The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

11 March 2009

Air America Radio Hires Montel Williams

IN JERRY'S FOOTSTEPS

TV Talker / Huckster Montel Williams Hired By Air America







Apparently hoping to
succeed where Jerry Springer failed, fellow TV trashmeister / celebrity huckster Montel Williams is giving liberal talk radio a try. And despite his lack of experience in the medium, Air America Radio has jumped at the chance to give him a show.

Called Montel Across America, the new program will debut in April. Williams (shown below with wife), however, has a questionable past. Read on to see why he's a curious choice for this role.

First, from the liberal radio network's press release:


Meet Air America's newest addition, Emmy award-winning host Montel Williams! His new Air America program is called “Montel Across America,” and it debuts April 6 airing weekdays from 9am-12pm EST on radio stations across the country. It will also be streamed live online at www.airamerica.com.

“Montel is a multi-media star and a familiar name to millions of people across the country,” said Bennett Zier, chief executive officer of Air America Media. “The addition of Montel to our talent line-up is an important step for the continued growth of Air America, as we look to distribute Montel’s show across America.”

“We’re extremely pleased to be able to add such a talented, passionate voice to our programming line-up,” added Bill Hess, senior vice president of programming for Air America Media. “This program will give Montel an outlet to do what he does best--reach people with his probing questions and insatiable quest for knowledge.”

“After being on television for more than 17 years, I’m looking forward to engaging in lively conversations and interacting with the American public,” said Williams. “Air America is providing me with the perfect environment to do this every day from New York City, as well as reporting from cities around the world as a travelling correspondent.”

Williams was the Emmy award-winning host and executive producer of “The Montel Williams Show” for 17 years, one of the longest running daytime talk shows in the history of television. In addition to his talk show and several acting appearance on hit television programs, Williams is an accomplished author, having published eight books with four New York Times best-sellers.


How did Montel gain street cred with the lefty set? It appears to have originated with a widely-disseminated conspiracy theory that his sleazy TV trashfest was cancelled as a result of a political rant delivered during a Fox and Friends appearance just over a year ago. From the DailyKos smear site, January 2008:


For just over three minutes on Saturday morning, TV talk show host Montel Williams owned the hosts of Fox and Friends. A former Marine and Naval officer, Montel lectured the stunned hosts on the stupidity of spending air time on the death of Heath Ledger, rather than covering the war in Iraq. It was a spectacle rarely seen on live cable television, as Montel exposed and condemned both tabloid "news" shows and much of American culture for what they have each become: shallow and greedy.

Three minutes into this awkward segment on Fox, one host cut off Montel in order to go to a commercial. Montel did not return after the break. Four days later, after 17 years as a television host, Montel lost his job.



Though there are many references to this on the left side of the Internet, no direct link between Montel's appearance and his TV show's cancellation was ever established. It was simply accepted as fact without backing documentation.



At the same time, other past controversies make Montel a strange choice for Air America or any other radio network. In a frightening 2007 incident, for example, Williams seemed to threaten a female high school student, according to the AP:


SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) _ Talk show host Montel Williams has apologized for an angry confrontation with reporters who claimed he threatened them.

Williams was in Savannah to promote a program giving free prescriptions to low-income people.

He apparently became upset with a reporter's question Friday and terminated an interview.

When the Savannah Morning News reporters later returned to the hotel for an unrelated assignment, he approached one of them -- high school student Courtney Scott, an intern at the newspaper.

Joseph Cosey, a web content producer for the paper, says Williams approached Scott and said ``'Don't look at me like that. Do you know who I am? I'm a big star, and I can look you up, find where you live and blow you up,'''

Scott says she wasn't sure how to interpret Williams' comment, saying ``I'm not sure if he meant 'blow me up' and ruin my career or really blow us up, but it was threatening.''

Williams, a patient advocate since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, later issued a statement apologizing for the outburst.



And more recently, Williams has come under fire for touting phony "Obama Presidential Commemorative Coins" that consisted of flimsy stickers affixed to quarters:


This particular Obama coin set sells for $19.95 plus shipping and handling. What is most upsetting, is that these coins are nothing more than regular American coins with Obama stickers applied to them. In true fact, consumers who fall for this deal will receive $2 worth of legal tender coins with stickers applied to them. Nowhere in the offer is that fact revealed.



In terms of Montel's dodgy past, we haven't even scratched the surface: there are probably many lowlights that could be dug up from his 17 years as a trash TV host (those DNA paternity test episodes as an example). If the left really views Montel Williams as their next big voice, they can have him.


