Flashback Friday pulls out from the archives this post that was originally published March 15, 2012. It seemed relevant after Anna Wolfe's story last week for some strange reason.
Supertalk Mississippi (97.3 FM) sent out message yesterday in its daily email to listeners of The Gallo Radio Show:
"7:05 a.m. Have a group of Republican leaders stabbed conservatives? SB 2736 targets radio and tv stations advertising contracts in a bill that's referred to "under the Dome" as the SuperTalk Bill. Can't believe this is happening? Join me at 7 a.m. as we log the names for our own bit of history on the Ides of March! This is basically the same bill that was pushed by Billy McCoy, Jamie Franks and the Democrats to silence opposing views, except this time it's coming from a small group of Republicans!" The irony here is simply too rich. Mr. Gallo accuses the Senate leadership of turning into Democrats. Oooooooooooook. Lets see how this all got started. Supertalk decided to get involved in Republican intraparty politics as it became the personal radio network for Phil Bryant and Billy Hewes last year. Supertalk stopped being a reliable conservative talk radio station but instead decided to attack other conservatives who just didn't happen to be on the Bryant team.
The lineup featured more guests from those two campaigns than their Republican opponents. Columnist Bryan Perry was booted off the air after he started working for the Dennis campaign while Bryant and Hewes cronies played Ed McMahon on a regular basis. Who can forget Mr. Gallo using Bill Minor columns to attack Tate Reeves? One of the more memorable episodes was when Tate Reeves appeared on the show but one would've never known it as Mr. Gallo talked over him, down to him, around him, and through him during the entire interview. Billy Hewes appeared on a regular basis. Then as fear set in as they realized Hewes would lose the race, the station went all-in for Hewes, pumping him constantly and slamming his opponent. Some sources told JJ the station owner was a Bryant ally, others said he was trying to play kingmaker in the Republican Party, and others have said he had no choice as the Bryant team forced him to do this if he wanted to keep his funding (Which I can totally believe knowing how one set of advisers around him operates.). It doesn't matter why Supertalk went after Reeves, the point is when you try to kill the king, you better kill the king. In Supertalk's case, it didn't kill the king and is now paying for it.
Even more ironic is the message whining about conservative backstabbing. Oh really? Last time I checked, conservatives were about limiting government and cutting spending, not corporate welfare. Seethespending.org reports state government agencies spent over $6.5 million in advertising dollars on Supertalk since 2004. So now a conservative, who advocates cutting spending and bashing liberal Democrats on a daily basis, is defending the government showering millions of dollars on a private business.
How many radio stations in Mississippi would love to get that advertising money? Tell you what Paul, why don't you put your money where your mouth is: Instead of trying to keep the gravy train for Supertalk, why don't you advocate the state bid out the contracts? You know, let Supertalk compete with the rest of the radio stations in Mississippi. The free market. Capitalism. The ideals you espouse 3 hours a day 5 days a week. Competitive bidding for government contracts is a true conservative position, if one is inclined to argue for state advertising. That is a conservative position or is bashing crony capitalism just limited to Billy McCoy and beef plants? To paraphrase Nietzsche, did Mr. Gallo look into the liberal abyss and become what he fought?
However, someone else has noticed this fight because a nice-sized ad appeared in yesterday's Clarion-Ledger (posted above). The ad was posted by some group called "Stop Mississippi Waste". The website is dedicated exclusively to cutting spending on first Supertalk and then all state advertising. The ad points out the $6.5 million spent on Supertalk and the website claims state government spent over $11 million in 2011 just on advertising. $6.5 million.
While everyone is whining about the bill, lets take a look at what this bill actually does:
1. No agency shall spend money advertising programs on radio or television.
2. Ban does not apply to programs funded by federal grants (anti-drug ads are one example)
3. This does not apply to free public service announcements provided by stations.
4. Bill does not apply to universities or junior colleges.
5. The bill does not apply to legal advertising or ads for employment.
6. Charges the State Personnel Board with establishing guidelines for the purchasing of alladvertising, whether it be radio, tv, internet, or newspaper, by state agencies.
