BREAKING: SCHRAM & CARLSON TO DO THE ODD COUPLE...

This letter to Fisher employees from PD Dennis Kelly was leaked to BlatherWatch just minutes ago...What we'd like to know- which one will be Felix?

KOMO 1000 News is taking a bold step forward in the New Year by debuting a brand new show on January 30th.

This news analysis program will air daily from 10 am to Noon and feature news commentators John Carlson and Ken Schram.  The show is called "The Commentators" and is unlike anything you've ever heard before on radio.  Imagine a stylized, fast-paced Meet The Press (NBC) with the entertainment-value of The Daily Show with John Stewart (Comedy Network) and a dose of Crossfire (CNN) thrown in for good measure, and you get a pretty good idea of what this show will be about.

John and Ken will interview the key newsmakers of the day, reporters covering major stories both at KOMO 4 News and KOMO 1000 News and other news content partners.  And don't be too surprised if you turn on your radio and hear other interesting people joining "The Commentators" team (celebrities, well-known news personalities, etc.) from time to time.

The most unique aspect of this show is the special chemistry between John and Ken.  These two are the Felix Unger and Oscar Madison of radio.  Exact opposites who complete one another.  I've been listening to these guys banter back and forth in the hallways, and most recently on KVI, for several years.  They actually like and respect each other.  In an era when this sort of media discourse has become so polarized that shouting matches ensue, John and Ken will always approach each show with a good dose of humor, civility and mutual respect.

KOMO 1000 News will continue to deliver on traffic every 10-minutes "On The 4s" and the top news stories done in longform fashion at the top and bottom of every hour.  In addition, we will feature business updates and sports, too.

While many all news stations are working to boost midday numbers with shows featuring an hour on cooking, business, etc, the news junkies of our format are always in search of new information.  A show like this should thread the needle and create a more Time Spent Listening-rich environment.

I would like to thank Catherine Glavan, Nancy Barrick and Bill Rice for all they've done to take our middays to the next level.  Nancy and Bill will continue to host the midday news from Noon to 2 pm.   Bill will also be the dedicated news anchor on KVI from 1 pm to 7 pm.  Effective January 30th, middays will fly without a full-time, dedicated editor.  This role will be split between the morning editor, afternoon editor and news hosts.  With Darren's move to a full-time management position, you can guess where Catherine will be when she's back from maternity leave.

On KVI TalkRadio 570, John Carlson will continue to do his show daily from 3 pm to 5 pm.  Bryan Suits will host from 5 pm to 8 pm.  And, for now, the first hour of Tony Snow will be repeated in the 8 pm-9 pm hour.

Please feel free to come see me if you have any questions about this new midday approach on KOMO 1000 News.  DK

Dennis Kelly
AM Group Program Director - Fisher Communications Inc.
KOMO 1000 News- Seattle Mariners Radio Network
KVI TalkRadio 570 - Fox News & Talk Radio

Comments

[Rick]

I don't listen to KVI except when Schram is on Carlson's show. Its entertaining listening to the shallow-draft rightwingers call in and get met with a liberal on the show who can dish it out to these folks. Thats Entertainment! If this KOMO deal is true I will be tuning in!

[Seabeck]

I'll be listening! Al Pacino on 710 KIRO was driving me nuts.

[Lump]

Michael sez, " Exact opposites who complete one another. I've been listening to these guys banter back and forth in the hallways, and most recently on KVI, for several years. They actually like and respect each other. In an era when this sort of media discourse has become so polarized that shouting matches ensue, John and Ken will always approach each show with a good dose of humor, civility and mutual respect."

You'll have to explain this to the loonies, Michael. For Andrew you'll have to do it in great detail.

[Andrew]

I think those are actualy the words of a Dennis Kelly.

[blathering michael]

Lump: I didn't write that- that's from Dennis Kelly in a letter to Fisher employees. I agree w/it, however. The tension of strong evenly matched debaters fencing fair, is my idea of great talk radio.

[Andrew]

I'm realy looking forward to it. I just wish they would start at 9 so I could wake up to it instead of KIRO. Fortunately KOMO streams so I can listen to it while I work. John Prococino is fun to listen to but he doesn't beat a good debate.

