Bobbo ran a "Best of" show today, apparently in celebration of President's Day. I must admit, I never realized that President's Day was a Christian holiday. But considering Bob's worshiping of all things George W. Bush, I can't admit to being surprised.
So instead of dealing with something Bobbo said on his rerun, I've decided to write out some thoughts about Bob and his mission.
I listen to Bobbo’s "news hour" a couple of times a week and I’m constantly amazed at the things he says. I've grown accustomed to his constant whining about Christian "victim-hood," the make-believe "war on Christmas," his hatred of all Democrats (except Joe Lieberman), and the obnoxious claim that he is being "intellectually honest."
But every time I turn off my radio, I find myself wondering if Bobbo actually has a college degree. I wonder about his level of education because he is so confused about the nature of science, history, and politics. Every time I listen, I walk away wondering how anybody can believe anything he says.
So in an effort to try to understand his claims, I turn to Google. The first thing I discover is that the "war on Christmas" isn't a war at all: It's a yearly fund raising event! All the groups that are complaining that the Christmas season is under attack are making tidy sums in donations! So in this overwhelming Christian society, Bob’s claims to victim-hood are just a way to keep the cash flowing to all the political action committees.
Continuing my search, I discover that WMUZ in owned by Crawford Broadcasting. I think to myself, "Wow, that's a lot of Christian radio stations!" But if you look closer, Crawford broadcasting isn't exclusively Christian. In fact, Crawford owns WPWX Chicago a/k/a “Power 92!" On the Power 92 website they have promotions for a D.L. Hughley show and sell the station with images of Snoop Dogg and R. Kelly. So Crawford Broadcasting is willing to step out into the sinful, secular world and make money on violent rap artists and alleged sexual predators.
Continuing my attempt to determine if Bobbo is serious, I discover his line of Christian apologetic CDs. At last, I begin to think that he is being generous and spreading the gospel amongst the fallen! But then I realize: This isn't a charity site! Dutko is selling a line of products! He is actually profiting by selling the message contained in God's word!
Finally, it dawns upon me. Everything about Bobbo screams "Tidy profit!"
Bobbo claims victim-hood because it keeps the cash flowing in. He works for a company that isn't bothered by trafficking in sin. And he has his own company established to sell his wares to the public.
I finally understand.
Bob doesn’t need to believe in anything he espouses, he just needs to sell a product. His show isn't about saving souls, it's about making money.
When Jesus drove the moneychangers from the temple it was because they made the House of Prayer into a den of thieves. Christ was offended that people were making money from devotion to God.
And just as there were money changers then, there are many now. Bob is a modern-day money changer. Everything about him tells me that he is more concerned about money than salvation.
But that's OK. Its nice to see biblical traditions carry on.
All I ask is that he be intellectually honest enough to admit it.
3 comments:
Bob admits to never having spent one day in a college classroom.
Careful listenders will swiftly notice his contempt for those who have advanced degrees and don't fully agree with him.
This top act, though, is his recurring rants about MENSAs and why so many are non-beievers. "How CAN a MENSA NOT believe in Jesus?" he often asks rhetoricaly.
Listening to Bob would make many intelligent folks run the other way.
Excellent post, Irl! I've been wanting to write about WMUZ's money trail for a while, but can't find where they get their funding.
One thing I am confident of is that Bobbo isn't getting all his cash from CDs and local advertising (the local Christian owned businesses that advertise every 5-10 minutes on his show). I'm sure there is a right-winged think tank somewhere providing the cash.
Perhaps a FOIA request is in order?
DJ, I'm not sure a FOIA request would work, since WMUZ/Crawford appears to be a private corporation. Of course, you could use a FOIA request to get anything they've filed with the FCC, but that stuff might all be on the FCC's website anyway.
I've also notice how ridiculously often Bob takes a break for advertisements. In fact, he's very clever at the segue between "program" and "ad", sometimes completely merging the two (e.g., chatting up the "Dutko Deal of the Day" at some car dealer or having Celeste Sue Bensky on as a guest). Last week, I attempted to listen to an hour of the show and calculate what percentage was advertisements. But I failed because the ads were so prevalent, I kept forgetting to turn my stopwatch on and off.
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