So thus the question that must be asked is this bill a "stabbing" of conservatives by conservatives? Is such advertising a gravy train for the well-connected? Can a conservative defend government spending millions of dollars on advertising with no bids? Mr. Gallo and his owner are big boys. When you get that kind of money, you can take that kind of heat. Supertalk is the station jumped into the middle of some nasty fights. Its somewhat hypocritical to complain about conservative "stabbing" when the station was teaming up with Bill Minor to attack conservatives on the air. Supertalk can defend receiving advertising money, just don't do it while hiding behind conservatism.
14 comments:
This is the dirtiest secret in Mississippi that is no longer a secret. The same folks that run the campaigns get repaid and rewarded by office holders by getting to steer millions in state money (like ad dollars). And of course, SuperTalk is going to then favor whoever is steering them the ad dollars. That's why certain officials like Bryant get beach ball type questions while their opponents get skewered on air. Its such a crooked business. And Supertalk listeners are the saps who fall for it.
I'll ask again...what about the stadium banner ads that ran at Vaught Hemingway and Davis Wade promoting the Mississippi Department of Human Services? This was back in the Mullen-Freeze days and I asked by buddy next to me why DHS was spending money on ads at football games.
Who steered this money in that direction and who was being rewarded? I suspect the same people that steered money to Supertalk.
Here you go Josh. Here you go Justin. Take this $5 million and spend it wisely (repay our friends and buy us some votes).
There was nothing new in Wolfe's reporting beyond some TANF specific spend numbers.
Both sides are nothing but grifting scum, one side is just more hypocritical than the other.
What about PBS?
Free Enterprise principles, like competitive bidding to determine the best value (highest quality for lowest cost), merit pay for public school teachers and zero based budgeting can benefit good governance...but... using taxpayer dollars to fund propaganda on a communication network is way outside principled government action.
Same reason I oppose PBS frequent leftist propaganda but does Ms Wolfe snarl at and bite PBS?
"Mr. Gallo talked over him, down to him, around him, and through him during the entire interview."
Substitute the name Gallo with the name of the mid-day guy and you'll hit a triple.
9:16, this is not a partisan issue. The problem is that conservative act like only the other side does it. The left has done this forever and does not deny it.
Years ago I would eat lunch and listen to the JT and Dave show and get sick to my stomach from them arguing back and forth and grouchy as hell. I remember time after time after time someone calling in and making comments about MHP officers traveling well above the speed limit with no lights and the person calling in getting verbally abused by JT time after time after time. It was a bull shit show and the few times I listened to Gallo, and I refer to the few times, it was bull shit also. We have no good news stations. I removed my Super Talk App into the garbage can…where it belongs. It was Tate’s fault for sitting there and taking that treatment. He should have done what he did to the marxist mayor of jackson and held his own press conference to reflect the show and tell how things actually are. Phil, you and Brett and the rest need to go to prison for taking money that was fully intended to feed children. No excuse for what they, the Dibiase family and the New family did, along with many others. And yes I’m a strong conservative. Do not take food from a child.
I remember running into Phil, Gallo and the SuperTalk Crew at the Hilton in Tupelo around that time, I didn’t know I interrupted a meeting of crooks !
If they didn’t replay episodes of Art Bell on Saturday evenings, I would never listen to SuperTalk.
I would rather absorb my political punditry from the edge lords, autists, and Pepe frog nazis who are screaming into the void on 4chan, than listen to some local hayseed opine his ignorant opinions.
3:47 here
The same goes for WYAB and their 4chan-/pol/-lite personalities.
9:16 nailed it. When Anna attacks MPB, NPR and PBS, I'll deem her credible.
It will never happen.
Both sides are con artists, but I love left wing fascist stations like PBS and Black Information Network. They’re more entertaining and comedic than the dry conservative stations.
@8:51 - how much welfare money went to advertising on those stations? Did Mr. Roger’s steal welfare money also? What is she going after, there has to be something illegal to investigate.
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