Front Burner - Front Burner Presents: The Flamethrowers Ep. 4

Episode Date: October 19, 2024

The terror attacks of September 11th have Americans turning the dial to talk radio, where a whole new generation of broadcasters are eager to capitalize on anxiety and fear.This is episode 4 of The Flamethrowers, the story of how radio energized and then radicalized a conservative base. Hosted by Justin Ling. More episodes are available here.

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. This is a CBC Podcast. Hi everybody, it's Jamie. We are continuing our countdown to the U.S. election with another episode of The Flamethrowers, a CBC podcast series that unravels the history of right-wing radio and its massive influence on American politics. We'll be featuring episodes every week leading up to the election. In today's episode, host Justin Ling takes us to the days after the September 11th attacks when fear gripped the nation

and talk radio was there to capitalize on it. Just a reminder that this podcast was first released in 2021 and does not touch on the current U.S. presidential election. Here is episode four, The Echo Chamber. This podcast tells the story of how right-wing radio radicalized America. We use examples of what was actually said on the radio, and some of it is offensive. But it's an important part of understanding this story. Just a heads up. The Flamethrowers presents Great Moments in Right-Wing Media.

1989, the World Wide Web is born. Now anyone can say anything about anything. There's no downside. 1995, wannabe newshound Matt Drudge launches a new website for Hollywood gossip. It's called The Drudge Report. The following year, The Drudge Report breaks the Monica Lewinsky scandal and becomes a pipeline of material for the Rush Limbaugh show. 1996, Fox News launches on television. And who's that running the show? Why, it's Limbaugh producer Roger Ailes. Finally, a tonic for the dominant liberal mainstream media narrative. It's like right-wing radio that you can watch.

It's all enough to make a first lady cry. Vast right-wing conspiracy. What a time to be a conservative broadcaster, and the new millennium will only be better. This has been Great Moments in Right-Wing Media. We now return you to your regularly scheduled

The Flamethrowers. President Donald Trump is on the phone. Donald Trump is running for president. My theory is that Donald is really not running for president. You think he's just promoting a book. Yeah, Donald. Hi, Howard. How are you? And at first, everyone thinks it's a joke.

Because it certainly smells like a publicity stunt. He's doing all of these television interviews and press conferences, and now he's making a point to call in to one of the most important radio shows in the country, The Howard Stern Show. Trump had been a frequent guest on Stern's show for years, but he was kind of the butt of the joke. Even now, before he actually launches his campaign, Stern keeps calling him... Mr. President. You have to endorse me, Howard.

Yes, sure, I'll endorse you. What else have I got to do? Tell you what, this country won't be ripped off anymore, Howard. I know, you'll get a good deal. Howard Stern isn't political. His show is all about making people laugh. And people love Howard Stern. And Trump, well, he needs to be loved. Hey, Donald, listen,

we're going to follow your candidacy. And please come in and see us soon. Anytime you want, Howard, I'll see you soon. And if you want, call me seriously. I'm curious about that. And Robin, keep up the good work. And you have an open invitation on this show. You know that.

I know that. And I appreciate that. Donald Trump is a great friend of this show. And President Trump will be a reality. Thank you. Take care of yourself. Thank you, Mr. President. So long, Robin.

This is Mr. President Donald Trump. Trump sets up an exploratory committee. He hires longtime conservative operative Roger Stone to run the show. Early on, a lot of people thought that this might be some kind of publicity stunt for Mr. Trump to sell his next book. He has a book coming out in December. But it doesn't go anywhere. This is 1999.

Trump was seeking the nomination for the Reform Party, and he even won a couple primaries. But his candidacy didn't exactly catch fire. In a national poll against George Bush and Al Gore, he only got 7% support. Hort. In February 2000, four months after he announced his plans to run for president, Trump pulled the plug and went back to life as a humble millionaire real estate developer. America wasn't ready for Trump. The conservative movement wasn't ready for Trump. I don't even think Donald Trump was ready for what Trump would become. Three things would need to change in order for Trump to climb that mountain. One is The Apprentice, the reality TV show that would make Trump a household name and a symbol

of wealth and success. You're fired. You're fired. I have no choice. You're fired. Two, the conservatives would need a whole new media ecosystem, a system that would serve not just to oppose the liberal agenda, but to dictate the conversation. The third thing, well, it would be a national tragedy. Something weird is going on. The World Trade Center is on fire. Seriously. two planes crashed into the upper floors of each of the world trade center towers the other tower of the world trade center has just collapsed you are looking at live pictures of the second twin tower at the world trade Center. If you're just joining us, or perhaps you've been out of pocket somewhat today, just to recap very quickly, a day that will live in

