Blathering 2009, Part 2- in other news...

(photo: fan greets Glenn Beck in Mount Vernon)

DR. LAURA CHEATS AT THE YACHT RACES: America’s nutcracking yenta and moral compass was found to be off-course when officials caught her cheating in the arcane, fat cat world of yacht racing. See Dr. Laura naked here.

PETER WEISSBACH GIVES A SELF-INFLICTED BLOW (to somebody…): The sarcastic, sociopathic talk host negotiated a deal (no one will tell us how it works, but he pays something) for a weekdaily, drivetime hour on KVI radio (m-f, 5-6p). It’s a great leap forward for him, we suppose, plus he’s the last live local on the one time market talk leader and seminal right-wing talk station in America. But listeners, if he has any, are required to suffer through decades-old topics and boilerplated 1998 preachments that harken unto an era when he and/or KVI mattered.
 
PETER WEISSBACH RECEIVES A SELF-INFLICTED BLOW: Unfortunately for the wealthy crusader against immigration reform, The Seattle Times reported in November that Weissbach’s (rhymes with “lies, sacks”) large downtown janitorial service has long hired undocumented immigrants, and plenty of ‘em.  ICE caught him and his wife with some 100 workers inconveniently green cards-free. The mom and pop corporation was exploiting illegals by paying them substandard wages using the leverage of their illegal status. Enlightened self-interest if we ever heard it … and the man is still on the radio for Fisher Communications! Broadcasting!

DORI MONSON’S LIFETIME GOALS: We found a long-lost document… it wasn’t pretty.

DORI’S NAME IS A GIRL’S NAME BUT IT ISN’T MYRON: Nor is it Edith. We fucked up the facts, but the correcting was very fun.

  FRANK SHIERS IS ONE LUCKY FELLA: He's not unlike other hire backs in radio this year. Already in the house and...cheap! While veterans around him were getting fired and humiliated, rookie Frank Shiers was re-installed on KIRO evenings in July (m-f 7-11p) replacing Luke Burbank’s TBTL. Frank's got “pleasing vocal cadence and unmatched enunciation," but the content is agreeable pap, w/disagreeable politics delivered with all the false bravado and laughter you'd ever want. It was great victory for Frank who had been rif-ed from KIRO in January 2008, and in July when KBSG flipped. Frank, if nothing, is persistent.

MIKE SIEGEL: FROM MORNING DRIVETIME OBLIVION TO EVENING DRIVETIME OBLIVION: Siegel, 64, is a dapper dude with a head of hair that’s paid-for and thriving. He once ruled Seattle talk (KING, KTTH, and KVI twice) but that was then. He's had many lives- in his 2009 incarnation, he does business talk (m-f, 3-6p) on KKOL, Salem’s “home of Lou Dobbs,” but it's so low powered and rated, that when Godfather of Talk switched from morning to evening drive ... no one noticed. 

BLATHERWATCH WENT A-TEABAGGING IN BELLEVUE: It was nearly interesting.

THE WE’RE NOT AMUSED AWARD: KIRO NEWS ANCHOR QUIZZES GOVERNOR GREGOIRE ABOUT BOTOX: Jason Brooks, the former business editor at KIRO (now moved along), jollied up the gov with an impertinent question. She stepped on him like a roach…she IS the queen, you know.

TELEPROMPTERS SPELL DOOM FOR THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY At least according to Dori Monson, Dave Boze, Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, and Rush Limbaugh…. and BlatherWatch.

MIKE WEBB CAN FINALLY REST IN PEACE In a sentencing July 12, Scott White who murdered the former KIRO talk host took a plea and was sentenced to 20 years. But not before the court heard from family and friends.

BERNIE WARD GOES TO PRISON: San Francisco progressive, KGO talker and Catholic priest was sentenced to to seven years and three months for sending between 15 and 150 pornographic images by email. He was frog-marched off to a prison in Beaumont (Texas) Federal Correctional Complex and is taking classes in diesel engine and appliance repair. He’s petitioning to be transferred to a California prison closer to his family. With good behavior he could be eligible for supervised release on October 30, 2014.

QUOTES-TESS WITH THE MOSTESS: Rachel Maddow: "After a long battle with obviousness, subtly has died."

NO SHIT, SHERLOCK DEP’T: Whodathunkit??? Radio that's not pissed off; doesn’t talk down to its listeners; is free of ads that crowds out the content, insults your sensibilities and intelligence... is kicking ass?? The Washington Post reported in March that NPR listenership has expanded... dramatically … 47 percent since 2000, according to Arbitron.

