Tuesday oddems: dog poop, small talk, reichertsblog, reagan voodoo audionomics, sprince sprints, cigar show goes up in smoke...

~~How would we know which talk host in which Seattle music station insists on bringing her small, ill-tempered dog into the studio every day? You know, the one who craps around the management suites and has bitten people in sales ?

~~Reader John wrote to recommend Equal Time, which is broadcast (but not broadly) on Fridays at noon on tiny KLAY (1180 am) in Lakewood, Pierce County. We gave it a listen and  it's hosted energetically by a couple of very dedicated Pierce County libs- Frank "Motor Mouth" Blair and Audrey Chase. Audrey chairs the Democrats 25th legislative district, Blair is a local business man very active in the local Democratics. Podcasts are available at Democratic Radio.org. Check out the 2006/04/21 program featuring an interview with 8th District Democratic congressional candidate, Darcy Burner.

~~Ace blogger, and hard-working researcher Dan Kirkdorffer over at On the Road To 2008, has dissected Dave Reichert's voting record, and it ain't pretty. Republicans like and including Reichert stuck in swing districts, are scurrying to the middle in order to get out of the way of the Anti-Bush tsunami aimed at their fat asses (Bush got a Nixonian 31% approval rating, today). In order to appeal to independents and Democrats, Reichert's people are claiming he voted 55% of the time on the same side as the majority Democratic position. Kirkdoeffer says: "Problem is that almost half of those votes (206) were undisputed procedural votes, and hence meaningless when determining voting tendencies. Furthermore, his overall voting record has him voting 94% of the time with the majority Republican position." Read the facts here.

~~It's been heartening that KIRO's new schedule added the well-informed and amiable Ron Reagan, (m-f, 12-1p) a local progressive host doing local progressive talk, albeit for only an hour a day. The re-interjection of Dave Ross (KIRO m-f, 9a-12p) into the ayem fray has also helped. It's all kind of a push, since we lost liberal hosts when Erin Hart was riffed and Mike Webb imploded. Nobody much listened to Erin; and Webb did little more than pluck the low-hanging fruit of the Bush blatancies which are already well-covered nationally. Local progressive activists never considered Webb a local talk host. Democrats need hosts like KVI's Carlson and Wilbur.

~~Reagan's producer and on-air sidekick is none other than Sprince Arbogast, the weekend Metro traffic person with the made-up sounding name. She's kind of mysterious about her background, but she's been doing traffic around here for quite a few years. That she surfaced as producer of the hot new Ron Reagan show is impressive and she still does traffic in her spare time.

~~We haven't seen the important "money demo" yet of the Winter ratings book recently released by Arbitron, but Air America's KPTK in Seattle is pulling a respectable 2.8 in the 12+ survey. They're doing it with no local programming. It's mystifying why they won't take a big chance and hire a jock to do local stuff it's only money to be made...liberal tlk in Seattle? what a concept!

~~On May 5, Rush Limbaugh (KTTH m-f, 9a-12p) denied any similarity between his and Rep. Patrick Kennedy prescription drug problems. Big Pants was confronted by a caller over his acceptance of a deal in which he pleaded not guilty on April 28th to one charge of doctor-shopping to get illegal amounts of drugs. Limbaugh asked: "Tell me ... where they're similar. I had a problem. I admitted it. I went and dealt with it. I have been clean from the painkillers for almost two years and eight months." The Big Fat idiot got honest about his addiction to painkillers only after reports of his problems surfaced based on allegations from his housekeeper. Limbaugh said Kennedy's case differs from his because "there's a cover up" in Kennedy's case. Media Matters reports, "Yet, when the caller confronted Limbaugh about reports that the investigation into his abuse of painkillers had initially included, according to the New York Daily News, an examination of whether Limbaugh was 'buying thousands of addictive painkillers from a black-market drug ring,' Limbaugh refused to answer, stating only that he would not 'dignify such tripe.'"

~~Remember how we complained about the cigar show and the wine show on Saturdays?
We got a snide note from someone over at KOMO: "And I know you have to hold your nose to listen to KVI, but the Cigar Lounge with Mister Anderson hasn't been on for weeks and it was only a half hour when it was on. Maybe it just seemed longer...Doc Vino aired exactly twice two months ago. We are currently in the process of selling the 6pm hour on Saturday to another show." Blatherwatch got the information from the KVI website that they had hurriedly altered shortly before writing us their petty complaints. May be they should bring their website into the 21st century as KIRO did a few months ago.

~~There's a certain guy in a certain Seattle music station who's threatening to kidnap and eat a certain small, ill-tempered dog brought into the studio every day who craps around the management suites and bites people in sales. Bon Appetite! as we always say...

Comments

[mac]

I say...bring back the good ol' days, when breaking news and having the story first (with a "live shot" meant something) Damn the ratings and the political correctivness, what really matters is "hitting your breaks on time, live shots, traffic, headlines and sports...just ask Hersholt, Shannon and Yend.