infamy, as many people have said today, America under attack. That's Sean Hannity hosting his new nationally syndicated radio program. September 11th is his second day on the air. It all started shortly before nine o'clock eastern time this morning when a plane crashed into the tower of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. Sean Hannity launches his show with the biggest story in the world. And it's pure serendipity. Brian Rosenwald is a historian and author who's written about Rush Limbaugh and the rise of right-wing radio. People who were looking for news talk and flip on the news talk station are not tuning in for Sean Hannity, the guy who went national the day before, necessarily. They might not even have known he was on, but they hear him and they like

what they're hearing. Suddenly on the air, he's shoulder to shoulder with the king of talk radio, Rush Limbaugh, his hero. And now you've got two popular syndicated shows, all conservative, from 12 to 6. This was a huge moment for conservative talk. In the radio business, once a format has been shown to succeed, it's suddenly everywhere. That's why everywhere has a morning Zoop crew. Hannity and Limbaugh make it clear that wall-to-wall conservative talk was profitable, and a lot of stations would adopt that format. And I think we are beginning to see the tide of resentment coming to fruition. I think the American people have had it.

I think we are going to see a major political change, and I think talk radio will play a major force. And it wasn't just Hannity whose career got a jump start from 9-11. It is Tuesday, September 11th, 2001. It is time for you to come out of your sleep. This is Glenn Beck. It is time for you to come out of your sleep. This is Glenn Beck. It is time for you to put your hats on forward. There are a lot of people out there that hate this country.

The radical Muslim world has declared war on America. Hate what we believe in. Hate the freedom that we have. Hate the stance that we take. Hate the fact that we defend freedom around the world. And this is what I think more than anything else... We are at war. A little more than a decade after Rush Limbaugh

broke through to national prominence, there is now an entire ecosystem ready to amplify that message. 1988, I'm the only national conservative voice. Now look at conservative media. Look what I have spawned. By 2003, half of the biggest radio hosts in America are right-wing. Each of them pull in about a million listeners a week. Limbaugh himself boasts about 15 million listeners a week. People generally don't understand how coordinated the conservative media ecosystem really was amongst the top players.

Matt Leishak is the author of Drudge Revolution. Matt Drudge would brag about how oftentimes Rush Limbaugh's intro would be spoon fed to him ahead of time by Matt. Matt Drudge would post a story on his news site, message Rush about it ahead of Rush's show. Rush would lead with it. Then by two o'clock Eastern, the White House press secretary is being asked all about it.

And then that spawns a thousand other stories. Conservatives are dominating talk radio, but now they're branching into the more liberal bulwark of television and even this new internet everyone's talking about. The control of the narrative was the conservative movement's top priority. They were tired and done with responding in their eyes to liberal arguments and playing under those rules. They were going to set the agenda and the liberals were going to answer to the agenda that

they set. And then all the other conservative voices would follow suit. So there was Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge, and then everybody else. And those everybody else's would come and go, but they all took their marching orders from Rush Limbaugh and Matt Drudge. And all of this is raising the political temperature. creating dissent. We are creating the opposition. We are creating the animosity that the American people now feel towards the Congress of the United States and elected officials in general. But they're also competing to one up each other, to find new grievances to exploit, weaponize and commercialize. They are going to now use terrorism as a pretext to destroy our civil liberties. Online, fringe channels are flourishing.

Alex Jones' InfoWars is gaining a massive audience. I believe from all of the evidence before us that I'm about to cover, either the government actually carried out this bombing themselves, the New World Order occupational government, to create the crisis, to offer the solution. Or, ladies and gentlemen, they allowed terrorists to engage in this sinister activity. Even shortwave broadcaster William Cooper has his own website now. It means you no longer need a special receiver to listen. Both Cooper and Jones claim to have predicted 9-11,

listen. Both Cooper and Jones claim to have predicted 9-11. And they say it was all a government plot. The buildings came down, folks. I mean, collapsed upon themselves all the way to the ground. A jet plane crashing into the top quarter of those buildings can't do that. It's absolutely impossible. Cooper spent the entire day broadcasting live from his compound in Arizona. And as we learned in episode three, he's just two months away from being killed in a shootout with police. Somebody had to have placed charges upon the main structural members that support the buildings somewhere at the ground level in order to bring those buildings down like they fell, just like the Alfred P. Muir Federal Building in Oklahoma City. You've just heard Cooper and Jones give birth to 9-11 trutherism, a conspiracy movement that would eventually ensnare millions of Americans.

