It's blatherwatch’s 5th blogiversary!

Five years. That’s how long we’ve been blathering about talk radio from a listener’s point of view, larding it bravely with the brilliant political commentary that’s made us a Web sensation and a beam of bright light for all media.

We don't usually mention such milestones, but we’re proud of five years in a row - hell, we’ve had marriages that didn’t last that long!

 So congratulations to us… we’ve been accused of all manner of motivations for doing this so doggedly- from the big bucks we make, to being a wannabe radio talk host down on his luck.

We put up the first Blatherwatch on Feb 20, 2005 in the dismal days as George W. Bush was bragging about his political capital, and how he was going to spend it. He’d just re-won the presidency and both houses of congress and it seemed the right and the R’s were unstoppable. Talk hosts seemed invincible. They were all cocky with their big win, and in full gloatation.  (They’d long before put their “testicles in a lock box” - as Joe Scarborough said of Rush - and backed Bush no matter what he did or failed to do).

But the election fired up lots of people, the lefty blogosphere invented itself and a new media via the internet emerged with the left at the forefront.

And boyo has our beat changed since 2005!

The recession with its drastic loss of ad revenues, has dropped the radio business (as well as print and broadcast media) in the shitter. Adding to radio's troubles is the fruits of it's own general neglect, risk-averse stasis, and soulless consolidation.

Because of new accurate electronic metering, (PPMs) news talk radio has been found to have a much smaller audience in Seattle than previously thought. Of the news talkers, KOMO (which is 95% news) and public radio’s KUOW lead, as the rest - KIRO, KVI, KTTH - languish in the basement.

Back then, the talkscape was really different. There was Al Franken, Alan Prell, Mike Webb, Lou Pate, Gary Ryan, Bryan Styble, Ron Reagan, Dan Sytman, Mike Siegel, and Peter Weissbach and Erin Hart. Talk-talk lasted all night long, and though the weekend.

There were enough flamboyant, egocentric, self-referential, blowhardian quirkalones for a dozen blogs like BlatherWatch, and that wasn’t counting FM!

That changed and changed fast.

Radio hasn't yet figured out its place in the brave new world of Internet media. A young demographic has no connection to radio at all. What will the next five years bring?  Will the medium even be recognizable to those of us whose earballs were once plastered to transistor radios and ghetto-blasters?

For radio's sake, we hope not.

Comments

[Puget Sound]

Happy 5th. According to the gift schedule, the proper gift would be wood.

So here is wishing much wood to you in 2010.

[Rich]

Congrats as well, a lot has happend in five yrs. For radio is not particaly good. For you Michael I hope it has been a labor of love. I do enjoy your blog.

[chucks]

I miss the foodie stuff.
Does it bother you much that you and joanie think so much alike?
Congrats on 5 years of blow V8ing about the passing medium of what was once great, radio. Talk radio.
I already miss it.

[sparky]

Congrats, Michael. It has been an interesting 5 years hasn't it.
I wonder if Sharkansky will send you a card??!

[Mike Barer]

Congrats on your 5th. Your blog has been a great reference for me. I think that one of the more significant part of blather watches history was going after Mike Webb. That was a gutsy move. The fact that Mike was a Liberal and this is a Liberal blog added credibility to your attacks, which I believe where very fair.

[Fremont]

Terrific, Bla'M! Your fabulous writing has made this one of the most readable and enjoyable blogs ever! You could (and probably will) write about the sex lives of transistor radios and it would be intriguing and entertaining! You're the best! Thanks!

Btw, wood is an appropriate anniversary gift, as blogs are replacing the "dead wood" medium of newspapers...

[joanie]

Yup! I'm in agreement with the previous cheers. Congratulations on a lot of great writing!

I wish more posters talked radio more often. There's still lots of it you know. Fifty states' worth of talkers out there.

In the spirit of the lunar new years celebrated last week, I wish you and Steph a long life, success and prosperity - for which you will hear the clinking of gold coins in your tip jar!

Next to Rachel, you're the best!

[Art Speigelcatalog]

Blatherwatch is to radio what fleas are to dogs. I can't imagine one without the other.

[Mark C.]

Funny how radio guys like Webb and Dori used to ridicule blogs, especially this one. Now Dori refers to "muh blog," every day and is using it to help drive KIRO out of the deep mudhole it is in.
Thanks for being the first to give listener's a chance to vent, and to call out some of these blowhards for the fools they are. there is still a place for Blatherwatch, KIRO censors the comments on their site when the going gets rough.

[studentofjoanies]

i am so glad my teacher johnnie has thiat blog to take he anger out on
we are getting tired of
he complaints!

[I hope he dies]

Blatherwatch is the socket wrench of freedom. You're a Tea-bagger of the left, Michael.

[Obama is a black man]

It's hard to imagine that this blog will have anything to write about regarding local talk radio in 2015.

Simply notice the trend of this blog's postings. More than half of the postings appear to discuss national oriented talk show programs/issues.

Soon we will see Hood's trademark Blatherwatch RIP 2005-2011.

[Julia]

Thanks, Mike. Wish there was more to write about talk radio around here. I yearn for Erin Hart, or Bill Gallant. We keep coming back. can't imagine the blog-o-scape without you.

[joanie]

I miss Erin, too. Yes, just got home. But I don't miss Bill Gallant. He was unlistenable. Sorry. Also, there was a woman on KPTK tonight named Leslie (don't remember the last name) and I liked her. She took off the gloves. Hope she's permanently replaced Nicole Sandler.

I still love Dave - most of the time.

[mark]

congrats, BM, hope to see another 5 from you.

[sparky]

Scott Brown....the Proof That The Republicans Still Rule...is in deep shit with his party. Already. Seems they are not happy about his vote with the Dems on the jobs bill..

"Over at fair n' balanced FoxNews.com, which for some reason seems to have far more Republican commenters than Democrats, the people were not happy.

What can Brown, the backstabbing RINO, do for you? Wolf in sheep skin got in. How do we prevent these Rinos from backstabbing us in Nov. 2010.

So much for that 41st VOTE... what a loser... I knew he was a traitor....

Or at FreeRepublic:

TRAITOR

HE IS A BIGIME RINO
WOULD THE LIBRERAL PEOPLE OF MASSACHUSETTS ELECT ANYTHING ELSE?
I UNDERSTAND HE IS ALSO BIG ON ABORTION.

Drudge even went so far as to Photoshop Brown to make him look like Satan, and implied that this one vote meant that he "joined the Dem Majority:"

I guess they didn't believe him when during the election he said he was Independent.

[joanie]

Didn't they say anything about Snow and Collins? They voted with him and the dems on the jobs bill as well. And two others - can't remember who. Five altogether. He was just the first.

Are we seeing the first of the fall of Rush? :)

[Jaynie Dillon Jones]

Blatherwatch has provided endless enjoyment; hard to believe it has been a part of my life for five years already. Long may ye reign!

[KS]

I miss neither Erin Hart or Bill Gallant.

[Coiler]

It went downhill with the large mergers of local stations and their corporate decision of either con talk(happy meal) or sports (McNuggets). Clear Channel sort of figured that out when they took a chance with KPOJ in Portland and a few other places later on and did progressive talk.

CBS in Seattle does a lousy job with KPTK, a local,snarky face in the morning doing news but with traffic reports that have a prerecorded time stamp that is sometimes an hour late, Cougar Sports programming that no other station wants that interrupts shows and a stupid ad promotion about listening to the internet on Mt Rainier in an area full of tech savvy folks.