We constantly here the mainstream media attack the institution of talk radio as a one sided echo chamber for Conservatives. It is portrayed as intellectually deprived and solely one sided. The talk radio audience is simultaneously portrayed as a monolithic group of Narrowminded simpletons who automatically absorb and agree with everything a given host says.
However, the exact opposite is true. Talk radio is the only format of political entertainment where the audience can participate and challenge a host.
In all the years of watching CNN and MSNBC, I have never once heard them announce a number audience members could utilize to provide their thoughts. Instead, the only remedy available to audience members who subject themselves to the torrent of ignorance flooding out of their TVs from such stations is hollering to their empty living rooms. This of course has no effect and is entirely unsatisfying. The political pundit has complete immunity. Since no one enjoys another person having such an unfair advantage when expressing a view point disagreeable to the viewer, audience members gravitate towards channels presenting political opinions corresponding to their own beliefs.
Talk radio on the other hand provides the disagreeable audience member the opportunity to directly challenge a host in real time over the Airways by calling the show. Despite the existence of 10 second delays and call screeners, a show host nevertheless has no idea exactly what any particular caller is going to say. Thus, a host must have the ability to think quickly in real time.
Even though admittedly not every caller who calls in is guaranteed to get on air, the simple existence of the opportunity to challenge Rush Limbaugh, or attack Mark Levin, is enough to entice even the most disagreeable audience members to keep listening to a given show. Thus, talk radio does not create the echo chamber effect so often ascribed to it by the mainstream media. Instead, cable TV news creates the echo chamber due to the inability of audience members to challenge pundits in any meaningful way.
Talk radio is by far the most democratic open form of political entertainment on air, and I would put The intellect of any of our audience members against that of a loyal MSNBC viewer any day.