Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
After a six-minute softball segment with President Barack Obama last Wednesday, Praise 92.1 FM is positioning itself as Houston’s liberal talk network with an interview Monday with First Lady Michelle Obama.
Monday’s interview is billed by The Yolanda Adams Morning Show as a discussion on getting out the vote, and the First Lady’s Let’s Move campaign, encouraging children to exercise and get active every day.
The problem I have is with the former, not the latter.
For anybody who heard the interview with the president, it is abundantly clear Praise 92.1, and parent company Radio One, Inc., hope to become Houston’s official mouthpiece for the Obama White House, failing to offer a response to Republicans.
The problem with that is Praise 92.1 bills itself as a Christian inspirational station; I think it is disingenuous to preach the Word, but then fail to seek truth by asking questions from both sides of the aisle.
I don’t like it when Dan Patrick does it at KSEV for Republicans, and I don’t like how Praise 92.1 is doing it there for Democrats.
For anybody who listened to the six minute, 20 second interview, hosts Yolanda Adams and Minister Anthony Valary (“AV”) essentially took the president at face value on his agenda, and even showed their bias through the language they used.
Adams, an award-winning (and amazing, might I add) Gospel artist, accentuated her bias by asking the president to discuss the importance of the election for our people, and declared that we–as in Praise 92.1, Yolanda Adams, Radio One and President Obama–needed the listener’s help to continue Obama’s brand of change in Washington.
AV, on the other hand, did not parse words when he told the president he agreed that Republicans had “driven the economy like a car into the ditch,” despite failing to realize that the worst years for unemployment were marked by Democratic control of Congress.
The pro-Obama language coming from Praise 92.1 is of no surprise, however, when you consider the parent company behind them.
A History of Support for Liberals
Radio One, which operates 53 radio stations in 16 urban markets, has a history of support for liberal politics as it caters to a largely African-American audience. Rev. Al Sharpton can be heard on The Al Sharpton Show in 18 different markets.
Furthermore, the company’s top brass are unapologetic in their support of liberal Democrat candidates, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
According to records, Radio One CEO Alfred Liggins was a 2008 donor to President Obama’s campaign, and has contributed to the campaigns of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and New York Rep. Charlie Rangel this cycle.
Radio One Founder and Chairperson Catherine Hughes is also a Democratic donor, formerly supporting Obama’s bid for U.S. Senator, in addition to that of former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk, who is the U.S. Trade Representative in the Obama Administration.
While there is a certain political-racial element we could discuss (Gallup Poll: 93 Percent of Blacks Support Obama), it is the Christian angle that I am more interested in pursuing.
It should be said, and I broach the topic carefully, that the Bible does not signify Jesus Christ’s political affiliation, but it does make clear we ought to work to win people to Christ, not push them away.
The practice of engaging in partisan politics, for Christian media, is potentially dangerous, in my opinion, as it has the potential to turn off people to the message of Jesus Christ, who for all intensive purposes, would probably lump the Congress in with the tax collectors of the day.
Often in political discourse, we see liberals balk at conservative Christian groups, calling for their tax exemptions to be revoked.
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit group, Houston’s more popular Christian radio station, 89.3 KSBJ, does not offer its listeners a partisan agenda, except to engage listeners to vote. Period.
Radio One, which is a publicly traded company and not financially supported by listeners, has every right to present its one-sided view; in this case, because the president is not on the ballot, the FCC’s equal time rule does not apply.
But, just because Praise 92.1 can engage in politicking, there will be a cost.
The Fallout From Praise 92.1’s Politicking
Aside from engaging in indoctrination, Praise 92.1’s bias will ensure another generation of African-Americans will suffer under a philosophy which says reliance on government rather than responsibility is good for black families.
If liberalism, with its tenets of handouts and entitlements, has been so good, why is unemployment is liberal states tilted disproportionately towards African-Americans?
Furthermore, despite great increases in government under every president since Franklin Roosevelt, why are the poor still not housed, the hungry not fed, and the naked not clothed? A Great Society it did not become. Liberalism fails time and time again.
Meanwhile, by engaging a political philosophy that so often maligns the Christian faith, Praise 92.1 does a disservice to its own mission to inspire others for Christ.
The same president Yolanda Adams cheered on as “the coolest” last Wednesday is influenced, unbeknownst to most, by an agenda written by a man who dedicated his work to Satan. Yes, really.
As a result, some will tune out Praise 92.1 as a result of the station’s Obama bias, and maybe Christianity.
Others, however, will remain faithful to the cause, to the station, and to the president. And who knows how that will hurt them in the long run.
So, how can we stop Praise 92.1?
First, turn off the station. It helps not to have the sane go insane listening to something that makes the blood boil. Second, pray. He listens. And third, you can hit the station where it hurts.
Because Radio One is not a 501(c)(3) as KSBJ is, they rely on advertisers to keep them afloat. Contact the advertisers and let them know you will not be patronizing their business because of the political message that the radio station supports.
Let them know, in clear words, that it is the radio station that is the problem–Praise 92.1’s agenda can divide the Christian community, and as a result, you wanted to let them know that you will not support their business as long as they support that radio station.
And finally, pray again, for our nation, for Praise 92.1, and for the president. God is still on the throne, and he moves the hands that move the world.
The Yolanda Adams Morning Show Producer Jay Rodriguez could not reached for comment prior to posting. I will gladly bring an official response from the show when and if it becomes available.
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Cy-Fair ISD voters returned John Ogletree, Don Ryan, and Bob Covey to the board of trustees for another three-year term Tuesday, after a concerted effort to oust the incumbents.
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