Because it's the absolute best show on the radio, and even beyond that medium, one-of-a-kind.
Of course, that's a pretty contestable statement, and there are surely other media shows on the media out there, but more than being a "media watchdog" group with an agenda (say as in "Media Matters" or "Counterspin", both of which are groups I like), they are just a show ON the media. They ask tough questions to both "sides" of issues, and don't really have a specific agenda to push. "On the Media" likes to cover stories on stories, such as patterns of coverage it notices in the dominant media, attention to the ways certain stories get played out (or don't), and they do so in a friendly, accessible style.
Some of my favorite random things I've found on the show were things like the story of how media was characterizing "PTSD" and the stories coming out about it (which GI Korea and I argued a bit about here), and I liked the fact that they talked to vets, to Army psychologists, and to the writers of the NYT story that recently made it an issue. They talked about the history of the phrase and looked at both sides of why even the concept can be both helpful...and hurtful. Not the typical "liberal media" stuff one hears about.
Another favorite was the one about the most famous scream in movie history, which you all know but don't know you know, and how long of a life "the Wilhelm" has had. Absolutely fascinating stuff.
Then there's this week's show, where the media watching the media rightly points out that what the GOP is doing with the phalanx they've built around Palin, calling the media questions about her "smears" or "attacks" when they are in fact, nothing more than questions, and the media has actually been professional and restrained about the Palin kid case, as has Obama's camp, even though further questions would ACTUALLY be relevant and fair, given her positions on abortion and sex education. The media has been actually accepting too much of this crap, even as they're castigated as the "left wing liberal media elite" that is conspiring against the good ole' fashioned American people.
They've always got good stuff, and trust me, there's more than enough thoughtful media criticism for those on either side of the blue/red fence. It's also available as a podcast, and it's always the first thing on my playlist.
And a final plug for the show -- as an American expat, it is a crucial look at what's REALLY going on and how things are being crunched back home. It helps keep me in the loop in a deeper way than any other single piece of media out there.
To me, it's a smart slice of home.
