Ed Schultz is talk radio's "Liberal Hope"
NEW YORK (CBS.MW) - As the U.S. heads into a presidential election in 2004, Sen. Tom Daschle of South Dakota has high hopes for Ed Schultz.
No, Schultz isn't a candidate for the White House -- or any other office, for that matter. Schultz is a radio talk-show host in Fargo, N.D., who loves to vent on the air about politics. Daschle and other Democrats are counting on Schultz to help them counter the conservative wave on the radio and communicate their liberal message to the American people.
On Jan. 5, the Jones Radio Network will introduce Schultz's 3-6 p.m. show (Eastern Time) in 11 small U.S. markets, in the hope of expanding his reach by year-end 2004.
Schultz, 49, stands out from the pack. He is an unabashed liberal, in an era when Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and other outspoken conservative personalities advance the viewpoints of likeminded politicians - and rule the radio airwaves.
"It's no coincidence that the ascent of Rush Limbaugh and his combative brand of right-wing `talk radio' programming coincided with the rise of Newt Gingrich and this new strain of Republicanism," Daschle wrote in his book, "Like No Other Time."
Daschle, speaking on a panel at Newsweek headquarters on Nov. 17, noted that Democrats lack a presence on talk-radio stations. "We've got to have that," Daschle said.
When Newsweek's Jonathan Alter said Schultz sounded newsworthy, Daschle declared: "IT IS A STORY!"
Daschle might as well have anointed Schultz as talk-radio's "Great Liberal Hope."
"If he can do a show as entertaining as Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity and has a sharp, clear vision, the liberals aren't doomed on talk radio," said David Bernknopf, a media consultant with Atamira in Atlanta.
"Ed Schultz is very hardworking and extremely talented," said Michael Harrison, editor of Talkers magazine, a radio trade publication in Springfield, Mass. "He makes people think he is their friend - and that's everything to making someone sound attractive on the radio."
But Harrison says it's a big mistake for Democrats to regard Schultz as a savior - even as Limbaugh copes with the bad publicity from his exiting ESPN and submitting to treatment for substance abuse.
"To expect Ed Schultz to be the next Rush Limbaugh is to put the kiss of death on him," said Harrison. "Every new rock band can't be the next Beatles. It's not realistic."
But Harrison is willing to predict some measure of success for Schultz. "He has a good chance," Harrison said. "Coming from a small market is a virtue because it's harder to make your mark. You have to do everything. The only thing that can break Ed is if people are expecting him to be the liberal answer to Rush Limbaugh."
Still, the liberals are lining up behind Schultz. Democracy Radio, a progressive radio organization, is helping to foot the bill for Schultz's national launch. Roll Call reported in October that many Democratic Senators were expected to attend an event at the home of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) to raise money for the project, which will cost approximately $1.5 million over the next two years.
Since 1996, Schultz has been the host of a two-and-a-half hour show on Clear Channel's (CCU: news) KFGO station based in Fargo.
Schultz speaks
Schultz isn't lacking for confidence.
"I'm going to be informative and entertaining and I'm going to take my show where the action is," Schultz said in an interview. "I'm going to do a good show."
He isn't intimidated by the conservatives ' dominance.
"Listen, I'm gonna take it to these people," Schultz said animatedly. "We know they can dish it out. Let's see if they can take it."
Schultz is angry about the state of the country. Ask him about the budget and he snarls, "There is no end game."
Education across the U.S. is "under-funded." Veterans have been getting shafted because "we're not living up to what we said we were going to do."
Health care coverage is lacking, too "I'm for universal health care -- we have 44 million who don't have health care coverage. When do we address that problem -- when there are 60 million or 80 million?"
The U.S. is "a country of haves and have-nots," he said. "We're gutting Middle America by shipping jobs overseas."
Schultz doesn't mind that people may criticize him for blasting the Bush administration. Besides, Schultz knows that a controversy will help him get well known.
Schultz is eager to show that he is as patriotic as any conservative talk-show host.
"Addressing these issues doesn't make me any less of an American," he said.
Prairie leader
For his part, Schultz has proven that he can hold his own. Daschle noted, "He wins the ratings wars in the Dakotas."
But Schultz has to prove that his show will play beyond Peoria, er Fargo.
"I'm getting bashed by other talk hosts because he is from Fargo, and he isn't from a big market," said Amy Bolton, a Jones vice president.
Bolton said she hopes that Schultz will be heard on 60 radio stations by the end of next year in such markets as Tampa, Fla., Washington, D.C., Portland, Ore., Seattle and Minneapolis.
"The 11 stations now are mostly regional markets," she said. "We're hoping that interest in the East Coast will get this ball rolling."
Bolton said she first heard about Schultz at a convention and took note "because nobody in this industry gets a 27 share any more."
Bolton also enjoys the seeming contradictions in Schultz, an avid hunter. "He is a liberal who owns a gun," Bolton said.
But it may prove easier for a Democrat candidate to topple President George Bush than it will be for Schultz to surpass Rush Limbaugh, the wildly popular, bombastic talk-show host who gleefully espouses right-wing causes and trash talks Democrats at every turn.
"This show is going to grow on its merits," he said, noting that he'll be broadcasting live from the Iowa caucus in January.
"If things are done right, the Democrats have got a real shot at the White House," he said.
Say this for Schultz. He is unfazed about going up against the omnipotent Republican machine.
"I'm prepared for anything that's going to come my way," he said. "There are people who are gonna try to thwart this effort. The bottom line is that I'm a proven radio talent." |
