At its heart, Garrison Keillor makes some good points in this piece he wrote for The Nation. But his writing is so thick with melancholy it’s hard to see the future through the nostalgic haze.
“Good neighbor radio,” as Keillor calls it, will return once benefits of consolidation prove elusive. Or so he thinks.
On that point, Keilor is quite mistaken. “Good neighbor radio” will be back when Lucy and Ricky again top the Nielsens and suits and ties are again the uniform of choice for air travel. Syndicated Paul Harvey is still a more entertaining neighbor than the guy next door. Syndicated Howard Stern is still funnier. Syndicated Rush Limbaugh is still more compelling (and certainly more opinionated). Syndicated Delilah is still more heartwarming.
For better or worse, Mr. Keillor, “Lake Wobegon” is not an Arbitron-rated market.
