I'm in your water.

These past two days have been very interesting in the Portland media sphere, and as someone who says he occasionally writes about local media, It’d be an error to ignore this one, though it is a little painful and close to home.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll recall my post last August, in which I shared my thoughts on initially hearing Tara Dublin in her appearance on Portland Sucks. Since then, I’ve talked to Tara on twitter many times, met her, and even had her as a co-host at 7th Planet Picture Show. My thoughts and comments about her in that post remain firm. She has a strong personality and presence and is very intelligent. (She also struck me as a little bit negative and critical of many things around her in general, but, if I had lost my job due to corporate bullshit, had to deal with rampant, unwarranted sexist criticism, and be a single mother, I would sure as hell be a little bitter, too.)

But, other events, such as Cort and Fatboy’s firing from KUFO, and the general realization that I haven’t touched a real radio since I drove a dinosaur burner, and then only in moments of desperation when I couldn’t find a CD or Loveline wasn’t on (and that stopped when Carolla left the show) have changed my perspective on old radio in general. Or at least driven an idea home.

Old radio is dead. When I was a teenager, I loved reading Robert Heinlein books (now that I’m older and, uh sorta more politically wise, I take issue with Heinlein’s libertarian ideas, but still love many of his creations in general.) One of Heinlein’s ideas about a space-faring future culture described an ailing Earth. Most of the people who knew better or had the ability to do so had long ago left the planet for greener pastures, leaving the ruined husk of a planet for the obstinate, stupid, or incapable. (again, he got a little Ayn Rand, as he was wont to do with the “incapable” thing, but I think I’ll write in a little more detail about my beef with Heinlein, and my love for him later. I welcome the contradictions living inside me as they do in all people.) Well, that planet pretty much represents my idea of “terrestrial” radio. And it’s only going to get worse as the audience gets meaner and more “lowest common denominator” while those who know better seek the better, less commercial-ridden formats that are more and more prevalent and easier to listen to in any situation where radios served in the past.

In short. It’s dead, dead, dead. You can look at terrestrial radio as an ugly dinosaur in the throes of violent death, much like major record labels and any other form of big media that either doesn’t get the picture or obstinately hangs on to its old model or any semblance of it, in a desperate gasp to hold on to power.

On Monday, Tara was a guest on the morning show of one of these desperately sad,  wounded behemoths, KUFO. And, on the air, when asked (probably with derisive sarcasm, though I haven’t heard the actual audio) why she doesn’t want to do a podcast herself, she said something to the effect of “Anyone can do a podcast.”

Of course, the reaction from local media people (real media that people actually care about, not the shit spewing out of radios and television sets indiscriminately.) was instant and caustic. Robert Wagner, erstwhile PDX.FM owner and host of Portland Sucks, expressed bitter recrimination. He’d had a discussion about this with Tara before on OMC, and why shouldn’t he? Robert runs (or did until yesterday, when he gave the reins to Sabrina Miller in favor of the ability to speak and act more freely without recrimination for the network at large) one of the most successful media outlets in Portland. Sure. it’s not pulling in big money, but if you’ve been paying attention to anything at all over the last ten years, you might realize things are changing. It’s not just about the money any more. The quality listeners, the people who really matter, are listening to and watching the internet these days, even if some what they’re watching/listening to is produced by the old, big networks.

Here’s the big rub, and here’s why the sentiment Tara expressed is outdated and damaging. Many people, all over the world, now have a voice. Not only that, but they have an opportunity. Yes, many people thought podcasting would be the golden goose, and when it didn’t pay off right away, they vanished, but some of us stayed because we do it for personal expression, for the pure joy of it, and because we love the two-way interaction, as opposed to the old-style brick wall of big, one-way mass media. And, some of these people have great success in listener numbers and influence, but they still can’t make money. Why? Because the people with the money haven’t caught on. The stigma of something being on the internet is still there, because of this idea that “anyone can do it.”

Why is that generally looked at as a bad thing that anybody can do it? Well, naturally, because there’s a lot of complete shit out there. But, guess what, over the past few years, since user-generated content became more of the rule than the exception, there have been some very smart people at work creating things to sift content. Automatic systems and user-based systems for sharing information and bringing the cream to the top, like tumblr, or say, oh twitter, for instance. The entire internet is turning into a machine for creating content and then allowing users to more efficiently find good content, and/or content which may be more relevant to them or pertinent to their interests.

And the people creating the good content deserve to be recognized, not shit on, dismissed, or derided because they happen to be using something that is the future of mass communication rather than the tired old, shackled, limited, crappy, monolithic piece of petrified shit that is currently represented by moaning, greedy, dying companies, most of them run by, to coin a phrase, “clueless old white guys.”

Tara wrote a response on her blog defending herself, and made twitter references to her being, “passionate’, and “misunderstood.” I don’t think you’re misunderstood, Tara. I do think you’re passionate. I think you’re so passionate about wanting to do what you love that you’re willing to even entertain the idea of being a call-in host on a dumbshit morning show with some fucktard working for greedy assholes who cater to meathead fuckwads that write comments on KATU or Oregonlive about how their SUV’s can eat bicyclists for breakfast.

So, I’m sorry Tara, for not agreeing with you about the idea of improving terrestrial radio in Portland, but I think it’s dead. I think you are better than even being a guest on KUFO, and if they offered me a thousand dollars tomorrow to say a single word on one of their crap shows, I would tell them to stuff it. But that’s me and my personal deal. I don’t have kids, I don’t know the pressures of your life, but I do know that I barely get by and there’s no amount of money that could entice me to be part of the dinosaur caravan that’s terrestrial radio. I’d rather dish out songs at Chopsticks for my money and do real work on my own time. Money is not the end all validation of good work.

In case you’ve been reading this and are doubting Tara’s character (yeah right, like I’m that influential) because of it. I want to make it clear here that I’m not trying to smear her here. I think she has a great personality and can be very smart and fun. I disagree quite passionately with her stance on something and her ideas and actions in a particular area and hope that’s not interpreted as a personal attack. And if she wants a career in terrestrial radio, I goddamn well hope she gets it because she has more talent than most of the goddamn schmucks out there doing it right now.

Sorry for the “ranting and raving” everybody. : D