I say, bring back a Dave Ross, when running for office, wasn't in the back of his mind, when he could get uppity if he wanted to, w/o fear of management drawing and quartering him! Come on Dave..."it's better to burn out, then to fade away." Take care of the personal stuff on the air, it's about time people knew who you are, not a "time slot filler."

What have you got to lose...you'd be suprised how many listeners support you and are waiting for you to recover from your, "Sheriff Dave" election defeat. Hell, if you had premature silver hair and controlled a force of hundreds to catch bad guys/gals, you too could win your district too. Sick um Dave. Damn management (they look to you for ratings, so give it to them)

[Brian in Lacey]

Ok lets try it again , Kiro radio needs a good over night show From 1:00am to 5:00am What they have now is just bad radio ! ( notice, I didnt say anything how bad the styblehead show is) I think Gary behind the glass and his buddy the wonder chimp ! ( the Unkown board O/P )would make a good show
with late night interviews :
How to put in a trailer house with only One Beer , and 10 friends
Or even better interviews with girls gone wild ( Ladys over 60)
and how to erase your cookies on your P/C, after you were looking at porn and your wife walks in!
these are just a few !
There is a lot more to come Hooty hoo ! LEFT AND RIGHT UP AND DOWN IN YOUR FACE!!!!!!
ITS THE SCARY HAIRY OH! GARY SHOW AND HIS SIDE KICK THE WONDER CHIMP!!( and remember there parking in the rear and its 45 degs in the city !!!!!

[Liz]

Brian in Lacey, who is Lacey? And maybe if you spent more time in Lacey this show wouldn't bother you so much.

Maybe you could buy a radio with a tuner on it so you wouldn't have to listen to the show which appears to disturb you so much. There are other shows that you could listen to, right? I mean, Coast to Coast is still on the air.

[Tommy008]

yeah I heard the lady call out Limbaugh on hisalleged drug ring dealings. All he could do was say "if you believe this tripe from a publication like the National Enquirer,"- 'I will not difnify"blah blah blah.Notice he didn't say it was untrue because he knows the Enquirer will sue his ass - and win. In recent years the National Enquirer has been one of the most accurate papers in the world, when it comes to such stories. They were 100%accurate on Clinton/Monica, Michael Jackson, etc.. Mike Walker, the Enquirer Editor, challenged Limbaugh to sue them when the stories came out, and said that they now have people paying money to them, after legal actions, not the other way around. A slick demagogue like Limbaugh is smart enough not to call the story a lie.

[David Allyn]

You can also download podcasts of Equal Time on www.liberaltopia.org

[Fremont]

Joans, there's an interesting comment in the above link called Politcal Fusion about a third party. BTW, Happy Teachers Awareness Week to you and Sparks! A tip of the toque and a sip of the sot to youse!

[sparky]

thank you Fremont..I have spent all day dealing with sexual harassment issues in 6th grade..ah spring and the flowing of hormones...

[joanie]

My first graders and I are glittering snowflakes that have been sitting around for a while - hmmm -and and listening to a tape of Rabbit Ears Radio But, we are having fun! Actually, they are perfectly-made(almost) mathematically correct geometric snowflakes with six points!

Thanks for the link and for the toast, Fremont!

[Liz]

New information,Joanie. Didn't know you are a teacher. Thank you.

(2 daughters in grade 8 and 9)

[Peter]

Democrats need hosts like Carlson and Wilbur? You mean they need dull sycophants?

Erin Hart was betrayed primarily by a lousy time slot. Who's listening at 11, 12pm on a saturday or sunday night? Yet KIRO is willing to waste earlier airtime on cliche ridden neo cons like Shiers.

[Dana]

Erin was betrayed by herself. She was terrible.

[Artie]

Erin IS terrible. Nothing has changed with her. She betrayed the liberal cause after she sided with Bushler after 9/11.

[Steve]

Both Allen Prell and Erin Hart are losers and deserve no respect from anyone.

[sparky]

Erin Hart actually had a pretty big Saturday night crowd who gathered in the KIRO chat room. When she announced proudly that she supported Bush, after 9-11, she alienated a lot of her fans. It was all downhill from there....

[Brian in Lacey]

Hi Liz! Its Brian in Lacey ,just like it was written not who Lacey . That ok sister its hard to read, when your cowboy boots are on the wrong feet, and your shorts are on backwards. Please give it another read when you get things straighted out ! Hooty hoo !

[toryrogan]

Democrats DO need local hosts like John Carlson and Kirby Wilber. With the liberal crowd, it's all about Bush. Regardless if their audience is Western Washingtonians, Americans, or freakin' Uranians (those from Uranus), its Bush, Bush, Bush. We have our own issues right here at home- whether they are issues of the state, county, city or the guy across the street who refuses to wear pants. That's where guys like Carlson and Wilber shine. They talk about the Seattle area things that you don't hear about on CNN, without being such isolationists they're unaware there is a world outside of the Puget Sound. Their politics are just plain wrong, but their local focus feels so right.

