mayflower's radio man

choices

by David Rucker

Media. What a mess.

In all the years I was hammering my head in broadcast news when broadcast news was real, we knew we were having a good day when we received complaining phone calls from conservatives and liberals alike.

And why?

Because we were dealing with both sides of the stories, and the complainers trumpeted their moans off-key after hearing us quote both sides. They labeled  us “slanted and biased” for having bothered with equal time, otherwise known as the Monroe Doctrine.

Broadcasting was in the public interest and those who didn't bother to weigh the valuable facts and use their own heads couldn’t stand the day-to-day uncomfortable truths at hand.

Within the past year, one of the industry’s trade publications ran an ad championing a conservative radio talker as “America’s Anchorman.” How’s that for a quantum leap backwards? And to make matters worse, some of these right-wing talk show folks, noting the tragic failures of the Iraq war and other issues, have taken to attacking Republicans and Democrats. Their rancor has taken the tone of fascism and sometimes, even anarchy. One of them recently urged that we all take to the airports and chant, “What do we want?  Racial profiling. When do we want it? Now!” He was dead serious. And his fans are seriously deranged.

Many of us wanting equal time, are going out and getting it ourselves, reading the few daily and weekly publications still providing such seasoned fare. In the case of Mayflower Church, we can go out and get it by reading and listening to our own Web site. Have you done that lately? It seemed almost dormant for a while, but not any more! 

Robin’s sermon at Riverside Church last summer can be heard there and if you haven’t heard it, please steal a half hour somewhere and do it. The title is “Tent People,” and if you ever thought our pastor was wonderfully on fire in our pulpit, you’ll learn he had the Holy Spirit’s fire wall-to-wall when he preached that sermon. What’s more, the Riverside congregation rang right back with a lot of amens and applause.

Every week when I produce the radio broadcast, part of my job as Mr. Announcer is urging people to check out www.mayflowerucc.org for more information. Not only can they listen to recent sermons, they can read a lot more of what Mayflower is all about, including this publication we call Voices. Other good spots for news are the Web sites of Sojourners and Common Dreams.

With Mayflower on the air, complete with Robin and the wildly successful pulpit series last summer, hope is on the air, and it needs our support.

And, hope is online, too.