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6 Comments:

  • Air America is not the future of "liberal talk" Brian, get over it. Ed Schultz is pulling great numbers, Stephanie Miller is pulling decent numbers, Tom Hartman defeats Limbaugh in 3 markets,and all of these hosts are working for Jones radio, I believe, none of them for Air America.

    Air America does not represent the "next big thing" for liberal talk radio at all anymore. Their shows are not being picked up by too many affiliates anymore... period. All they have going for them is Ron Reagan at this point.


    who cares Brian? Patriots don't careabout talk radio, terrorists on the radical right listen to talk radio

    shoot up any Church's lately wing nuts?

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12 March, 2009 10:08  

  • Another example of how intelectual dishonest Limbaugh is. He was been shrieking about "porkulus" spending for 3 weeks now, yet in REALITY, REPUBLICAN STATES are grabbing much more "pork" than Democrats

    Top 10 Pork States: 7 RED States & 3 BLUE States
    Top 20 Pork States: 14 RED States & 6 BLUE States

    Amazing

    So let me get this straight, Obama is to blame for conservatives sucking up all this pork, why is Limbaugh attacking the spending bill, when REPUBLICANS LOADED IT UP WITH PORK????

    ASTONISHING

    See losers, this is why RATIONAL, SANE, informed Americans, hate Limbaugh

    another Limbaugh distortion, exposed

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 12 March, 2009 10:54  

  • MOP you have the monopoly on being a loser. Want examples. You have a college degree doing work better performed by high school students or high school drop outs. You are scared to try anything else because you may lose your place on the government tit. That’s right Government tit you might as well be on welfare. Grow some balls and get a real job loser.

    But your right air head America is not the next big thing. That would be Government radio comrade.

    By Blogger pf1, at 13 March, 2009 01:07  

  • I don't work for the government Pf1, however I'm in a union, I know it eats you alive...LET ME REPEAT

    I'M IN A UNION
    MY JOB= STABLE

    I guess I should work in corporate America,or privately where 600,000 jobs are being lost a month

    I'M IN A UNION
    PROUD OF IT

    most Americans would kill to be in a union
    does it eat you alive? Pounding your head in anger?
    UNION
    I'M IN ONE
    MY JOB=STABLE

    Did Rush tell you it is Un-American to have a stable Union job? Did Rushie tell you to hate those with stable jobs with Union support?

    Understand: I will NEVER work for corporate America, PF1


    You can crawl to your boss, beg him when the next round of firings come, not to fire you.. Do what you have to do. There are 2 ways to go in life: own your own enterprise or get a union job.

    that is all. In this recession, I appreciate the union a little more every day


    Are you insanely jealous? I do not EVER take my work home with me, and I have no worries about getting axed

    2 choices that will lead to a continued decent standard of living
    A. Be your own boss, have your own company
    B. Work a union Job

    non union= suicide in a depression


    Maybe you should have take a union job, when you had the shot, Rushie told you not to do it.....Rushie won;t be there when you get the pink slip

    You cons, are misrable, sick individuals

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 13 March, 2009 11:51  

  • MOP you are owned by the government. Where does the money you get paid come from? The answer is big government remember stimulus bill were you get your bread and butter. If it was not for the government you would not get paid.

    The difference between your job and mine is my job produces money for my employer. If your job produces money/profits you don’t need a union.

    A union job doesn’t mean that there are not any lay-offs. Unionized companies have lay-offs all the time in the real world. Why would you think a union job would be safer from lay-offs in a bad economy? Unions make it more likely you will get laid off because a company has a better chance of failing.

    The other problem with unions is they fight for bad employees. Protecting bad employees is the down side of unions. This is what causes the detestation of unions. If unions wanted to help their members they would want the bad employees fired. This would make the company stronger and make unions sought after by employers. The way it is now why would employers want unions in their company? See if you can think about this before blaming the people who provide the jobs.

    You said one time that I should talk with the union about problems we were having. Well I tried that and heard in response about union rights and working across craft and how they didn’t see a problem and a bunch of other crap. If I had a union that cared about the company making a profit it would be around next year but instead this is what I’m doing to fix the problem. First all unionized shops are to closed. Second new shops are opening. These shops will be run by company management with temp companies providing the employees. Third if we have someone who is not doing their job the temp service is told and they can fire the employee. This is what’s happening to unions in America. Blame business all you want but until unions look in side to fix the problem they will continue to shrink.

    By Blogger pf1, at 14 March, 2009 01:59  

  • "...shoot up any Church's lately wing nuts?"

    BURN DOWN any churches lately, libtard?

    BLOW UP any federal buildings lately, libtards?

    Good thing Palin wasn't IN the church the night some leftwing wouldbe murderer set fire to it.

    But others were. That means some lefty tried to MURDER members of Palin's congregation.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 16 November, 2009 21:26  

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