BILLY BOB: ASININE ABSURDITIES, AUDIO TRAIN-WRECKS, ASTUTE RETORTS: BB (whose name is neither Billy nor Bob) but worked long in the Seattle radio market wearing a suit, helped us out in 2009.

2009: THE YEAR OF GLENN BECK
Glenn Beck unbelievably owned 2009 talk media.  When he inflicted himself on his hometown of Mt. Vernon, BlatherWatch was there. Beck’s fans come in 3 flavors: a) pissed off paranoids looking for validation of their conspiracy theories, and to perchance hear a new one b) partisan conservatives and Obama-haters listening for what they want to hearc) those who tune him in like they would a NASCAR race - hoping for a gory, yet amusing, wreck. (ignorant racists are a subsets of a & b, we fall under category c). Read the file: Glennn Beck: 'vomit-foam diamond' ;  Are glenn beck's values mormon values? ; Glennn Beck predicts the end of the world... then revolution! ; Glenn beck at the safe.

Comments

[sparky]

Where is BillyBob, anyway?? Hopefully he will make a reappearance soon.

Happy New Year, Bla'M. Thanks for giving us this forum. You rock.

[Rasco]

John Curly and Mike West are kicking ass on KIRO filling in on afternoon drive. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE could they replace Ron & Don FOR GOOD???
thanks Michael for the great sum-up

[Tommy008]

if i had read this five years ago, as some sort of prediction of what would happen in 2009, it would look like some sort of sick, tasteless joke, which defied credibility. Bernie Ward frogmarched to a Butthole, Texas ( the kind of American town Bernie had absolute contempt for) Federal Prison to do serious time, Mike Webb axe-murdered and his dopefiend killer sentenced, Frank Shiers the hottest thing going on a drastically signal power reduced KIRO, with it's rightful old AM dial spot usurped 24/7 by boorish, boring sportstalk boobs.........

[joanie]

Biggest loss of the year for me: my beloved KIRO and Dave Ross. Yes, I still get podcasts. But I miss hearing him on the radio in the morning Also, Tom and Thierry.

Then, Randi Rhodes. Man, last week we were treated to six hours of norMAN goldMAN. That was at least three hours too much!

Best new habits of the year: listening to Sirota in the early morning and KUOW. I've rediscovered, Alternative Radio (which rocked last night!), Speakers Forum, Wiretap, Tavis Smiley and Diane Rehm. I wish she came on earlier.

Thanks or the hard work and superlative writing, Michael. Happy New Year!

[joanie]

Oh, And Rachel Maddow. I miss her on radio, too. Or was that 2008? :)

[sparky]

Im sorry you dont have cable, joanie. Rachel has been particularly excellent this week.
She had a guy on who exposed another version of "Pentagon Papers" that proves that the Pentagon is WAY off on its calculations of when Afghanistan will be capable of taking over its own fighting..by years.

Then she played video of Bush and Cheney's responses to the Shoe Bomber--a week after it happened. Then she ended with this: "Again, my friends and colleagues in the media have two choices in covering this. You can just copy down what the Republicans and Vice President Cheney are saying, and click "send," call it journalism, or you can actually fact-check those comments and put them into context. Your choice. It’s your country."

I'm pretty sure they won't take her up on that.

[joanie]

One more: unsung hero of 2008: Ed Schultz. Nobody came out against the elitists in Congress like he did for health care reform. He has done more to galvanize the populace on behalf of health care reform than any other person.

[KS]

"He has done more to galvanize the populace on behalf of health care reform than any other person."

That would explain why the public is opposed 61% - 36% to Health Insurance reform ? Oh yeah, his viewship is about 1/10 that of that crazy dude, Glenn Beck - that must be it. Evidently, more people like a crazy, libertarian over a progressive nutter who is truth-challenged.

[Puget Sound]

KS
more bad news for Dims in 2010 with today's Rasmussen Poll:

"The latest Rasmussen poll indicates that a majority of Americans support hard-line attitudes towards the would-be terrorist who attempted to blow up an airliner on Christmas day.

Of those polled, 71% would like to see the crime investigated by military rather than civilian authorities, and 58% believe that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab should be subjected to "aggressive" interrogation techniques in order to gain information. Men, younger voters, and Republicans were most strongly in support of the use of harsh methods.

In addition, 79% expect another terrorist attack in the United States during the next year -- a huge jump from the 49% who held that opinion last August -- and 30% believe the terrorists are winning."

