TARA DYER STOYLE: Politics … as usual

Many of you are still arguing about the validity of claims made by all four Georgia Senatorial candidates campaigning for the Jan. 5 runoff. At this point, I don’t believe there is anything any of them can say that will change any voter’s mind. It will all boil down to who shows up at the polls.

I won’t get into the truth as I see it on the matters being addressed by these four candidates in television ads all across Georgia. What I will say is what I know for a fact: All of the candidates … all four of them … have preached a message about supporting small businesses and caring about small towns, all while receiving millions upon millions of dollars in donations that they’re using to advertise and get elected.

Of the (combined) $440 million spent on runoff advertising (as of Dec. 10), guess how much money was spent with our local, independent radio station? Zero! And I haven’t seen any political ads in The Albany Herald either.

It’s not that the candidates don’t know we’re here either. I’ve been in touch, multiple times, with persons from all four camps asking for them to support our station through advertising. And although we haven’t received a single penny of that $440 million, we have received dozens of press releases in an attempt to get free air time.

So to Kelly Loeffler, Raphael Warnock, Jon Ossoff and David Perdue … we are a small radio station that launched six weeks before COVID hit. Like many small businesses, we are struggling mightily to stay afloat. I understand that none of you is directly in charge of your advertising, but you certainly have influence on how your money is spent.

Small publications and radio stations, the ones that care about their communities, could have really used your support. Not a handout, support. Please remember that it’s newspaper readers and small-town radio listeners who helped put you where you are and who can help get you where you want to be. I would like to suggest a few songs for the four of you to add to your personal playlists:

1. Billy Joel — “Honesty”

2. Three Dog Night — “Liar”

3. Alan Jackson — “The Little Man”

4. Pink Floyd — “Money”

5. The Eagles — “Lyin’ Eyes” … specifically this line: “You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes, And your smile is a thin disguise.”

I’ll close by saying, you politicians’ lack of care or awareness of the state of small media is sadly astounding. I guess I’ll just chalk it up to politics as usual.