You stupid fuck, Tom C wasn't even there. You're a fuckin liar. Don't ever cross my path, you got me?--Mike Webb to BlatherWatch. 9.15.05
We kid Mike Webb.
He's a self-described "Liberal with a Capital L" (KIRO m-f, 9p-1a) and one of the longest running, and lowest rated liberal talkers in Seattle.
We kid Mike Webb, whose anger management problem is bigger than Hurricane Katrina's and humor deficit large enough to fill the canyon of George Bush's curiosity deficiency.
We kidded Mike Webb in our critical review ofKIRO's "Battle of the Talk Show Hosts," last week-- that's why Webb's is making those threats and swearing at us.
He can dish it out, but he can't take it.
Off-line, we often email with the conservative talk-hosts upon whom we're pooping, and not one has ever threatened us, or gotten so pissed off as Mike Webb.
Oh, Sean Hannity called us BlunderingWatch; we get some haughty, passive aggressive stuff from the Michael Medved staff, and a few on-air insults from Mike Siegel fill-ins...but these are merit badges we wear proudly.
Webb's conservative colleague Dori Monson, (KIRO m-f,12-3p) who we've kicked around as unmercifully as we have Webb, writes: ITAL"I find it very funny that other hosts get so pissed off at your blog - you're just doing what we do."
The seriously deluded rightie, John Carlson (KVI m-f, 3-6p) who we trash repeatedly, writes lengthy and collegial emails discussing political topics.
We kid The Bad Lieutenant, Bryan Suits, (KVI m-f, 6-9p) who actually engages readers in our lively comments columns and is generous with his sarcasm and alleged wit.
But when we kid the liberal, we get threats and the f-bomb. We're embarrassed by him.
We kid, but this isn't the first time Webb's come after us. Back in 2003, after we wrote a talk radio piece for a local magazine that didn't give him enough ink (he thought the song was about him), he wrote: "Fuck You. Don't come near me. That would be regretful." Then he tried to murder us with the publisher, the editor, and threatened to report us for harassment to our Internet provider.
Recently, he wrote: "So, please, just leave me the fuck alone and have fun on your little 'website.' Let me be clear: the next email from you will be considered harassment."
(We've seen his show's "cumes" and we can assure you, our "little website" has more readers on a Sunday than he does his little talk show 'most any day. We kid Mike Webb, but his ratings are lower than Mike Siegel's).
At least one major blogger has been scared off of even mentioning Webb's name after such threats.
Criticizing a public figure is "fair comment" and protected speech, as Mike well knows, he does it every day. Approaching a public figure on their published email address is not even close to harassment.
He's known around KIRO for threatening litigation and many give him wide berth on account of it.
Being an asshole isn't illegal, but we expect more from liberals...although, we're not so sure Webb isn't just playing one on the radio. He told us in a 2003 email that he put Rush Limbaugh on KVI and is proud of that. He's also worked hard to unseat his own union at KIRO, even though he champions "stakeholders" over "stockholders." He denigrates yuppies, and rich people, but drives a black Lexus he never talks about on-air because it would mess with his radical lefty image. He denigrates callers who disagree with him--talks over them, makes fun of their rurality (he even plays bluegrass music over them when they're talking.)
He packs a gun for "protection." He's the only armed gay liberal we know. Gay columnist and Stranger editor, Dan Savage who actually is famous, and has lived with death threats for years, and walks among us armed only with his formidable wit.
Webb uses Sean Hannity's unliberal technique of lecturing a caller or guest, then asking them a do-you-still-beat-your-wife-question, then, when they start answering, he starts interrupting, then yells something like "you're delusional!," and hangs up on them. He not only does that to dopey callers, he does it when he's losing the argument.
We kid Mike Webb but we expect more from progressives. Hell, we expect more from Sean Hannity...
His is the overcompensation of a bully; and like all bullying, its roots are in weakness. His inability to hold up his end of a debate for righteous causes with righteous arguments usually ends with a show of power that bottom lines: I've got a dump button and you don't.
Webb says he's passionate and the right can't handle it. His passion, however, is an anger that he apparently can't handle and serves only to make his opponents seem reasonable.
It's bad radio and bad politics and his bad ratings reflect it--he dropped from 15th to 25th place in the last book.