Meanwhile, on the mainstream channels, And it is I, G. Gordon, and this is the G. Gordon Liddy Show, the wartime edition. The demonization of Muslims became a sport, and it was disgusting. The Muslims are fighting the Jews. The Muslims are fighting the Christians.

The Muslims are fighting the Hindus. The Muslims are fighting the Buddhists. They're slaughtering the blacks, even the Muslim blacks in Africa and Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, wherever you want. Well, Iran, wherever you want. Well, you know, they certainly are adept at slaughter.

I have to give you that. After the attack, the news moves at a breakneck speed. Every week brings a new terror alert. George W. Bush invades Afghanistan, launching the war on terror. And conservative radio is on it.

Eha, this is the America. This is the America of those Islamic fascists, the robe-wearing throwback bombs have never seen. Two arms, two arms, two arms and dicksies. Bomb Iran, bring our boys home now. I'm so sick of them. I'm so sick of the brainwashing about Islam and Muslims and the Koran. Shove it.

Shove it all. I'm sick of it. Take the music off. America begins warehousing prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. As listeners are tuning in for daily updates on the terror alert level or the next possible attack, they're getting stuff like this. Ladies and gentlemen, what will it take for this country to close the borders, to reassert English as our language, to stop the flood of asylees from every garbage can in the world? This is the result of a weakened nation. And there's some new broadcasters who join the fray.

You know, let me ask you something. Somebody comes across the border in the middle of the night. Why are they doing that? Really, three reasons. One, they're terrorists. Two, they're escaping the law. Or three, they're hungry. They can't make a living in their own dirtbag country. That is Glenn Beck. Before 9-11, he'd been largely unknown. You want to solve the immigration? You know it and I know it.

You put up a giant fence. You stop the people who are coming in here because they're criminals or they want to do us harm. After the attack, Beck's broadcasting company, Clear Channel Communications, is desperately looking for someone to capitalize on the growing anxiety. Before 9-11, Beck doesn't really identify as a conservative. But afterwards, he rebrands his show as Assault on America. That's how you solve it. Why can't they do it? I just solved it. I'm a recovering alcoholic, former DJ.

And I just solved it in two minutes. Of course, Limbaugh takes credit for that, too. Glenn Beck, to me, is right on, daddy-o. Glenn Beck is a result of my success. In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization. Hi, it's Ramit Sethi here. You may have seen my money show on Netflix.

I've been talking about money for 20 years. I've talked to millions of people, and I have some startling numbers to share with you. Did you know that of the people I speak to, 50% of them do not know their own household income? That's not a typo, 50%. That's because money is confusing. In my new book and podcast, Money for Couples,

I help you and your partner create a financial vision together. To listen to this podcast, just search for Money for Cups. In 2003, George W. Bush leads a coalition of the willing into Iraq. He uses his weekly radio address to build the notion of a just war. Good morning. American and coalition forces are steadily advancing against the regime of Saddam Hussein. By our actions in this war, we serve a great and just cause. Free nations will not sit and wait, leaving enemies free to plot another September the 11th.

The invasion of Iraq has all the elements that right-wing radio feasts on. A defense of America from a dangerous other. A battle between religions and civilizations. Here's what I do know today. I know that searching for weapons of mass destruction was a side benefit of going into Iraq. The real reason was to plant the seeds of democracy and change the face of the Middle East. I just want to tell you that I truly believe these mullahs are far worse than Hitler. I mean, Hitler was crazy evil.

I believe these guys are biblically evil. And an opportunity to accuse those who disagree with the failure of patriotism. You know, at this point, I'm going to say that Nancy Pelosi and her acolytes, people who like her, they want us to lose in Iraq. They want there to be chaos in Afghanistan. They want this. They're rooting against their own country. Take the Dixie Chicks, a group that, up until this point, had been one of the most successful acts in America. We're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas.

For saying that, the Chicks, as they're now called, get cancelled. For saying that, the chicks, as they're now called, get cancelled. Radio stations ban their DJs from playing their music, including a number owned by Clear Channel Communications, one of the biggest radio networks in America. We're going to boycott them for their music and we're going to boycott you for playing it if you don't stop playing it. Well, ma'am, that was the last one you're going to hear. Some stations rent steamroll rollers to crush their CDs. Some set up fires for angry mobs to torch their records, and they become a favorite villain for talk radio. I think they're a bad outfit across the board as far as their tolerance for dissenting points of view.