[joanie]

No contest figuring out who is Felix (Carlson) and who is Oscar (Ken). I loved Ken Schramm's Town Meeting but he has been on board with some ideas that weren't so agreeable to me. It is interesting to hear he may be libertarian? I didn't know that.

I regard libertarians as republicans, just without any principles whatsoever. Every man (and woman) for himself. Do I misunderstand "libertarianism?"

[joanie]

PS: Dori considers himself libertarian I think . . . I've heard him make comments associating himself with that political point of view.

[sclub]

Sorry to rain on the parade, but it just shows how clueless Dennis Kelly really is. He pushed Fisher on the all news format, now backtracks. It makes no sense pulling Carlson off KVI at 5PM for a 3rd-stringer night host. Hello, that's AFTERNOON DRIVE, people! Dennis has a big ego but knows nada about programming talk radio.

[spambutcher]

Joanie - libertarians believe in substantially less government involvement in both issues pertaining to economics (think lower taxes) and personal freedom (think anti-drug / anti-sodomy laws)

I think it's far more accurate to say republicans are unprincipled libertarians that vice versa. They talk small government - but they just want a different kind of big government.

I'm generally libertarian - but I think Dori Monson is a douche bag - however, that’s mostly due to who he is as opposed to his politics.

Props to fisher / komo / kvi for taking some risks on what sounds like an entertaining show. I cringed when they sent KOMO all news - now might be a good time for them to revert and clobber KIRO when its having so many problems.

KIRO's been on a downhill tumble ever since they got rid of Fred Ebert... he was a bit nutty - but 5x smarter than anyone else they have today - maybe excluding Dave Ross (but they cut him off about the time my commute starts).

New York Vinnie is so painful - that I switch over to Bill O'Reilly for relief. "So, enough about sports. What do you think about sports?"

[Lump]

Michael sez, " I didn't write that- that's from Dennis Kelly in a letter to Fisher employees. I agree w/it, however."

You still have to explain it to Andrew. Civility is not a class he passed. He just loves it when people pound the piss out of those he hates.

[Mike Barer]

Ken Shram a Liberal? I thought he was like Andy Roone, just pissed off at everybody.

[Andrew]

Liberals aren't as similar to each other as conservatives. A liberal can be a religious fence walking anti-gay-marriage liberal or a gay athiest hard liner tree hugging liberal. I think Ken Schram falls in there somewhere.

There's a big religious right but there's no big liberal left. I think if there were then Democrats would win more often but I don't think it's possible for most liberals to be on the same page.

[audioslave]

Andrew,

You make a very good point, that liberals aren't as similar to each other as conservatives. The common thread that ties about 99.9% of conservatives together is strong family and moral values, that is based on one man, one woman, together having children, and passing their values on down, generation to generation. Many liberal politicians with the same value system get caught up in extreme views of the minority in this country, i.e. same sex marriage, abortion, gay rights(what is gay rights anyway?), etc. and end up having to compromise their core beliefs for the sake of votes from their constituents. Thats just my opinion.

[Andrew]

I respect your opinion. My opinion is that liberalism is the natural result of diversity. This is why liberals are ubiquitous in big population centers and universites.

I can't blame most conservatives for thinking the way they do because a white Christian family unit is all they've ever known, but thanks to the internet's ability to inform people I expect modern day conservativism to be gone within 30 years or hopefully less.

[audioslave]

Andrew,

Christians come in all shapes, sizes colors, and forms of
religion.

The only way your expectation of conservatism being eliminated in 30 years can happen is, if conservatives stop providing their kids with moral values, a good education, a loving home, and the ability to think for themselves.

Extreme Liberalism makes it's living preying on the weak of mind, the poor, the uneducated, and makes them dependent on society to take care of them, and doesn't teach or encourage them to stand up on their own.

[Andrew]

When I read your response you seem oblivious to the fact that modern day conservatism isn't just about family benefits and personal well being, it's about promoting a rigid religious moral code.

The idea that human rights begin at conception or that legal marriage should be between straight couples is arbitrary, but young conservatives probably can't apreciate this until they make friends and meet nice people who they can trust who have differing beliefs. I think the internet will let this happen.