Webb typifies the state of desperate state of local progressive talk in Seattle. We've got Dave Ross. Period.The rest--Webb, Allan Prell, Tony Ventrella, and Erin Hart are missing one or more of the necessary ingredients for talk radio success: talent, skills, the inclination, the energy, or the je ne sais quoi to be anything but local niche-midgets who are either taking up valuable band space or are comfortably stuck in ratings ghettos like late night and weekends.
Prell has taken the time to get up to speed on local issues; Webb and Hart have not. They indulge themselves with repetitious silliness, b-list guests and their ratings are rivaled only by tiny rural stations reading school lunch menus to tiny rural audiences.
Webb told us in 2003 that local politics are "BOR-ing." He'd apparently rather spend hours on his true love: spinning oldies from the golden days of his 1970's youth.
Meanwhile, because of local conservative talkers doing local issues, Republicans have driven the media on local issues such the Un-lect Governor Gregoire distraction and the anti-roads repair initiative, I-912.
And they do it in drive-time and they lead newstalk ratings in Seattle.
We kid Mike Webb, but when will someone grab that microphone out of his face and give it to someone who's got talent, new energy and gravitas? Meanwhile, we'll be watching our back--what's scarier than an angry talk show host with a gun?
First of all, on behalf of UMO, let me just say that " KIRO radio is the number one radio station in Seattle."
ok
What happened to Mike? I used to listen to him regularly and have even called in to his show..but that was about 4 years ago. I turned to KGO radio to listen to a true liberal, Bernie Ward, about that time. Now, KPTK has put Randi Rhodes and Mike Malloy in the night time slot against Mike...that, I think is insurmountable for him to overcome. A person who wants to listen to true liberal talking points will tune in to KGO or KPTK.
PS..finally, someone gets it right about Erin! The conversation about dryer cords and having young children sing on her show has turned it into something inbetween Handy Household Hints and Romper Room..
Posted by: sparky | September 20, 2005 at 02:49 PM
PPS..Mike needs to listen to Thom Hartmann to learn what real progressive radio is like....
And Stephanie Miller plays better music!
Posted by: sparky | September 20, 2005 at 02:51 PM
Mike Malloy is good too, sort of in your face like Webb, which may hurt their attempts at a broader audience. Evidently, the righties are the only ones sucessful at humiliation of their callers which still works for a share of the market. It would be nice for a Maher-like person to do a radio show as he can rip someone a new one but still bring them back on as a guest. Fraken has that ability too, but spends too much time entertaining.
Posted by: chris | September 20, 2005 at 04:16 PM
btw, KPOJ scored big when they brought on Thom Hartmann. Someone at ClearChannel knew that a local slot could go head to head with Lars down there albeit a different time slot. Portland (not Oregon) is more progressive in particular than Seattle is, (Yes, it truly is) and why it took years for a station to start up a local progressive is odd.
Posted by: chris | September 20, 2005 at 04:28 PM
Webb is an excellent talk show host. He is the best KIRO has to offer. Mike Webb cannot be faulted for obeying the #1 rule of all talk shows: Never ever allow a caller to win an argument.
Posted by: umo | September 20, 2005 at 05:22 PM
Mike never lets a person have an argument. cuts 'em right off after 3 words.
Posted by: Bippy | September 20, 2005 at 08:02 PM
Geez, Michael, are you certain Mike Webb wasn't parodying the anti-Bushites when he called you a fuckin liar? Wasn't he just kidding?
Posted by: Fremont | September 21, 2005 at 12:55 PM
KPTK 1090 has a limited signal to east King county and east of Tacoma due to a pattern change at night, and as a result will never compete with 710 KIRO.
Too bad they decided to tape delay Air America programs late afternoon and well into the night.
They'll undoubtedly lose Air America to some other station, perhaps KIRO.
My proposal for 710 KIRO:
5a-9a: morning news
9a-NOON: Al Franken
NOON-3p: Randi Rhodes
3p-7p: Dave Ross
7p-10p: Mike Malloy
10p-1a: Mike Webb
Dori Monson could then go to 770 KTTH NOON-3p, with Medved moving to KKOL 1300.
Posted by: KING1090 | September 23, 2005 at 12:29 AM
I hope the AA hosts land somewhere if AA is indeed in deep finacial trouble as they are looking for 'associates" for finacial support and some of the hosts are out on "vacation" Me thinks they are looking for other jobs
Posted by: chris | September 23, 2005 at 08:32 AM
King1090 Might be on to something.., But instead move Monson to KTTH in Siegle's slot. Gives you a step up from Siegle, Monson gets to do morning drive and lead in for Rush, which has to fufil a few wet dreams of his, and They can move Siegle into afternoon drive where he will get slamed by All Things Considered and KVI, but no one will care, but at least it gives KTTH a local host in the afternoon drive.
