Ed Schultz is a voice crying in the wilderness. Those lucky enough to catch the liberal radio talker find him a fresh contrast to the conservatives who dominate today's airwaves.

Ranked the nation's eighth most influential talker, the radio host was in Pittsburgh on Tuesday for a stop on his "Voices of America Tour," although he's not carried in this market.

Blame it on the 1987 expiration of the Fairness Doctrine or the ownership of more stations concentrated in fewer hands -- either way, too few voices like Mr. Schultz's are carried by radio to offer a different point of view to the same old right-wing tripe.

The Rush Limbaughs and Sean Hannitys have been given dominance from coast to coast, turning much of talk radio into a heated debate where only one side is heard. While such gabfests draw their share of listeners, a diverse lineup is likely to attract more ears, hence more advertisers and more dollars. And isn't that what the radio conglomerates want anyway?

Pittsburgh listeners recently lost the on-air zing of liberal Lynn Cullen, whose show ended two months ago because of a format change at former talk station WPTT-AM. That void is a micro version of what moderate-to-left listeners face nationwide due to an industry that believes only conservative talk sells.

Even Mr. Schultz says the answer is not a return to the Fairness Doctrine, which would force stations to balance their political fare. What could get radio's attention are new federal rules against national concentrations of ownership. Then maybe listeners will hear a variety of voices.