[Puget Sound]

One more: unsung hero of 2008: Ed Schultz. Nobody came out against the elitists in Congress like he did for health care reform. He has done more to galvanize the populace on behalf of health care reform than any other person.

Posted by: joanie | December 31, 2009 at 12:28 PM

Yeah, and with a veto proof majority what happened? Big Pharma and Big Insurance came in and bought up all the influence they needed with the White House and your Dims Leadership.

So what did Ed Schultz really accomplish with overwhelming Dim Majorities and the so called public that he galvanized?
Not much. When the Repub's get back Congress in 2010 this failure will haunt the Progressive Dims for a generation.

[Puget Sound]

A sober assessment of 2010.
victor davis hanses lays it out.

But in our foreign relations, in the war against terror, in our massive borrowing, and in our energy policies, we created chickens that soon will come home to roost in 2010.

[Ron]

Victor Davis Hanson, a strong supporter of the policies of US President George W. Bush.

Matt Drudge's sidekick Andrew Breitbart (sponsor of the ACORN video sting) almost scored another "journalistic" coup, "discovering" that ACORN CEO Bertha Lewis had visited the White House days before Breitbart released his anti-ACORN videos.
But uh oh,guess what? Breitbart's outfit got the wrong Bertha Lewis. Same first name, same last name, but completely different person. The fact that they have different middle initials should have been a clue.
(Wait you mean Breitbart's site reported something that wasnt true? Who'd have guessed that that would ever happen?)

[Coiler]

Yes, plus Breitbart advocates the murder of climate change scientists. The old if you can't beat em, kill em strategy of the right.

Not cool.

[KS]

Victor Davis Hanson is wise and often gets it right. I'd be a bit wary of big expectations for the upcoming year though. There are a lot of idiots out there who wouldn't know a disaster unless it hit them in the face. It will take a while to root out a significant portion of the corruption back in DC - decentralizing the government seems like the best solution, which means shrinking Federal Guvmint.

Nice sarcasm, Ron. Mistakes are made by all - we are human. Still, I'll stake the credibility of Breitbart over any progressive website anytime.

As for the Health Insurance Reform;

If this health care 'reform' bill is so good,,,,why did they have to BRIBE so many of THEIR OWN PARTY to get it passed. This bill is nothing more than a hacked together compilation of special interest groups and bureaucrats wet dreams.

[KS]

Yes, plus Breitbart advocates the murder of climate change scientists. The old if you can't beat em, kill em strategy of the right.

ROFL - you of the left wished Rush Limbaugh dead.
Capital punishment is murder by the state. Breitbart was being ironic. As if any state would execute James Hansen, although many would like to take shots at him after his lies in the face of Climategate. Mr. Hansen is a shameless fraud.

[Coiler]

Breitbart was being ironic....

Like the bomber over Detroit last week, eh?

[KS]

That makes no sense. Better put down the bong...

[Coiler]

I give odds Breitbart is smoking more crack these days. He got his ass kicked on Bill Maher a few months back

[KS]

I'll give odds that you are smoking more crack yourself. I'd be surprised if Andrew B. was actually there to defend himself when Maher was berating him.

[KS]

Here is the website;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FO9Eg0Gfr0

It was Micheal Eric Dyson, an Afro-American Sociology Prof and Bill Maher vs. Andrew Breitbart.

Dyson showed himself to be a race baiter and a leftist, but tried to make a few points about Limbaugh's alleged racism, none of which were conclusively proven, but the "Barack the Magic Negro" could be construed to have racial overtones, but not racist. I could tell that the crowd was predominantly liberal-progressive by their reaction.

The race card is typically played when the person playing it runs out of arguments and sometimes has a racist ax to grind themselves. So, Maher brought this guy on to do the heavy lifting because he is a progressive and Breitbart is a conservative. Breitbart debunked several of the lies that the left makes and their hypocrisy, but I'd like to see Breitbart and Maher go one on one - That would be a more interesting debate, but think that Maher would be afraid for the success of the show to do that, for a good reason - he would get his ass handed to him.

When Maher used to host Politically Incorrect, he would deliberately stack the debate by bringing one-two conservatives and have 3-4 liberals who would have the advantage, in addition to Maher. Entertaining, but alot of unmitigated bullshit passed during the airing, plus the liberally-biased crowd. Entertaining sometimes, but it ran its course.

[Miami Air Conditioning]

Best new habits of the year: listening to Sirota in the early morning and KUOW. I've rediscovered, Alternative Radio

[craftmatic]

Seems like they want to blame everyone but themselves. They blame the "industry" for this, that and the other thing, but the industry didn't fail, Air America did.