Best thing that KTTH could do for itself, and it would give them a chance against KVI. Not a bad idea, eh?
Posted by: JDB | September 23, 2005 at 09:04 AM
As someone who was listening to Mike Malloy back in the 80's when he was on WSB-AM in Atlanta, I can confirm he was as much an a$$hole as Micheal Savage is today. He was doing "mean talk" long before Sean and Rush got started. Maybe they learned it from Malloy
Posted by: Ron | September 23, 2005 at 10:16 AM
Chris,
Where are you getting the idea that Air America is in any financial jeopardy? We've been assured numerous times by Blathering Michael and others on this forum of the growth and success of AA. Better check your sources carefully....
Posted by: ExDem | September 23, 2005 at 11:23 AM
Hey Blathering Mike, it looks like Brian Maloney scooped you with this post about Alan Prell getting fired and Rush possibly replacing him....Think of the implications.
From The Radio Equalizer Blog:
"Seattle's KIRO-AM has fired liberal 9am-noon host Alan Prell after lackluster ratings. Some say it's the start of major changes to come. KIRO's hard-left turn last year has been a disaster of Arbitronian proportions, I'm told Rush Limbaugh may move into the slot, in a last-ditch effort to save once-proud KIRO from extinction.
http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Michael B. | September 23, 2005 at 02:09 PM
Hard left turn???? Only Brian Baloney can turn a phrase like that!
Anal Cyst Boy on KIRO? Who are Baloney's secret sources?
Posted by: sparky | September 23, 2005 at 05:39 PM
Infinity radio needs to take a lesson from KPOJ in Portland. Even the other two Oregon stations have local talent and are doing very well with it.
At first I was hesitant about losing Al Franken live, but after listening to Thom Hartman for the past week, I am really starting to enjoy it.
Stephanie Miller is great, but she really needs to be on in the evening time, and a local show NEEDS to be in its place. Randi Rhodes should be in the Noon - 4PM slot and Shultz should follow Randi.
KIRO should be really trying to yank AAR away from 1090AM.
Posted by: Political Pulpit | September 25, 2005 at 01:58 AM
Perhaps...but once you hear Thom Hartmann, how can you go back to Dave, who still can be an apologist for Bush from time to time.
As I have said before, those of you who live in King or Pierce County may feel the need for a local host, but those of us in the rest of the state don't live and breathe what happens in Seattle. It would probably be good for KIRO to have Dave back at 9, but a lot of us will continue to listen to Thom.
Posted by: sparky | September 25, 2005 at 09:26 AM
Prediction:
Air America ON KIRO...???
Evidence:
Prell and Ventrella have both signed off...
AM 1090 has Air America tape delayed afternoons and all night when nobody listens because of the signal...
AM 1090 might be in a holding pattern...with other progressive talkers...along with the soon to depart Air America shows...to get people used to a potential new format perhaps featuring:
Miller (6a-9a)
Hartmann (9a-NOON)
Schultz (NOON-3p)
The Young Turks (LIVE m-f 3p-6p)
Lionel (7p-10p)
Doug Basham (10p-1a)
Mike Newcombe (1a-3a)
Bill Press (3a-6a)
I have NO idea...and NO insider info...This is *ONLY* a theory...
KIRO certainly could move Monson to 770 for the morning show, as JDB suggested above, with Siegel moving to replace Savage.
This would make the KIRO 9a-NOON slot available for Franken, NOON-3p for Randi Rhodes, and 7p-10p for Mike Malloy.
Ross would continue afternoons with one extra hour (3p-7p), and Mike Webb and Lou Pete overnights (10p-5a).
The best of Air America's Morning Sedition could replace KIRO's weekend morning news, which might explain why Rich Johnson, Jim Valley, Jeanne Lockhardt, and Teresa Joy are no longer anchoring some recent weekend mornings (Eric Kirchner alone the last few weekends).
Of course, the major problem with the theory is Tom Clendening's Craigs List advertisement for a talk host, presumably local, M-F 15hrs/wk.
Posted by: KING1090 | September 26, 2005 at 11:24 PM
Ohhhh...from your mouth to the Radio God's ears!!
That would be fabulous and I would listen..I dont care what the dial says--I just care who is talking at the other end of it! That would be a coup of all coups!
