Has anyone given any thought to this? Since there is this Democracy Now channel and the Green channel it seems possible to create a channel that focuses on libertarian perspectives of history, economics, politics, etc…there could be historical documentaries, televised conferences, maybe even news analysis and talk shows, Charlie Rose or Bill Moyer-type interviews with major figures, and so on.
Of course, I know what many of you are thinking - with the internet, who cares? But the plain truth is that the vast majority of people out there still get there perspective from CNN, MSNBC, FOX, etc…it seems that, if it were possible, that a channel focusing on libertarian perspective might be able to do a lot of good.
Naturally, there would be the FCC and equal time, but, it seems this could be circumnavigated. And, obviously, when I say “libertarian” I really mean “Austro-libertarian.”
at the moment, it seems like the size of the libertarian TV market is only 3-4 hours per week on an obscure business channel. Does anyone have any data on what kind of ratings Stossel gets? He is in a terrible time slot competition wise. Thursday night at 8:00 is traditionally a big time slot for the major networks, but he has repeats all throughout the weekend.
It would be pretty interesting to see a part history/news/financial news channel with maybe some pro-liberty fiction sprinkled in. Sounds like it would cost a ton of money to run. If Freedom Watch continues to have people like Lew Rockwell, Tom Woods, and Walter Block on as guests, I think that is probably liberty’s best shot at getting its message out there through more traditional channels
check your local channels (not the big name channels like abc, cbs…) . I came across a tv program that featured a libertraian speaker. The top radio station in NJ, Nj1015 features many libertrarian leaning hosts. Specifically Dennis mid-day.
Yeah it’s nice to see Napolitano and Stossell on Fox, but they will ultimately get discarded when the neocons regain power. Besides, what I would most like to see it a station dedicated, in the spirit of Mises.org, to education rather than political advocacy, but presented in something a little more exciting way than a boring PBS-style format. We need historical documentaries on the history of central banking, antitrust, progressivism, war, etc. from a libertarian perspective and level-headed, intellectual discussions on issues that penetrate deeper than what the Hardball! or O’Reilly shouting matches get at. I think people are tired of the cheerleading and grandstanding by pundits on cable news, and a new format from a libertarian perspective seems like it could really take off, provided the FCC wouldn’t sabatoge it from day one.
I recently obtained, but have yet to watch, episodes of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! According to Wikipedia, "Many episodes aim to debunk pseudoscientific ideas, paranormal beliefs, and popular fads and misconceptions, often from a libertarian point of view, the political philosophy espoused by both Penn and Teller.
In addition to paranormal and pseudo-scientific claims, Penn & Teller take a skeptical view of government authority, which is a position in the skeptical movement. In various episodes of their show they have heavily criticized both the IRS and the EPA, as well as taken stances against prohibitions on guns, drugs, tobacco, prostitution, nuclear power, bare breasts, and profanity. Penn & Teller are both H.L. Mencken research fellows with the Cato institute, a libertarian think tank." The show criticizes proponents of what they perceive as nonsense and dishonesty — bullshit — often citing ulterior political or financial motives. The stated aim of the show is to apply critical thinking to misconceptions."