The crowd here in New York City is quite large. On the other side, thousands of people are marching to protest the war. On the other side, thousands of people are marching to protest the war. In response, one of the most successful Clear Channel hosts, Glenn Beck, organizes his own pro-war demonstrations. If you watch the news, you would get the impression that the United States is against this war on terror. Not so. Remember what happened on September 11th.

Remember what they tried to take from us. He calls them the rally for America, and there are dozens across the country. They tried to take away our freedom. Some of them parading around downtown today. I would ask them, wouldn't it be a little bit better if we spent a little bit more attention to the torture chambers in Baghdad and a little less time vilifying the president of the United States? 8,000 people in Cleveland, 20,000 people in Fort Wayne, Indiana, tens of thousands in Nashville,

Oklahoma City, Houston. USA! USA! USA! They gathered on high school football fields, in the town square, and in gazebos across the country. There were more than 100 events in the U.S. and even in Canada. There was even a sister event in Washington, D.C. hosted by radio stars G. Gordon Liddy and Laura Ingram.

Everyone is waving little American flags. flag way with pride. When they hit us with their best shot, they thought we'd cower and fret. But this time we've got news for you. You ain't seen nothing yet. In the Capitol, C-SPAN is there to film the event. And now, Mr. G. Gordon Liddy. And now, Mr. G. Gordon Liddy. At one point, the cameras focus on the bare back of a man with an American flag bandana wrapped around his forehead.

Covering his entire back is a tattoo of the Twin Towers. But this is a battle between the values that you and I hold dear, the values of the West and the values of militant Islam. The next big guest. Give it up for Laura Ingram. Hammers on another favorite theme. Jessica Lange says she's humiliated to be an American. Liberal Hollywood and its anti-American ways. Of course, she made that statement over in San Sebastian, Spain, while she was getting an award at a film festival.

She didn't have the guts to say that in the United States. United we stand! I love you! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! You may wonder what these powerful liberal elites were doing to defend themselves from people like Laura Ingraham. Well, it's not like they weren't trying. Air America Radio is on the air.

Yeah! Air America. is on the air. Air America Left Wing Talk Radio launches in 2004. I'm Al Franken and welcome to the O'Franken Factor. Today is both an ending and a beginning. An end to the right wing dominance of talk radio. And a beginning, an end to the right-wing dominance of talk radio. Folks, you and I know that the radical right wing of the Republican Party has taken over not just the White House, the Congress, and increasingly the courts, but even and perhaps most insidiously, the airways. Rush Limbaugh, of course, thinks it's all about him. I'm reading this Jack Anderson piece and it's all about secret meetings in the Oval office and in Hillary Clinton's office about me.

They're trying to come up with a liberal version of me. They're scouring America looking for some liberal host who can automatically end up on 660 radio stations. And while it might sound like Limbaugh's usual bluster, this guy knows a thing or two about radio. Air America was born basically overnight. Where Limbaugh had built his national network from a small local start, Air America tried to go full national right out of the gate. Good morning and welcome to Air America Radio.

This is Unfiltered with Chuck D, Liz Winstead, and me, Rachel Maddow. We're starting just a little bit early today because there's something big going on in the world. There is? There is. Actually, what's going on in the world today is that the whole world is going to be watching as National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice testifies in front of the 9-11 Commission. And the other problem, it was the shows themselves.

Air America assembled a lineup of liberal comics. Janine Garofalo, Al Franken, Marc Maron, all talented, funny people. But none of them had any experience in radio. Welcome back to Air America. The majority report was Sam Seder and Janine Garofalo. You know, historically, it's the evangelicals and the charismatic Christians and the flag lapel pin people and the Bible... And they were all partnered up with new people,

and that's a tall order for any broadcaster, let alone one who's new to the medium. Al Franken had been a star on Saturday Night Live, and when he weighed into political arguments, he showed he understood the game. He had actually written a couple books. One of them was called Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot, and the other one was Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Him. But on air, Franken can't match the us and them outrage of right wing talk. And then you go like, there weren't refugees because people who thought there'd be refugees thought the Iraqis would use their weapons of mass destruction, their biological and chemical weapons, forcing people to leave their homes and be refugees. But that didn't happen because there were no weapons of mass destruction. You fool. But just as Franken should be twisting the dagger, he corrects himself.

