(jody9/flickr)
The Greening of America
Three years old and in bankruptcy, Air America lurches along. The brothers Green are buying the network, but industry watcher Brian Maloney says they’re not really buying anything at all.
One if by FCC
This week, XM and Sirius announced plans to merge. The deal still awaits approval by regulators, whose license of the satellite radio companies explicitly forbids their merger. But despite the hurdles, telecom analyst Blair Levin says it’s likely a go.
- "Coffee & TV" Blur
Faith in the Word
Though many and varied throughout America, Evangelicals are often cast by media as a conservative monolith. Tim Morgan, deputy editor of Christianity Today, wants to save “the E word” from permanent stigmatization.
- "Once in a Lifetime" Amir Lev
Letters
Listeners respond to last week's piece about whether the American debate about Israel is being squelched.
Heart of Darkness
A few months ago, President Bush mentioned that he’d just read King Leopold’s Ghost. It's a timely study in media manipulation and the potential of investigative reporting, so we called on author Adam Hochschild to discuss his portrait of crimes in the Congo.
- "You're a Big Girl (Now)" Bob Dylan
Backin’ Black
Media consultant David Axelrod has gained a reputation for packaging black candidates for white voters. But The Nation's Christopher Hayes says the real challenge may be selling Barack Obama to fellow African-Americans.
Trail of Years
We’re in the midst of the earliest campaign season ever. Or are we? Historian Michael Kazin makes the case that not only has permanent politicking being going on for years, but it's actually part and parcel of the electoral system itself.
- "Music Is My Radar" Blur
Bit of Fluff
You think the news media should ignore Britney’s noggin and turn its attention to only serious matters? Bob disagrees, and offers this defense of the trivial.
Highlights from Past Shows
Explosive Charges
February 16, 2007
Conscious of pre-war parallels, the press proceeded cautiously last week as it reported on possible Iranian involvement in the Iraq war. Columbia Journalism Review's Michael Massing explains why he thinks the coverage still came up lacking. And The New York Times' Michael Gordon defends his handling of the story.
Friction Tape
February 09, 2007
Two images of combat surfaced in recent weeks, one recorded by the military and the other by a journalist. Do they lionize American soldiers or depict them as savages? Is documentation of war fundamentally an antiwar act? It seems the truth is in the mind of the viewer.
On the Media is funded by The Bydale Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Overbrook Foundation.
