Written by It’s been quite a weekend. I’ve parted ways with Free Talk Live, again. That didn’t stop me from calling in to set the record straight, though. I want to start off by thanking the many people who continue listening, reading, and supporting my work. I should also clarify that we’re all still friends here, we just have different modes of operation which at times come into conflict. There is no need to attack or discredit Free Talk Live, or Ian Freeman. I know a lot of you have been pretty rabid about this incident, and I appreciate it, but there really is no need.
My operation is almost entirely independent. I have my own platform and I rely on donations from readers and listeners like you to keep the operation going. This does not provide for the most luxurious of lifestyles, and it has caused me to come under some criticism. People make fun of it, they say “get a job!” and that sort of thing, but incidents like this one show why it is so important for some of us to operate in this way. I am beholden only to the listener/reader/viewer. I cannot be fired or silenced by outside influences. I don’t need to have mass appeal to a giant audience. I can say anything I want, and as long as I maintain the trust and support of my audience, the show continues.
Free Talk Live has many moving parts, and relies on the cooperation and support of people who are not necessarily in pursuit of the same goals. It is a nationally syndicated broadcast radio show. As such, they must keep the radio stations who broadcast their program happy. Those radio stations are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission, and they can have those licenses revoked, or threatened with fines which can be quite large. They are also advertisement sponsored. Advertisers will pull their ads, and broadcasters will stop airing your show, if enemies call to complain about you. It is difficult enough to oppose the State as an institution without this becoming a major problem. Your political enemies can and will call and email your advertisers and affiliates, often multiple times as multiple fake personalities, in an effort to get the advertisers to pull their ad dollars from the program. If you touch on topics even more controversial than politics, like race and gender, then the social justice warriors attack, and they are the most ruthless, dishonest people on this planet. Advertisements carry the additional burden that they do not just show up on one’s doorstep, you have to sell them proactively. You need a salesman. In this case, that salesman is Mark Edge. If he quits, FTL has no income, and will cease to exist. Thus, although Ian is ultimately in control of the show, he is beholden to the whims of Mark.
They thus fall into many of the same traps and pitfalls as the mainstream media and politicians. While FTL has been a great influence on many people, and certainly been brave by comparison to other outlets, they are always going to have these hard limits on their ability to say what needs to be said, and when confronted about this they have no choice but to spin like tops. I don’t fault them for this, they could not reach the people they reach if they did not make these trade offs.
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