Reader Feedback On Boston, Seattle, Paul Harvey, Randi Rhodes

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Lots of interesting letters! Here are a few recently sent to the Radio Equalizer:

Hi Brian,

I always enjoy reading your blog and the work you have done exposing Air America. I'm glad someone is taking them on since the "powers that be" just let them get away with all of the lies.

I came across your article on the Boston Herald bashing (former Channel 7 weatherman) Todd Gross and it prompted me to write my own piece about it.

Thanks again for all the good work.

- Al

Thanks, Al, it didn't appear fair to knock Todd's efforts to build a weather blog. It seems like a good idea to the Radio Equalizer.

Brian...

Long time fan of the blog....a great source of news for the radio business.

On 1/1/06, the audio to Fox News was dropped by Sirius Satellite Radio. Fox continues on XM, Sirius' competitor. The contract ran out and Sirius chose not to meet the asking price of Fox.

This, as you would imagine, has outraged conservatives who have invested in satellite equipment. Many are pulling up stakes and leaving Sirius. With Stern coming to Sirius and exercising all those options, it seems like money that could have been spent on Fox is going to Stern.

I thought it might make an interesting story to cover on the Radio Equalizer. Best regards and thanks for what you do.

Tom McFadden
McMinnville, Oregon

Tom, I'm not sure what's going there, certainly seems it would be in the best interests of both parties to work out a deal soon.

Brian,

Randi Rhodes is offering unpaid internships, ironic after she pummeled the President for the Davis-Bacon stuff. Here’s a message board post :


INTERN OPENING
"THE RANDI RHODES SHOW"

Air America Radio Network

The Randi Rhodes Show is looking for (2-4) bright, talented, and dedicated students to assist our show in daily broadcast operations. We are a nationally syndicated show that airs Monday - Friday 3-7pm est. This is your chance to dive into the broadcast media world and get a full understanding of what it means to work on a daily radio production. Duties would include host preparation, production work, research, news gathering, and other office work.

You will eventually define your own role with the show, and there are always many opportunities at Air America to continue on in some capacity after your internship is complete.

Requirements:

- must be able to work from around 12:30pm - 7pm each day (we're looking for daily interns, so as many days as you can work, the better)

- must be able to receive college credit as compensation

please send resume and cover letter to Tim at teinenkel@airamericaradio.com as soon as possible, and we'll be conducting interviews in ASAP. You can also call at 646-274-4898 if you have any questions. Thanks!!


This occurred on her Dec. 7 show, and repeated during her vacation. It's a long rant about the US being responsible for Saddam’s crimes because of aid in the eighties and how we don’t want him tried for gassing the Kurds because it would reveal our mistakes, which is true to an extent. However:


“[Saddam] thinks that retaliating against people who tried to assassinate him is legitimate business and [the trial of him] is stupid. And I hate to say it, but Saddam may not be wrong. (Pause) He may not be wrong”


You can hear it here (at 2:02:05).

Randi seems only interested in discussing American misdeeds, with no consideration given to our situation with Iran, to the point of pining for a trial of the US, instead of Saddam. Yet an assassination attempt gives Saddam, a totalitarian dictator who murdered his way into office, carte blanche to retaliate.

And while Randi could mean it's “stupid” to hold a trial in Iraq while military actions are still going on, it's clear when listening what she's really saying.

Here’s the transcript, ending with sarcasm equating America and Hussein, including a weird line implying the US shoots soccer players. I’m really not sure she knows what she’s saying all the time:


(Starting at 02:00:53) “That’s why Ramsey Clark is there. Ramsey Clark is there so that our history is not perverted. But what they would like to do is, they would like to try, see, one murder is enough to get the death penalty. It’s enough to get the death penalty here. Why wouldn’t it be enough to get the death penalty there? Of course it is.

So they just want one count of murder, just one, and you’ll never ever find out how he got weapons of mass destruction, why he gassed the Kurds, with whose weapon did he gas the Kurds, how did he get mustard gas, how did he get cyanide gas, which is what he used on the Kurds. How did he get botulism toxin, how did he get VX, how did he get anthrax, how did he get anything that he, how did he get the Bell helicopters that slaughtered all those people in the pullout of the Gulf War I.

He just wholesale, he just murdered thousands and thousands of Iraqis as we were leaving. Our troops came back scarred and ruined and told the story of the highway of death and how helpless they felt because they watched the slaughter and were told to stand down.

So, Saddam can’t stand trial because he’s too busy. He thinks that retaliating against people who tried to assassinate him is legitimate business and this is stupid. And I hate to say it, but Saddam may not be wrong. He may not wrong.

You’ve got a guy who for fun his son would feed people to lio-. Oh I’m sorry, that would be us. You have a guy whose son, if you lost the soccer game, would, no. You have a guy who opened up a place called Abu Ghraib where he tortured and sexually humil-. No. Damn it. You have a guy who brutally killed hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilian-. Damn. Let’s get on to the trial of Tom Delay, something we can all wrap our brains around- money laundering. Sixteen after.”


You really have to hear it to get the full effect, especially the last part.

Thanks, Scott

Scott, thanks for helping me keep an eye on Randi, it's a full time job! Randi needs a drug test, immediately.

And, given her bloated budget, with plenty of money to rehire one of her buddies, it's hard to believe they can't find enough to pay the interns. What a sleazy deal.

Brian,

I enjoy reading your Radio Equalizer blog. I also enjoyed listening to you when you were in Seattle. A few questions for someone that follows the radio industry:

I have a question for you about the programming at KVI, during the 9-12 time period when KVI runs the Tony Snow Show, except the last 15 minutes when they cut to Paul Harvey.

In the last week, they have left interviews with Vice President Dick Cheney and Massachussets Governor Mitt Romney midway through, just a sudden cut in and then we hear the pseudo-news of the Paul Harvey 15 minutes. The interruptions are extremely annoying. I actually either turn off the radio or change the station to KTTH.

I don't like the Paul Harvey commercial mixed with a bit of news. Now I remember listening to him in my grandparents kitchen in the 1960s. He deserves deference for his longevity, I guess, but I don't watch Lawrence Welk repeats either.

Anyway, my question: is it common to have a major show with important interviews be interrupted for Paul Harvey? Does he improve ratings? I know he drives me away from the radio. How many conservative leaning stations use Paul Harvey to disperse their audience?

Shari Carnahan
WA

Shari, there are a lot of concerns about Harvey at the moment. First, he isn't there much anymore, due to health issues. There are serious questions about whether the segment could continue without him.

His son has taken over in the meantime, but Boston's WBZ-AM just dumped it for good. I agree, it makes little sense to cut 15 minutes from the end of a show for this anymore, but years ago, it had a huge following.

Brian, I’ve been dying to hear the Michael Savage co-host contest. I don’t get to listen to him too much anymore, but when I do, he never mentions it.

Is there any word on it? Has he dropped the idea altogether?

Tony Mack

Tony, it appears to have been quietly dropped. If this isn't so, hopefully, someone will let us know. All along, I had my doubts about Savage sharing the mic with anyone.

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