BY Conn Williamson
Writer
What is a radios Papa? (says the child to her grandfather)
As the younger generations complete the gravitation to digital platforms in receiving free news and entertainment, a vast, robust and powerful infrastructure lays dormant like a sleeping but functional antique giant.
The once vibrant body of the Amplitude Modification (AM) delivery of radio audio that over a period of an era and a half reached the majority of Americans through intriguing audio pumped through speakers and sound systems in cars, homes and personal listening devices laced with pertinent information. The ability to broadcast still exists in a testament to the monolithic towers populating the horizon, but under potentially disturbing and foreboding circumstances in a world changing at lightspeed.
Many radio towers across the expanse of the US are now unpowered as audiences have dwindled and the fact that young adults prefer the digital realm and social media to satisfy their fix of content and insatiable lust for constant interaction. Ironically, many of these towers now host cellphone framework as owners scramble to remain financially buoyant even though they are catering to the competition by renting out their equipment to business adversaries. The marvels of 20th century engineering that reached dizzyingly heights erected from the ground to the touching the heavens now stand in silence, the vast shadows cast by the impressive structures indifferent to a nation and world of social influencers. However, the challenging reality of change has not hindered the efforts fo public outreach by pro-gun broadcasters, as prominent hosts and brands are evolving to stay relevant by accepting the latest technology, while embracing time-tested infrastructure.
A pair of nationally syndicated Second Amendment advocate radio talk show hosts and related programming continue to remain at the forefront of the societal conversation through the medium of radio, but for how long and at what cost?
Armed American Radio hosted by Mark Walters and GunTalk lead broadcaster Tom Gresham are still going strong as each of the shows has a massive following that can compete with any viral and established internet flavor of the month. Though not without facing challenges, the delivery of content to audiences through radio to law-abiding citizens, and gun owners remains steady, if not impactful with the importance to patriots not lost in the mix.
Recently, through a press release, Gresham announced a renaissance growth of GunTalk as the show gained a key affiliate Spokane, Washington illustrating that talk radio is still alive and well, especially for those advocating for the preservation of fundamental freedoms. Combining access to audio through audio and digital platforms, both Gresham and Walters as well as gun radio shows on a local level are combatting the stagnation of traditional broadcast sources and ownership employing a “wait and see” attitude existing within the current climate of gradual change.
With the capability to blast a radio signal halfway across the nation through the AM format the underutilized medium is both disheartening and frustrating, with big tech and biased mainstream media culpable for the temporary gradual mothballing of 50-watt transmitters and 1200-foot radio towers. Silicon Valley tycoons such as Tesla magnate Elon Musk have effectively limited the access to AM bandwidth for operating of self-driving vehicles by exchanging bias and gadgetry for reliability and the pursuit of fact all for the sake of convenience. A significant proportion of the tech injury holds an anti-gun bias which has resulted in social networks limiting banning the postings of Second Amendment advocates.
While gone are the days of those listening to a broadcast on a Sunday mid-afternoon while working in the garage, hope is clinging on by a fingernail, as Gresham, Walters and others still populate the public airwaves in addressing crucial topics and sharing information with gun-friendly audiences.
