First, there is something being done by citizens nationwide, which you can participate in (see below), but we also need to take responsibility for what goes on here in Iowa, where GB reaches a large audience of unsuspecting natives who, for one dysfunctional reason or another, think he is for real and don't understand that he is merely a TV/Radio personality who is getting filthy rich by convincing his audiences to support ideas and policies which do not benefit them and actually harm them.
Snake oil salesmen such as Beck have been around for thousands of years, but should they really be allowed free, unchallenged access to the publicly owned airwaves?
Here are some actions you can take at the local and national level. Please do something.
**BFIA Local Action Alert**
Burlington KCPS-AM 1150 Ph (319)754-6698 (locally owned)
Des Moines KWQW-FM 98.3 Ph (515)331-9200 (citadel)
Fort Dodge KVFD-AM 1400 Ph (515)955-5656
Sioux City KSCJ-AM 1360 Ph (712)239-2100 (locally owned)
Spencer KICD-AM 1240 Ph (712)262-1240
Waterloo KXEL-AM 1540 Ph (800)584-7024 (locally owned)
This is a large audience, and it isn't even all-inclusive of the stations that carry Limbaugh, Hannity, and others. Check for the station nearest you. Call. Suggest Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller, Rachel Maddow, Robert Kennedy, Jr., Ed Schultz, Laura Flanders, Jim Hightower...there are many successful, progressive alternatives. Now is a good time to act because advertisers are leaving Beck in droves.
(1) Contact your local station and complain. Tell them you would greatly prefer they not air Beck's hate speech. You can also let them know you will stop supporting their advertisers if they continue to air Beck's program, and will get your friends to do the same.
(2) If they insist that they must air Beck's dangerous nonsense, ask or insist that they air a progressive alternative alongside their conservative programming, and to air programs that represent your diverse community. (They might say, well, you have NPR. To which you reply, NPR doesn't count, because NPR is mainstream media; it is NOT progressive programming. It airs both sides of issues - a good thing, but it does not air just the progressive side, as conservative radio carries just the conservative side. So, the existence of NPR doesn't equal things out - and besides, many believe it too has become way too conservative in the framing of issues).
(3) Organize a petition; get signatures to present to your local station. Click here to add your name to the one we've already started
(4) Go visit your station in person; ask to see their public inspection file. You'll find loads of delightfully creative complaints there, from people who are dissatisfied just like you, ignored by the station.
A national advertiser boycott campaign is currently going on.
Colorofchange.org
All major advertisers have left Beck [About 145,000 members signed a petition asking Beck's advertisers to stop supporting him. And big companies like retailing giant Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, GMAC Financial Services, Best Buy, CVS and Travelocity complied. ] Read more
Help us keep them from returning.
Our campaign has been a huge success so far. More than 270,000 of us have stood up and 62 companies have pulled their support. As Beck's show decreases in value, FOX will do everything possible to reverse the trend. It's time to thank those advertisers who dropped Beck and keep them from returning, while calling on more advertisers to pull back as well. It takes just a moment to add your voice!