You fool. It's not being foolish, it's being dishonest. That kind of hair splitting is the opposite of Limbaugh, who operates in a purely binary universe. If you listen to a lot of right-wing radio, which, trust me, we've been doing a lot for this podcast, you'll hear over and over again that truth is simple. The enemies are clear, all you need is common sense, and we're at war. By comparison, Air America works in the gray areas. It's nuanced, and it's dull. In the words of Air America's nemesis, Bill O'Reilly, Here's what TV and radio host Bill O'Reilly had to say about the launch. He said, quote, this whole liberal network scheme is just plain stupid. NPR fills that prescription,

and they do it very well. These pinheads backing the venture will lose millions of dollars because the propaganda network is simply tedious and tedious doesn't sell. It's worth noting that there was one exception on Air America. One host who seemed to get it. Her name is Randy Rhoades. I'm not really big into torture. I'm a liberal. But if you'll give me a floor pass, I promise you, I will go to the next hearing, sit next to Donald Rumsfeld at the table and perform the Randy Rhoads truth telling move, which is simply to take my left hand, move it slowly, slowly over Donald Rumsfeld's thigh. Wow. Slowly, slowly up his thigh into the crotchetorial area.

And squeeze until he squeals like a pig. All right, all right, we knew. Damage. I'm protecting a $100 billion business. You ever hear of private contracts? $100 billion, okay? This was not for freedom. It was for profit, alright? Randy Rhodes

was the only host on Air America with a radio background. She wasn't on any of the station billboards. But, when she was in Florida, Randy Rhodes beat Rush Limbaugh in the ratings. And every once in a while, Air America did

take a swing worthy of the right-wing counterparts. Loving is hard. Once in a while, Air America did take a swing worthy of the right-wing counterparts. Love in his heart. Air America Radio. Radio Rush Limbaugh would listen to if he hadn't lost most of his hearing to drug abuse. But for the most part, O'Reilly was right. Air America just didn't burn as hot or define its world in the same black and white, us versus them terms as the conservative talk it was trying to compete with. Maybe it was never going to work. There's an argument that conservative ideology, which is better suited to bumper stickers, works better on talk radio than liberalism.

Liberalism, on the other hand, is better suited to late-night comedy. According to Brian Rosenwald, neither side quite understands what they're hearing on the other side's home court. But what they hear as a liberal listening to Limbaugh is much more political and mean-spirited and angry than what a conservative hears. And the same thing happens with Jon Stewart. You know, when conservatives go on late night comedy or they watch The Daily Show, they hear something much more mean spirited. They hear something that is politically driven, not driven by what's going

to be the best show today. Despite some promising early ratings, Air America failed. Al Franken left the network to run for office himself. Welcome back to The Al Franken Show, our last show. So this is it. I've decided to move on to another challenge. And while all that is going on, Donald Trump is doing this. My name's Donald Trump. doing this. You don't need notes, okay? I don't like notes. Okay. Don't read notes. Right. Bill, you're hired. So that's what's going on at Trump Tower. Meanwhile, right-wing radio hasn't missed a beat in its support for the war.

Not even when images from Abu Ghraib prison showed U.S. service members torturing and humiliating Iraqi prisoners. Limbaugh says, We could have prevented the suicide bombing if we really had just gotten some decent intelligence from prisoners that we had incarcerated at Abu Ghraib prison. In other words, where was this torture when we needed it? Why did we stop short? Right-wing radio became a shield for Bush over these years, and the White House reciprocated. In 2006, President George W. Bush names his new White House press secretary. Tony already knows most of you and he's

agreed to take the job anyway. It's Tony Snow. And I'm really glad he did. He was one of Rush Limbaugh's guest hosts throughout the 1990s....punishment against all of Lebanon and... Here he is replying to Helen Thomas, a legendary member of the Washington Press Corps. What's interesting, Helen... ...and that's the perception of the United States. Well, thank you for the Hezbollah view, but I would... The early 2000s is the point where the right

really takes control of the narrative. These broadcasters decide what wars are good, they decide what countries are bad, they decide who is a patriot and who's not. It is a thriving and profitable ecosystem. The left has lost its power. The left had a power grip on this country for arguably 40 or 50 years and they've lost it and they can't deal with it. And yet they are still able to convince millions of people that it's the conservatives who are the victims, the marginalized, the downtrodden. But now that they control the media narrative, this rage machine just needs the right target. And they are about to get it.

That was episode four of The Flamethrowers. If you want to listen ahead, search for The Flamethrowers wherever you get your podcasts. Next week, join us for Episode 5 as The Flamethrowers dive into the Obama years where right-wing radio found its greatest opponent and the perfect formula for manufacturing outrage. For more CBC Podcasts, go to cbc.ca slash podcasts.