BlatherWatch

Karl rove starts early on 2012 campaign ads

We heard it on KIROFM. The 60 second spot starts with audio of President Reagan's "government is the problem" speech. Then that guy who sounds like a concerned, yet commonsensical grandpa comes on, sounding the alarm about Obama and Nancy Pelosi's dangerous spending. 

His handwringing ends with instruction for listeners to call Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler (WA-3) and thank her for voting for the crazypants House budget expected to be DOA when it hits the Senate doorstep. 

KIROFM: frank shiers stays, the guy who fired him moves on

First we gotta say, Frank wasn't fired from KIRO... he was only replaced in the evening slot by John Curley (m-f, 7-10p).

Frank says, "I will return to a very familiar role at KIRO. They assure me that I will be filling in on a variety of shows. I'll also work in production, writing, voicing and producing commercials." 

Ironies of ironies, the guy who's responsible for all the changes at the KIRO's Program Director Ryan Hatch is leaving Eastlake.

Hatch writes: "In one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever had to make, my family and I are heading back home to Phoenix. I absolutely love the people and products at Bonneville Seattle, and I’m proud of what the team has accomplished."

He says he'll be Bonneville's VP of News and Sports in Phoenix, and may be here for the next few months during transition of the new PD ...as yet unnamed.

Hatch has been in Seattle only for a year, but o, what a year! Taking over from Rod Arquette last February, (Arquette is now a drivetime talk host in Salt Lake City's KNRS) Hatch has overseen a rehaul of th KIRO's and KTTH. 

Hatch fired Gregg Hershold, and Jane Shannon and hired Bill Radke and Linda Thomas  for the morning news. He hooked-up (so to speak) sparkling punketeur Luke Burbank to the iconic, ironic Dave Ross on mid-mornings. He dumped restaurateur Tom Douglas from his Saturday gig, and fired neither Dori Monson in the afternoons, nor Ron & Don in the PM drive. He did lure local teevee has-was John Curley to replace Frank Shiers in the weekevenings. He got George Noory's Coast to Coast for the wee hours.

We won't recite all Hatch did with sporty KIROAM because we don't care, but for KTTH, he killed 2 of 3 hours of Dave Boze's live and local PM drivetime show, snagged re-runs of Sean Hannity, Lars Larson and Laura Ingraham.

It was a mighty busy year; Ryan Hatch might not have made a lot of friends in Seattle, but he sure made a difference... and left a bloody trail.

Looking for a job?

 

Sarah palin sweats out medium moratorium

WaPo's Dana Milbank last month suggested a media moratorium on Sarah Palin for February. Rehab might have been a better idea for Palin than cold turkey.

Sarah Palin Media Addict from Gina Gershon

Old Seattle Radio Saturday: jockey john stone

As program director, Jockey John Stone hired both Pat O’Day (from KAYO) and Dick Curtis.

Ron reagan refuses to be bullied by talk jock

We were proud of our homie, Ron Reagan for giving it as good as he got when he was attacked on the radio last month on a Tampa morning show.

On tour with his controversial new book, "My Father at 100." erstwhile KIRO talk host Reagan was jumped right out of the box by co-host Tedd Webb on WFLA-AM's top-rated AM Tampa Bay.

 Blasting Reagan for what he and other right-wing worshipers of the Gipper Cult take as blaspheming The Almighty, Webb took particular offense at Reagan's assertion that his father had early signs of Alzheimer’s before he left office.

The book thoughtfully and carefully explains how that despite having the fatal disease, the elder Reagan, according to his son, didn't get the dementia symptoms until years after he left the White House.

Webb, naturally, hadn't read the book.

He seemed proud of that, (so many wingers are so studiedn and self-righteous about their ignorance) even offering to buy it to use as toilet paper. Reagan told him, "Had you read the book, I think you would have gotten a different impression."

Facts be damned to such as Webb (or Ron's half-witted, half-brother Michael Reagan) or a legion of wingers who saw blood on the moon when the book was published. 

With that famous Southern hospitality, Webb called Reagan “an asshole” and threatened to kick his ass.

Reagan laughed in Webb's face, and invited him to New York so Webb could fulfill his ass-kicking threat. Webb demurred, saying he could never get his ass kicked by a "ballerina," referring, of course to Reagan's one-time career dancing with the Joffrey Ballet.

Such was the "discussion." The other co-host refereed while Webb and Reagan went at it. Reagan refused to be bullied and deflected Webb's ignorant spewage with ease.

We've got to agree with those who say this was some great radio.

Listen to the whole thing here.

Glenn beck's storm has finally come ashore...

KIROFM rules in January... fluffy puppies carry the day

Month by month the Seattle market continues to ping and pong.

We last reported KOMO was up at no. 2. In January, it's flipped again. KIRO is no. 2 and KOMO is way down at no. 10.

"It's hard out there for a wacky right-winger these days..."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Former seattle journalist kicks it for al jazeera

Speaking of brave female reporters working in sexually repressed Muslim countries where a woman can get more than groped in the line of duty, Dorothy Parvaz is now in Iran working for Al Jazeera. This after covering the revolution in Egypt.

You remember her... she writes as D.Parvaz, was a reporter, columnist, and on the editorial board of the late Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and also appeared on a panel with other local reporters discussing the news Fridays on Weekday with Steve Scher. Dorothy's a first generation Iranian, and presumably speaks Farsi, which must have helped get her this dubious assignment in Iran where she's reporting that anti-government protests are heating up again.

The right throws everything at obama... his approval numbers stay the same

Eric Boehlert at Media Matters makes a great point after Michael Medved's WSJ op-ed last week: the right's far-fetched, conspiritorial lies about Obama are not only dangerous for Republicans, they haven't worked!

Just look at Obama's job approval rating. It has remained essentially unchanged for the last 18 months. Think about that. Palin and Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have thrown the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink and the basement sink at Obama with their he's-trying-to-destroy-America shtick for going on two years now. And the collective public response? A shrug of the shoulders.

Bet Rush's new obsession: that Michelle Obama is fat and eats junk food despite her campaign against obesity won't be doing Republicans any good with independent voters, either.

If they didn't tune out Rush Limbaugh years ago.