The WLBT case had enormous repercussions for the radio and TV industries. The ruling gave local communities the power to challenge licenses, radio and television licenses across the country. People could write to stations saying they weren't being balanced in their coverage. And now, all of a sudden, the station actually felt pressure to listen to them.
If you’ve ever flipped through the radio dial — not satellite, not podcasts, but good old-fashioned AM and FM radio — you may have noticed something. Right wing radio talk is everywhere.
But the airwaves weren't always so dominated by such a narrow range of voices. Reporter and friend of the show Katie Thornton has the story of how talk radio has evolved (and perhaps devolved at times) over the past century, and what all of it means for the airwaves today.
The Divided Dial
Hear the rest of the the series from On the Media