not a part of AAR, but rather part of the Jones Radio Network.

Ed's show routinely had excellent guests which I enjoyed. More often than not, I did not agree with or appreciate his commentary on the daily issues however. It was "too mainstream" for me. He was unwilling to take risks with his commentary and reminded me of what I heard on the nightly cable news networks.

Regardless, I continued to listen to his show because I wanted to support all progressive outlets. To this day, I still routinely listen to Ed's show.

What made me write this was his quip today at AAR. He didn't name hosts, but he spoke of the network and essentially said to his listeners -- I know they're making remarks, but I'm above it.

Come on Big Eddie. You've used your show as a mouthpiece to rip AAR time and time again. I've been listening to you as long as I've been listening to Mike Malloy (Now with Nova M). You've got to be able to take it if you're going to dish it. Don't act like you're above it, we all remember your rant about how the network was made up of a bunch of low-life commentators who didn't pay their bills. It was vicious. It was Fox News-esque.

But this thread isn't about the Big Eddie vs AAR smack-a-thon that has been taking place over the years. It is about routinely ranting that you're the number one voice in progressive radio. I contest this advertising gimmick on two fronts. One, your ratings are nothing when compared next to the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage. So what does listenership really mean? It surely isn't a testament to the quality of the program or its content.

Two, your show isn't progressive. Would you argue that CNN, MSNBC, etc. are progressive news networks? They aren't. They are entertainment news networks which don't focus on content, they focus on side stories and what I like to call misinformation. Your show is modeled around them. It is why you are invited as a frequent guest on Larry King and many of the other network programs, including Fox and Friends.

I wish your show was truly progressive. I wish it talked more about the issues of our time and attempted to engage its listeners as well as get them to be informed and involved in the political process. But apparently there aren't ratings in that. And at the end of the day it is all about ratings. Everything comes back to dollars.

So go on. Continue to boast about being the number one progressive talker. Us on the left will continue to laugh. And yes Eddie, I've heard your rants about how we (the left) don't have a big enough tent. We don't want the tent to be so big that the whole right fits in it as well. That is what has happened in America today. The spectrum is so flawed that we think opinions right of center are too liberal. You perpetuate this problem.