What Would it Take to Set Up Libertarian Talk Radio?

I can't listen to wingnut talk radio without becoming nauseated. It is absolutely toxic, and I am grateful to the intrepid bloggers who keep up with the idiocy of Hannity and Limbaugh and their ilk for the rest of us. They are made of stronger psychic stuff than me.

I do like talk radio, however, and have been known to listen to sports talk and the talk shows on 820 AM out of NY. Lately, I have been tuning in to Air America's Morning Sedition (work bound commute) and Randi Rhoads (sp?) (homebound commute). Morning Sedition, in particular, is creative and entertaining while offering an alternative point of view critical of the government. Randi offers a monologue with callers and maybe an occasional interview. She is less entertaining, but, even though she displays significant economic ignorance and advocates the "progressive" line, it is still nice to hear her rip the wingnuts a new one now and then. I have never heard Al Franken (love his books and comedy) or any other Air America talent besides the two shows mentioned, but I understand that Air America is more or less the other side of the coin of wingnut radio in that it aims to advance the "liberal agenda" about which I care not.

I think libertarian talk radio could sell, and in the process some folks might get turned on to libertarianism. Think of it, LTR (as I like to call it) would always have targets of ridicule and criticism in government in power and would never have to serve up partisan hackery. LTR would be able to call bulls**t on either party at any time. I have heard that wingnut radio is much less entertaining now that the wingnuts are in power and has completely lost any redeeeming qualities as the talent shills for the state. What could be more entertaining and arouse more multi-partisan interest than a stable of anti-state curmudgeons calling into question all the sacred cows in American political discourse? The phone lines would be overloaded, and I bet ratings would be quite respectable. The topic would always be fresh since there is no end of statist lunacy to discuss and deconstruct, and the point of view would be novel for most listeners.

I see money in this idea and would invest in it, but I don't have a clue about how to get something like this off the ground. Maybe Air America would put on a libertarian show, or we could start small with a single talent in a smallish market, perhaps late at night like that guy who used to do a show about space aliens and such. Maybe the project could be subsidized by philanthropic libertarians until it got off the ground. After all, somebody funds Cato, and they might be willing to fund something that would do some good for libertarianism.

To make LTR work, the propensity of libertarians to attack one another's bona fides would have to be controlled so that most content would be directed to attacking statism and statists instead. Also, the choice of on-air talent is critical. Talent would have to be both well versed in libertarian ideas and be willing and able to make them accessible to a wider audience and to contrast them with statist ideas without being too dismissive or condescending. He or she would have to be able to avoid getting bogged down in the usual "don't you like roads" objections. He or she should be relatively free of any "tin foil hat" associations and/or prepared to speak openly about them. Talent should be somewhat entertaining and have a sense of humour.

I bet any number of folks who appear on the Mises blogroll or on Lew Rockwell would make suitable on-air talent, assuming that they speak as well as they write. They would also make a good stable of advisors and guests.

Now the self doubt comes in: if I am thinking of this now, it is a good bet that talk radio is on the verge of obsolescence.