Lynch at Large

By Bill Smith
Of the Post-Dispatch
08/06/2005

KMOX Radio lost the Cards baseball broadcast last week after a 52 year affiliation. This has caused many to ask the same question posed in the above headline, which is also links to a story in today's local paper.

Here comes my personal theory. Differing opinions are always welcome, so blast away.

It was not exactly the addition of Rush Limbaugh which spelled the beginning of the end. It was the loss of a solid local identity as the once-great station whored itself out a rank partisanship for three hours every day. The rest began to fade after that.

Radio has become a series of indistinguishable local repeaters for sound-alike talk jocks and cookie-cutter musical formats. All originality has been destroyed. This fine old station is merely a victim of a nasty trend.

Perhaps I spend too much time and energy promoting WAI Radio in the blog, but we prize our local identity. We produce 7 hours of original Arkansas product every day and re-cycle throughout the day and night. We have comprehensive archives. We talk about everything on earth with feet firmly planted here.

Unfortunately, KMOX is becoming "just another radio station," a dinosaur on its' way to extinction.