Live, local and dogma free

People say Rush Limbaugh and his fellow conservative talk hosts have doomed us to a culture that skews all sides of the debate towards the extreme. To the owners of AM radio stations across the country, conservative talk is the savior of what was a withering genre, catapulting stations like WIBC AM 1070 into the No. 2 overall position in the Indianapolis radio market.

Though it syndicates far-right folks like Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly, WIBC’s reputation as an ultra-conservative station might be unfair. Live from the News Center with Steve Simpson — which goes on the air at 7 p.m. — is an oasis of dogma-free populism in the ocean of nighttime conservative talk.

Simpson, a 26-year broadcast veteran, tosses topics out that range from typical local and national politics to quirky bits of news that would be more at home in “News of the Weird.” The one thing strangely absent from Simpson’s show is the chest-pounding anger you’ll find all over the AM radio band.

NUVO: Live from the News Center only started a year or so ago. What was the impetus behind WIBC going with nighttime talk?

Simpson: It’s always been the goal here. We pride ourselves on the fact that we’re live and local. As much as we can get away from the syndicated stuff, I think it’s good for the station and good for the city. We’ve always had the news guy here for breaking stories but now we’re live and original till 11 o’clock at night.

NUVO: The interesting thing about your show is that you really let the caller’s opinions come out. The calls don’t seem overly screened, and the show doesn’t seem to have any political agenda.

Simpson: This show isn’t about me. If people enjoy listening to me, that’s fine, but I want it to be caller driven. I’m not here to save the world. A lot of people in radio are out to save the world and tell you what to think or what to do. That’s just not me. Also, since I do some of the newscasts, I like to stay out of things. Not that anyone’s said, “You can’t say what you think,” it’s just how I like to do radio and how I perceive good radio to be.

NUVO: Has talk radio become too polarized?

Simpson: Certainly radio has become polarizing. It’s all about getting ratings. I don’t know if it’s polarized the country or if it’s the way it is because the country has become so polarized.

NUVO: Is there any room in talk radio for moderates?

Simpson: I hope that my show comes across that way. That’s what I hope to do. Truthfully, I’m very conservative on some issues and extremely liberal on others. I’m not one of these guys who is a (uses scary voice) Republican or a (gestures wildly) Democrat. I’ve voted for over 20 years and I’ve never voted a straight party ticket in my life. I’m a guy that thinks things through and votes for the person that best reflects my views. I’ve never felt the urge to just pull the “R” lever or the “D” lever. That’s not my style.

NUVO: Air America Radio has been around a year now, but is still only on a handful of stations. What is it going to take for the left to be successful in talk radio? Do you think it’ll ever happen?

Simpson: I don’t know. All I know is that you have to be entertaining. You can find as many people who listen to Rush Limbaugh that hate him as love him. But they keep listening because he’s entertaining. Why do they listen? Maybe they like the pain. Maybe they like arguing with him in their heads. But they still listen. You have to remember when Limbaugh broke out, AM radio was dying a painful death. You can pretty much make the argument that he saved it.

NUVO: What changes if any would you like to see in talk radio?

Simpson: I’d like to see more stations move toward local content. Most talk stations take the cheap way out and beam shows in from Washington or New York, and don’t really try to have any local element at all. Look here in Indianapolis at how much was going on at the Statehouse. If you go out on the Circle and ask 10 people what their opinion is on the smoking ban or the stadium deal, they’re all going to have something to say. Ask those same 10 people about filibusters, and half won’t even know about the issue and half of them won’t have a strong opinion.