BlatherWatch

Al franken, part one: the senator from talk radio

Sean Hannity, hearing the news that Al Franken was the new junior senator from Minnesota, called him a "liar and a lunatic." Michelle Malkin described him as "an angry, unstable man."

Expect that to continue being the right-wing media meme about Franken- It's uttered, even by respectable conservatives, too. Like former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson who called him, "The Vulgarian at the Gate," writing that Franken's election would "actively push our culture toward vulgarity and viciousness."

Dick morris stiffs thom hartmann: thom reviews dick stiffing

This got shuffled in all the rada-rada about Sen. Al Franken, but Dick Morris hung up on Thom Hartmann (KPTK m-f, 9a-12p) Tuesday.

(photo: shrimping toad from the '90's)

Scheduled to talk about his new hit book Catastrophe (about the devastation wrought by the 6-month old Obama administration) Morris called the back line of the Hartmann show as directed by his publicist, but when he heard Louise say, "The Thom Hartmann Show," he hung up.

Randi rhodes & air america: together again

"I’m thrilled to have Randi on the Air America Washington team…it’s about time we were reunited.” says Air America’s program director Bill Hess.

Rhodes will do PM drive at WZAA, AAR's new progressive talker in Washington DC.

The story linda thomas left out...

Linda Thomas, the honey-voiced KIROFM fill-in newsie whose work we've often admired, wrote a happy-face reader blog post about Seattle conservative talk radio host at Seattlepi.com

(photo: dittohead in "listening position.")

Her blog, News Chick is not journalism but rather for branding purposes and to promote her radio work. The self-promotion here, is in the form of a breezy, well-written, journalistic feature.

Has randi rhodes sold her soul?

 The answer to the bannerline question is: yes, of course... but who in radio hasn't, doesn't?

But first: the news is Randi will be back on KPTK May 11 at 6p. She will be live.

Or... so says the small print on the KPTK website. Randi, apparently busy moving to Washington DC, has not checked in online with listeners yet: her website still has her "sorry, we've been fighting with Nova M" message.

Randi's has a new contract with Premiere Radio Networks which built its primacy in media on the extreme success of Rush Limbaugh. It is a subsidiary of the corporate megalith Clear Channel.

Randi rhodes is back up... but will she be heard in Seattle?

Randi Rhodes is coming back... via the Dark Side.

Premiere Networks has picked her up. the company is a subsidiary of Clear Channel and the home of Rush, Sean Hannity and Glennn Beck.

She'll broadcast live from Washington DC, weekdays starting May 11.

Big Ed gets the MSNBC slot

It was a new slot to be opened up on MSNBC at 10p (Eastern) after Rachel. Everyone wanted it: Sam Seder, Young Turks like Cenk Uygur, old turks like Larry Lovebreath, "Choch" Mañana, and Bryan Styble. 

Instead, MSNBC demoted the humorless 'droid, David Schuster whose 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue was at 6p, and hired Ed Schultz, (KTPK m-f, 12-3p) to anchor the hour now to be called The Ed Show, which starts Monday.

Five years! happy birthday, air america

Five years.

Some of Air America's tenuous existence has felt like a colonoscopy to sympathetic, liberal listeners like us: the network has been on life support many times. There's been a cash register scandal; a bankruptcy, a parade of owners, managers, and talent.

Considering alan colmes

I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends... that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them. -Adlai Stevenson (1952)

That quote always makes us think of Alan Colmes -- we'll catch holy hell from our liberal readers for even saying this, but it's a shame that KPTK is not responding to Colmes' syndicaters about filling the empty evening slot vacated by Randi Rhodes.

Peter B quits radio; randi rhodes still missing; lindbergh baby remains dead

A week ago, syndicated liberal talker Peter B. Collins was happy to announce that he was gaining another affiliate in Seattle.

He'd just been given the slot taking over the slot on KPTK belonged to Randi Rhodes through all her career bobsledding; then short-livedly to Nancy Skinner.

The Seattle market didn't really know him yet. (Has Randi cursed this slot?)

(photo: Peter B-gone)

But Friday, Collins announced on the air his show will come to an end next Friday.