BlatherWatch

Luke burbank dances the nutcracker

KIRO suits are pondering, we hear, upon how they might entice TBTL podcaster Luke Burbank back into their employ after his dazzling performance in the role of a "doddering grandpa" at Pacific Northwest Ballet's production of The Nutcracker Wednesday night. 

Burbank writes on his blog: "It was super fun, but even more importantly, it was educational. I learned that small children are way better at dancing than I am, that grandpa wigs make your head very sweaty, and that flesh-colored body stockings make me look like a naked Teletubby." Video here.

Luke burbank to "wait, wait, don't tell me"

TBTL's Luke Burbank will be a Halloween panelist on NPR's zane-filled radio quiz, Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me (KUOW, Saturday 10-11a) with guest with legendary horror movie director George Romero, the man behind Dawn of the Dead and Night of the Living Dead.

TBTL, R.I.P. 2008-2009

It was too beautiful to live. Turns out that the little show that could, couldn't, at least on terrestrial radio.

Too Beautiful to Live (KIROFM m-f, 7-10p) it's the little show that might've. After risking its life 5 days a week for one year and nine months, KIROFM has cancelled the quirky, smart radio world created by Luke Burbank, Jen Andrews, and Sean DiTore.

TBTL "best radio talk show," seattle weekly

(Luke, Sean, and Jen. photo credit: KUOW)

On the bright side for the troubled KIROFM, The venerable corporate alternative paper The Seattle Weekly revived its 'best talk radio' category in its annual Best of Seattle issue:

KIROFM's troubles: are it the programming?

The PPM ratings, now the way of the world, were brutal to the established order in Seattle radio.

While we sit re-baiting our breaths waiting to hear if KVI and Fisher Radio have snatched Rush Limbaugh from Bonneville's KTTH, we ask the question: Will Bonneville significantly change the line-up in KIROFM to make it work in Seattle?

(photo: Dori Monson- "will dance for ratings")

TBTL sells podcast spots to AT&T

It may be historical -- or just hysterical --but KIROFM's out of the box evening show, Too Beautiful To Live (m-f, 7-10p) much maligned by the duffer class has surely extended its life span as of today. Download here.

AT & T Wireless has made a national buy for spots on the TBTL podcast. If not a first in alternative platform marketing, it's surely groundbreaking, (a word we're always using for TBTL, much to the scoffuture of the aging radio professionals who occasionally deign comment here).

TBTL: there's something happenin' here

Luke Burbank will throw out the first pitch at tonight's Mariner's game. "Awesome" will be the cry to about 900 "10's" (fans) who have already bought the tickets and will fill a couple of sections at Safeco Field wearing TBTL t-shirts.

 TBTL? It's Too Beautiful to Live (KIROFM m-f, 7-10p) the hard-to-describe, weeknightly show/community/talk-romp that chronicles the lives, tastes, and Millenial Gen pop-cultural blabbin'-tary  of Burbank, Jen Andrews, and Sean DeTore.

UPDATED: As luke burbank has been trying to tell us...

Since we wrote this Saturday, we got some new information on the astonishing number of podcast downloads for Too Beautiful to Live with Luke Burbank (KIRO FM m-f, 7-10p).

Happy birthday, TBTL

It's the little show that might; the show that risks its life 5 days a week; the show the Blathercommenters love to hate; the show that raises envious bile among its radio cohort each and every day it breaths and lives to tell about it.

Too Beautiful to Live (KIROFM m-f, 7-10p) is 1 year old today. There will be audio

UPDATE: NPR slashes programming; will KUOW make lemonade?

UPDATE: The Conversation (KUOW m-f 1-2) will discuss today NPR Layoffs -- how did National Public Radio get into financial trouble? Appearing will be Dana Davis Rehm,NPR's  Senior Vice President for Strategy & Partnerships. Call in your thoughts before the show to The Conversation feedback line, (206) 221-3663.

So what should KUOW do with the new hour freed up at noon on weekdays?

NPR announced Wednesday that due to revenue shortfalls, it would cut 64 jobs and  cancel two weekday programs, Day to Day, (KUOW m-f,12-1p)  and News & Notes (KXOT, m-f, 11p-12a).

Last day for these two: March 20.

"We have quite a bit of time to figure out what we're going to do," KUOW program director Jeff Hansen told the P-I's Bill Virgin.