DEAR EDITOR:

Did you ever wonder why you will only find right-wing, ultraconservative talk radio shows? I have.

There was a time when I was hooked on talk radio.

Past show hosts such as Phil Hendrie, Bruce Williams, Art Bell and Larry King were educational and entertaining, and they made road trips easier.

Today, turn on any radio talk show and all you will get is right-wing, ultraconservative blah, blah, blah.

What happened?

Some say it’s due to ownership of radio stations– the “economic” aspect. Most are owned by big, conservative corporations; no more small independent stations.

Others say it is the “craft” itself, the “host” and their ability to gain listeners.

An interesting fact, if I may digress, was before the gain in “right-wing talk radio,” the

No. 1 talk-radio show in the nation was the “Alan Berg Show” out of Denver. It was a “left-wing” or “liberal” talk format.

What happened to Alan Berg?

He was assassinated by skinheads in the parking lot of the radio station in 1984. You may have seen the movie based on that, “Talk Radio.” That was truly the last “liberal format” talk radio show.

Then came Limbaugh, Hannity, Glen Beck and many other smaller, local station “wannabe” hosts.

It seemed “liberal-speaking” talk-show host became a dangerous occupation, but how did that happen? In my opinion, it’s based on “economics.”

There are 1,500 conservative radio stations across the country, and there’s a huge farm team, a mentoring system, out there in the local, smaller stations, ready to provide the next Limbaugh.

As for listeners and callers, here’s my take. They love to call in, supporting the host, spewing conservative agendas and talking tough, which is easy to do when you are only heard and not seen, face to face.

It all changes when they see the need for those “liberal safety nets” — you know, Social Security, Medicare and unemployment benefits; then they seem to have tight lips, not much to say, other than, “Where’s my coverage?” or “Wheres’s my check?”

Talk radio, if I may use a metaphor, is nothing more than the kid on the porch yelling out tough-guy words, with his mom standing right behind him.

I miss the “entertaining” aspect of talk radio.

God Bless America.

JOHN P. LESEGANICH SR.

Canfield