Report: Michael Smerconish Slams Talk Radio

Appearing on Friday's CBS This Morning, Sirius XM radio and CNN host Michael Smerconish, to promote his new fictional novel about the talk radio business entitled "Talk", denounced the industry: "I think it's entertainment masked as news and I wanted to expose it because I think it's had a horrific impact on polarization and incivility in the country."

According to newsbusters.com, co-host Norah O'Donnell challenged Smerconish's accusation that talk radio was to blame for polarization: "The rise of talk radio has coincided with increasing partisanship in politics. But I'm not sure it's the cause of it. There are a lot of other factors and there's always been partisan media since the beginning of media."

Smerconish insisted: "Norah, I disagree with you, respectfully. I think it is a significant causal factor in this....In the early 1980s, on Ronald Reagan's watch, 60% of the Senate comprised of moderates. Today, literally none." O'Donnell countered: "And that's because of talk radio?"

Co-host Charlie Rose wondered why so many talk radio hosts were conservative. Smerconish explained: "I think conservatives rightfully believed they had nowhere to go. The Big Three networks, the Washington Post, the New York Times didn't give them a feeling that the red carpet had been rolled out. So they carved out this clubhouse for themselves."


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