[Liz]

Will do, Brian. I apologize for my misunderstanding. I am not accustomed to reading the works of people for whom English is a second language.

Have I missed a subtle "gay" reference? What is "when you get things straighted out?"

[RedRachel]

John and Kirby are about as likely to be democrats as Al Franken is likely to be a human beign! Have any of you ever even listened to there shows??? Both of those men are just about as republican as they come. I just listened to John tonight and the things he said didn't leave any room to think that he might be switching parties anytime soon! Sorry guys I know that youd love to get some hot red blood injected in your party but I'd start looking somewhere else for it. THOSE 2 GUYS AREN'T GOING TO DO IT!!!

[Oly]

Erin was always far too full of herself, and she too often crossed the line separating "passionate" from "shrill", but she was no loser. There was no shame in supporting Bush during that brief moment after 9/11 when it seemed like he had his head in the right place. When it became apparent after a few weeks that he did not, she wised up. She put the good of the country (as she saw it) ahead of the good of the "movement" (whatever the hell that is) for those few weeks; that hardly qualifies her for your disrespect unless you are the very definition of the narrow hardcore ideologue. (In which case - with all due respect - you are an abject idiot.)

And Allan Prell is the most talented - by a very wide margin - of all of the KIRO casualties of the last several years.

[joanie]

Regarding the third party referenced in that post, it already exists in my mind. I think it is called the democratic party as I think they are now where the republicans used to be.

I guess it must be my perspective, but I think the republican party has moved very far to the right; Bill Clinton put the democrats where the republicans used to be; and we liberal or progressive democrats don't have a party anymore.

With Nafta, Clinton did what big business and money wanted. The republicans are the party of money and business. Traditionally, that's who they serve.

Now that all politicians seem to be answerable to big business, there is no party of labor and education anymore.

Ted Lowi of Cornell University wrote a book in which he called Clinton the last great republican president. That is why I really didn't like Clinton.

If, as the article suggests, most Americans are centrists, left or right +/-, then why don't they vote for the dems as they currently exist?

Finally, I said before that the republicans have a great narrative going and it started with the Reagan quote about the most dreaded words a citizen is likely to hear are these: "We're from the government and we're here to help." (Got this from Thom Hartmann's program; if you google the words, you can find links)

I don't think any of this nonsense could have gotten a foothold without a very charming and persuasive man to set it in motion. The man met the opportunity at the right time and we are now in big trouble. Reagan himself wasn't greedy; he thought he was right. But, he set the stage for all the greed and self-interest that followed. Oh boy!

[Gusto and Poor]

yeah, and Erin paid for it with an 0.0 rating right before she was canned.

[joanie]

One more thing, I think people cling to labels. Often they would rather die than switch because they become so propagandized into an image . . . or tradition. I don't know.

Remember the "girlie boys" label from the repub convention? They sure know how to build an image! And people sure are loyal to the point of selling themselves out for a cause that isn't theirs. I have so many friends who are repubs or dems simply because that's what their families were.

Doesn't this seem eerily like something I posted a while back? Oh well. Be kind . . . :)

[Oly]

AAAARRGGHH!!!! There is no such person as Red Rachel!!

There is, however, an individual, no doubt left of center, somewhere out there who has taken it upon himself - yes, HIMself - to create for our amusement a cartoon version of a far-rightwinger - complete with poor spelling, grade-school grammar, gallons of bile, and an inability to comprehend the meaning of any sentence more advanced than "I gotta pee". This fabrication is then regularly injected into our midst in order to reinvigorate these threads when they show signs of flagging.

If Mike Webb were not otherwise occupied - and certainly if he had not recently revised his enemies list to include the vaunted Mr Hood and most of us - I might be persuaded that he is the one behind this awkward (albeit cheeky) invention.

On second thought, this sort of thing requires a subtlety of wit quite beyond Webb.

[toryrogan]

I would totally buy that Mike Webb is Rachel- if I wasn't already positive that he's Scott Lundquist. :)

[scott lundquist]

Again, i'm honored tory, that you would think i'm mike. thank you! Mike Webb STILL kicks ass and you should all tune in from 9-11 mon-fri! show him some love, he deserves it!!

[RedRachel]

ARE WE GOING TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION EVERY NIGHT OLY?!? Get a life you jerk! Your saying the exactly same thing that you said last night accept now your using even more words that nobody but you understands. SPEAK ENGLISH you hot shot!

[chris]

Hot shot?

[coochie mama]

so who's the person with the crappy dog?

[Ron]

Gotta agree with your premise Oly, although I have no idea who Rachel really is.

She is such a ridiculous caricature of a God fearing, kool aid sipping right wing zealot that she can't possibly be real. (Either that or she's the poster child for the Associaition of Spelling Deficient Bigots , oh well so much for home schooling). I vote that she's Dori Monson.

[ron]

oops, "Association". How's that for the pot calling the kettle black.