By Congressman Brad Sherman , Senior Member House International Relations Committee
Many Valley residents have asked me what opportunities are available to them to express their views on American foreign policy. Most of these Valley residents believe, along with me, that often Israel is treated unfairly in the American news media.
I believe that Americans should hear an accurate view on what is really happening in the Middle East. This goal could certainly be furthered if friends of Israel would call various call-in programs. These include the Washington Journal on C-SPAN, a cable television channel which focuses on Congress, National Public Radio (NPR), including both its nationally-syndicated shows and shows broadcast in Los Angeles, and various programs on other Los Angeles radio stations.
C-SPAN shows the proceedings of the House of Representatives, which normally begins daily sessions at 10:00 a.m. Washington time (7:00 a.m. Pacific Time). From 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time, C-SPAN usually airs Washington Journal. Viewers are invited to call in with their questions or comments and normally a member of the House of Representatives or another person involved in public policy is on the show to respond. C-SPAN can be watched on Channel 65 for those in the Time Warner cable system in the west Valley, and on Channel 33 for those who live in the eastern part of the Valley and south of Ventura Boulevard and into West Los Angeles.
Virtually every cable system in America includes C-SPAN. Those calling into C-SPAN are reaching Americans from coast to coast. And even if you are calling in at 4:00 am Pacific Time, you will reach a substantial audience on the east coast where it will be 7:00 am. If the conversation on Washington Journal relates to foreign policy in general or the Middle East in particular, you might want to call the following numbers: 1-202-737-0001 for Republicans, 1-202-737-0002 if you are a Democrat, and 1-202-628-0205 for independents.
The two-hour Diane Rehm Show is broadcast in most major cities in the eastern and central time zones on National Public Radio. It is not broadcast in Los Angeles, but you can listen to the show on the Internet at www.wamu.org/ In listening to the show, if you believe that your comments on foreign policy would add something to the conversation, you can call 1-800-433-8850.
In addition, Middle East policy matters on occasion are discussed on call-in programs on KPPC-FM (89.3), the leading NPR affiliate in Los Angeles. Popular programs include the two-hour Air Talk with Larry Mantle, which begins at 10:00 a.m. each weekday, and the one-hour Patt Morrison program broadcast on weekdays at 2:00 p.m. Listeners may preview each day’s topics at http://www.scpr.org/ and callers may reach both programs at 1-866-893-KPCC (1-866-893-5722).
AM radio in Los Angeles has quite a number of call-in shows, and many of them often deal with foreign policy.
On the liberal side is KTLK (AM 1150), which broadcasts nationally-syndicated shows from liberal Air America radio network and also originates some shows locally. Unfortunately many of the hosts on this station are not as favorable to Israel as they would be if they knew the whole story, so those calling in with a pro-Israel comment should be ready for a challenging conversation. You can call into locally-produced shows on KTLK at 1-877-520-1150. When the station is airing an Air America syndicated show, the call-in number is 1-866-303-2270.
The highest-rated station in Los Angeles is KFI-AM (640). Among its most popular call-in programs, which occasionally deal with foreign policy, are The Bill Handel Show, broadcast from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., and The John and Ken Show, which airs from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. To participate in KFI shows, you may call 1-800-520-1KFI (1534).
Another Los Angeles station with conservative hosts is KABC-AM (790), which carries The Radio Factor with Bill O’Reilly from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The toll-free number to call the show is 1-877-9NO-SPIN (1-877-966-7746.) The station also broadcasts The Al Rantel Show from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The phone number for his show is 1-800-222-KABC (5222).
To improve your chances of getting on the air, call early and keep calling back if the line is busy. Think about what you want to say and consider jotting down notes. Give the screener a very brief summary of the point you want to make, and when you get on the air get right to your point.
You will, of course, want to keep up on what is happening in the Middle East, and particularly the late-breaking issues that might be the topics of discussion. Some excellent websites are The Washington Institute for Near East Policy available on the Internet at http://www.washingtoninstitute.org , The Middle East Media Research Institute at its online address http://www.memri.org/ and The Israel Project at http://www.theisraelproject.org .
In addition, please visit my web page at www.BradSherman.house.gov where I have posted news releases and newspaper columns on the United States Israel Energy Cooperation Act, which I cosponsored, material about Iran’s Nuclear Enrichment program, my viewpoints on the August attacks on Israel by Hezbollah, and other statements about where I stand on Middle East issues.
