The Lighthouse Theater on Manhattan's upper east side was jammed packed Saturday afternoon for what Talkers magazine's founder Michael Harrison billed as "the most important session" of the annual gathering of talk show hosts from across the nation. Not surprisingly Al Sharpton stood the event up, didn't bother calling, and must not have felt it was all that significant that Harrison himself - the greatest advocate of talk radio on the planet - had personally invited him to be one of a panel of six to slice and dice talk radio, race, and the future - perhaps especially significant in light of Barack Obama's possible upcoming presidency.

By my estimation there was one conservative, one center-left moderate, and four liberals on the panel. The task was simple: to engage in a discussion of ideas as to how non-dominant voices could be used in the medium of talk radio today.

Ideas to be covered included: should there be minority focused radio, how should minority voices be integrated into general market radio (radio that all people groups access), and other unique elements as it related to talk radio and race.

Larry Young of WOLB in Baltimore went first and commented on the influence and comfort of working in talk radio - following a 23 year career in the Maryland legislature. Lincoln Ware of WDBZ in Cincinnati went next and immediately began to attack the influence of Sean Hannity, repeatedly and without mercy. Sunny James, an African American female podcaster from DC followed - pinch-hitting for the blind-date no-show Sharpton, she mostly listened and promoted her own ability to fill in for other people. But she had seriously been put on the spot, and had no prepared remarks. Jesse Lee Peterson who hosts a syndicated show was the lone conservative on the panel, and remarked that he found it odd that Al Sharpton would not be there but that it didn't surprise him. Peterson went on to insist that minority focused ownership, programming, and promotion did not serve well the greater purpose of bringing people together.

When Peterson invoked that name of Sharpton and later Jesse Jackson he irritated the remaining two panelists Charles Ethridge a weekend co-host on New York's KISS-FM, and Coz Carlson WWRL's morning host also based in New York. Immediately the scene turned into five on one.

Immediately Mr. Ethridge claimed "racism" in the agencies that "buy" black owned stations, and what they are willing to spend as compared to "white" stations. Claiming that the "system" allowed stations who performed better in the ratings to only "earn" .92 for the "earnings" of 1.27 for "white" stations.

When Peterson interjected to make the claim that it was wrong for "black" stations to insist on being "given things" the same as "white" stations, Ethridge called him a fool, Carlson muttered that he should shut his mouth, and Lincoln Ware all but called him an uncle tom for being a black man that the "Sean Hannitys" of the world could control.

It seemed that the entire panel, sans Peterson, felt offended in the "truths" that Ethridge implied. And Carlson went so far, as to argue for the implementation of the fairness doctrine - without calling it by name.

In other words - not a single liberal or moderate on the panel had any understanding of the free market. And when Peterson attempted to point out that they were promoting the group think of Sharpton and Jackson, the feigned indignities reigned down, "let's not speak poorly of someone who's not here to defend themselves."

To wit Mark Levin responded from midway back in the Theater, "Like Sean Hannity?"

Full disclosure, I did a talk show in Chicago and then New York, both of which have thriving African American focused media operations in the community. Ethridge kept mumbling over and over again on the panel that "Madison Avenue" was in essence conducting apartheid in how "it" allocated it's dollars when it came to buying ads on radio stations.

I hate to tell Mr. Ethridge - but there was a fool on the panel - but it was not Peterson.

For anyone to make such a claim, that a fictitious entity, like "Madison Avenue" should be solely responsible for minority owned and operated radio from not making a buck - is ludicrous - more over it sounds like socialism to me. Towards the end of the rather raucous gathering Lincoln Ware returned to the theme admitting that if he had but one wish for the future of "black radio" it would be that "the man" would just learn to respect the "black dollar" more. Another insane statement from a worldview that places its blame for lack of success outside its own control. Continued...