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California Recall Election Has Radio Roots
Former San Diego Mayor-turned-KOGO-San Diego talk show host Roger Hedgecock and KTKZ-Sacramento’s Eric Hogue are on the short list of people handed credit -- or blame -- for tomorrow’s (10/7) historic California recall election.
“Roger and Eric are probably the two most focused in California on this,” recall strategist Dave Gilliard told The Sacramento Bee. “Without them, it may not have happened – at least certainly not in the quick time that it did. These shows have created activists, created people who actually go out and work and do things.”
Hedgecock was convicted in the 1980s of conspiracy and 12 counts of perjury over failure to report more than $350,000 in campaign contributions.
Forced to resign in December 1985 after his felony conviction, Hedgecock found radio.
The California Supreme Court reversed the perjury convictions in 1990 and Hedgecock eventually reached a plea agreement with the District Attorney's Office in the conspiracy case.
He reportedly paid a fine, and the conviction was reduced to a misdemeanor and dismissed.
Still maintaining his innocence, Hedgecock says the experience helped to shape his life. He conducted “drive-by” petition signings in San Diego County in the recall's early days.
“This campaign energized a whole bunch of people to believe they could be powerful, that they could hold elected officials accountable,” Hedgecock said. “They’re sticking a sharp stick in our eye every day -- we're just going to stick it back.”
But one of Governor Gray Davis’ advisors, Roger Salazar, told the Sacramento Bee, “My sense is that the impact of talk radio has been overhyped -- and most of the hype is done by the radio talk shows themselves. From the Democrats' perspective, the folks listening to conservative talk radio aren't the ones who are going to vote for you anyway. They're pretty much preaching to the choir.”
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