I also take offense to the impliaction that a good education, a loving home and independant thought is exclusive to conservative families. It's not like liberal families teach their kids to steal things. If conservatives are so much better at these things then please elaborate on how.

[audioslave]

Andrew,

I didn't say that those things were exclusive to conservative families, it's not. But it is one of the reasons why the base is more united than the liberal base Andrew, which was your original point. No offense intended. I have 3 kids that use the internet extensively, and freely. They are exposed to all types of of viewpoints, ideas, and people of diverse backgrounds. I think they are doing pretty good so far. And as Christians, we don't impose our beliefs or "moral rigid code" on anybody. Nobody is forced into Christianity. It's a choice an individual makes for themself.

[Andrew]

If you support laws to abolish abortion or apose gay marriage then you are imposing you arbitrary moral code.

The idea that the unifying force in conservativism is family values is a laugh. The real reason is that you have a play book and we don't. Conservatives stand decided on allot of issues that liberals have widely different opinions about.

When John Kerry spoke his positions apealed to about half the liberals and turned off the other half. When Bush would (just barely) sound off a position he had broad support from conservatives.

[joanie]

Hi Audioslave,
I don't want to get into this interesting debate between you and Andrew except to add one thought of mine about something you said:

"Many liberal politicians with the same value system get caught up in extreme views of the minority in this country, i.e. same sex marriage, abortion, gay rights(what is gay rights anyway?), etc. and end up having to compromise their core beliefs for the sake of votes from their constituents. Thats just my opinion."

Liberal politicians get caught up in the issues of minorities because democrats consist of many diverse groups of minorities and we have learned to respect each other's needs. None of us thinks our way is the only way or the right way.

I've never compromised my core beliefs because I know that my core beliefs dictate how I live my life. I let other people's core beliefs determine how they live their lives. It would never occur to me to tell you what you should believe in or how you should live your life. I respect you enough to let you decide for yourself. J

[audioslave]

joanie, i agree with what you said.......that's great...we have some common ground.

Andrew, whether I support a particular law or not does not mean that I impose an arbitrary moral code on anyone. I would never stand in the way of, or try to hinder anyone's right to do something that is within the law. I don't support the people who stand in front of abortion clinics and try to intimidate or deny access for people, or the idiots that burn them down, or even kill the doctors. They do not represent mainstream conservatives.

Family values is not THE unifying force for conservatives, but it's a big part of it because it ties into alot what conservatives stand for. It's not laughable Andrew, it's a fact, and it is also a big part of the future of the country too. We need to promote the basic family unit, if for nothing else than to ensure that alot of the government social programs that you probably support can survive. I know alot of mainstream Democrats share that view also. I think the party is split because of a small minority of them are pushing it too far to the left. There are millions of people closer to the center that wonder what happened to the Democrat party they once knew. You're absolutely right, Kerry got caught up in that, and delivered mixed messages.......and it cost him the election.

[Andrew]

audioslave

"whether I support a particular law or not does not mean that I impose an arbitrary moral code on anyone. I would never stand in the way of, or try to hinder anyone's right to do something that is within the law"

First, if you vote in favor of a law or vore for a politician who votes for law that imposes moral value as law then yes you are imposing your moral code on others. You're not innocent if you participate.

I think it's sad that you support the greater conservative cause on the issue of family values because in doing so you also give your support to many moraly imposing laws regarding abortion, stem cell research, gay rights (the right to get married), intelegent design and so on.

Ya, Kerry could never say YES or NO for socialized health care because his own base is split in half on it. Bush had to negotiate his position on stem cells because his base was split on that issue. But like I said, there is no liberal equivelent to the religious right, the conservatives are clearly more unified.

[audioslave]

Andrew,

I think abortion should be left up to the states, I support stem cell research, gays have as much right to get married as I did,(but I support legal unions), intelligent design, as taught in school, is a theory, no different than any other unproven scientific theory.

Lumping conservatives into one category or another based on a perceived agenda or base issue is a misunderstanding commonly made by some on the liberal side. Mainstream conservatism is not that far to the right, at least not as far as you might think. Thanks for the debate, I appreciate the enlightened thought.