Progressive talk radio

Progressive talk radio is a talk radio format devoted to expressing liberal or progressive viewpoints of news and issues, as opposed to conservative talk radio. In the United States, the format includes syndicated and independent personalities such as Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller, Norman Goldman, Randi Rhodes, Mike Malloy, Bill Press, Alan Colmes, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Mike Papantonio, Sam Seder, Leslie Marshall, John Fugelsang, Hal Sparks, Brad Friedman, Arnie Arnesen, Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz.

History

Liberal talk radio programs in markets across the U.S. have existed for many decades. In the 1960s, freeform rock stations featured outspoken air personalities who mixed progressive rock with controversial commentary and news reports on current events such as the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. A few talk stations, such as WMCA in New York and WERE in Cleveland carried controversial counterculture talk programming. Politically oriented talk radio stations often featured liberal hosts such as Alan Berg and Alex Bennett sharing the schedule with more conservative personalities. One of the most notable liberal talk-show hosts was Michael Jackson, who had a show for 35 years at KABC in Los Angeles, often commenting on both political and national issues.