Posted by: sparky | September 27, 2005 at 09:57 AM
KIRO is sending out this questionnaire to its regular listeners:
What radio station do you mostly listen to?
If you’re not listening to KIRO anymore, why not?
Do you listen to the Dori Monson show?
If not, why?
Would you like Dave Ross to return to the 9 to noon slot?
Has KIRO gone more to the left or the right in the past two years?
Hmmmmm...
Posted by: sparky | September 27, 2005 at 02:25 PM
KIRO Questions:
Where did you get this? The 710 KIRO Gold Club perhaps?
I'll answer this and add some commentary:
What radio station do you mostly listen to?
Tie: KPTK 1090, 710 KIRO, 810 KGO, 92.5 KLSY
If you’re not listening to KIRO anymore, why not?
Well...less time on KIRO because of Air America 1090 (Clendening will get A LOT of responses like this, of course!)
Do you listen to the Dori Monson show?
Sometimes...
If not, why not?
I don't listen all the time because like many others, I've moved leftwards due to the war and G. W. When I'm not listening to Dori, I'm listening to Ed Schultz on AM 1090. (Of course, KIRO is losing listeners to Big Ed. Why doesn't Clendening offer a left leaning host NOON-3 to go against Ed, like WRKO's Jay Diamond?)
But it is not just the fact that Ed is "on the left," he, of course, has entertainment value, humor, etc...
Would you like Dave Ross to return to the 9 to noon slot?
No, I'd like *Air America* on a better signal for us 'lefties' in the outlining areas. Save 9a-NOON for Franken, and leave Ross drive time. Randi Rhodes: NOON-3p, and Mike Malloy 7p-10p, Mike Webb 10p-1a.
Has KIRO gone more to the left or the right in the past two years?
To the left...i.e. Jeffers, Press, and Jaco (fill-ins for Ross), Ryder, Prell, Ventrella, more hours of Webb, etc.
Is *two years* meant to have some special significance here? Hmmm... May 2003 is actually when I made an effort to START LISTENING to liberal radio due to G.W.'s "mission accomplished" statement...
And... guess what... Mike Webb/KIRO... was my FIRST LOCAL LIBERAL host...
I guess *2 years* ago was ALSO the beginning of the Howard Dean "movement"...
I remember Dean signs all over 'liberal' Capitol Hill summer '03...
Air America to 710 KIRO ASAP!!!
Posted by: KING1090 | September 27, 2005 at 11:30 PM
I found this blog insightful re: Mike Webb. I assume it's true. My wife and I are not crazy about his show. He just sounded tired, overall. But your following comment leads me to doubt your overall taste and judgement:
"Webb typifies the state of desperate state of local progressive talk in Seattle. We've got Dave Ross. Period.The rest--Webb, Allan Prell, Tony Ventrella, and Erin Hart are missing one or more of the necessary ingredients for talk radio success: talent, skills, the inclination, the energy, or the je ne sais quoi to be anything but local niche-midgets who are either taking up valuable band space or are comfortably stuck in ratings ghettos like late night and weekends."
This paragraph is crap. Well, absolute crap in regard to Erin Hart, who has overspilling heaping shovel-fulls of all the talents you mention. There's a certain point where critics (you, Mr/Ms Blogger) get a little too comfortable that they (you) know best, and alas you've crossed it, revealing the truth that is the tird you call gray matter. I'm here to remind you of your shortcomings. What's amazing is that it's not elitism of which you wreak. I mean, if you don't *get* Ms. Hart... well, you can't teach a dumb dog smart tricks. Because it is Ms. Hart's very intellect, insight, and fiery passion that curl our toes like hot potatoes when we ought to be sleeping.
Foo-foo to you.
Posted by: David Gowing | December 31, 2005 at 01:10 AM
How come she hasn't gotten a full-time gig if she is so great?
Posted by: chris | December 31, 2005 at 10:09 AM
Erin "George-Bush-is-my-President-er-wait, -you-say-you-dont-like-him-ok-I- dont-either" Hart has heapfuls of talent? And why was she pleading with listeners last night to "please write to management" and beg them to give her a better time slot?
We obviously have different standards when it comes to intellect and insight.
You must have missed the 3 hour show about the dryer cord.
Posted by: sparky | December 31, 2005 at 10:26 AM
David: My little tird (sic) brain is all worried about your marriage if it's Erin Hart that's "curling your toes like hot potatoes" when you ought to be sleeping...
Posted by: blathering michael | December 31, 2005 at 11:55 AM