[Looking at history and our area’s unique political and religious attitudes.]

Media. What does that mean to you? This is a rare opportunity to chase the history and science impact directly on your understanding.

Media is a term to explain the information transfer and control. It derives directly from medium, which is the technology. Since the Middle Eastern Babylonians scratched cuneiform into clay tablets, the written word has defined information transfer.

That vehicle was the sole process until 1895 when Marconi broadcast across his garden in Italy. Electrical engineer Dr. Lee DeForest developed the vacuum tube in 1907 allowing quality(?) audio. Two years later, Charles Herrold set up an experimental amateur (ham) station and began broadcasting entertainment. The station went commercial and is still on the air. In 1914 was the first scheduled broadcast station.

Detroit, in 1920, had the world’s first radio news program, established by the Scripps family, owner of the Detroit News paper. This was a ploy to keep competitors from impacting their information dominance. Scripps still owns many media outlets including locally.

1928 saw General Electric broadcasting experimental television. GE with RCA presented its first programming in 1936 as NBC. The video was simulcast with the audio coming from the radio station. CBS began as Lee Broadcasting in Los Angeles in 1931.

NBC so dominated the radio broadcasting chains that the FCC required break-up in 1940. The spin-off for part of NBC produced ABC. The media empire and information control was established and remains to this day.

With only 6,000 working TV sets at the end of World War II in 1946, little had happened on the video side. The technology advances by the greatest generation during the war were coming to a US population of only 140 million. By 1950, 12 million homes, about 9% of the population had televisions. Ten years later 87% had the large, expensive piece of furniture as the centerpiece of the living room with the first color units coming in the early 1950s.

Radio and particularly television stations are staggeringly expensive. Towers for the antennas are hundreds to over a thousand feet tall. KTUL-TV near Coweta is 1909-ft. The transmitters are massive electronics systems. The cameras, microphones, mixers and cables would break the budget of most small companies. The studios are huge edifices with elegantly expensive sets. Just a simple example, the recent Democratic nominee for president spent over $100,000 to make the set for a single interview on a marginally watched program.

Who can afford such a bloated budget? The same three networks and newspaper owners control the market as they have from the first days.

Now consider the salaries of the on-air personalities, plus the salaries of the behind the camera people, and the corporate overhead. The numbers would bankrupt most counties and some states.

The economic barrier to entry assures the media elite control the information flow. Their power and influence assure access to most government entities. Consequently, there is a media-political complex which enforces the status quo for the benefit of those already in the circle.

Any person or opinion which does not fit their narrative is simply ignored, denigrated, or opposed with political force.

Where are the media centers? New York and Washington are dominant with Los Angeles influencing the entertainment.

From what you already know, the politics of the players should be clear. Large city inhabitants and those whose every activity depends on government, lean to progressive thinking, because they are dependent. Those who lean more to personal responsibility, such as smaller communities and rural, do not need a lot of government, so they tend to more conservative. If we need roadwork done or a water supply on the ranch, no government entity will help. Consequently,what is the politics of rural America?

Look at the results in our county. Precincts near center city are progressive, while those further away, down south, are much more conservative. We have seen the process play out in all elections this century. Our state is no different from the rest of the country. Observe the blue and red counties.

The media missed that reality in the mandate from the recent election of a strong, pro-traditional nominee for President. Consequently, their viewership has dropped precipitously in the order of 50% from their own reporting. People do not want to hear harping from the arrogant, condescending media about how wrong and uneducated they are, especially when the people are as well or more educated than the media personalities.

Now, being culturally normal, being a masculine male or feminine female, and being religious talking about God is acceptable again. The antagonists still harp, but the people are returning home to optimism. Intimidating power is transitory.

Think about it. History tells us why. Trust your eyes. Know good ideas. Attack bad ideas..