What Makes a Good Show/Host?

Can someone really be banned from the WABC Message Board for calling Curtis Sliwa a "moron"? Check out this now locked up thread RE: Curtis Sliwa (of Curtis and Kuby) belittling his 2 year old son on the radio for liking his Spanish-speaking Dora doll.
http://www.wabcradio.com/goout.asp?u=http://www.hannity.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10
"MORON? ..... Try banned for contempt of an affiliate. LEE."

www.TalkRadioForums.com posed the question of what makes a good talk show/host. This is what I posted tonight.
1. I've gotta laugh atleast once. Even a chuckle.
2. There has to be something about the host that I can "latch onto" and identify with.
3. Cool bumper music rocks.
4. The host can't take themself 100% seriously every single minute.
5. Give me some unique insights that make me want to listen to the show again.
6. If a host answers my email they find a place in my heart.

So I turn my radio on last night expecting to hear Mark Levin on WABC- no, Andrew Wilkow is filling in for him. Hey, I'm okay with that. Wilkow was only on for 28 minutes because the station was airing a friggin' hockey game! So, out of frustration I scan the dial and decide to try WOR- I was happy because I had no idea that they carried Michael Savage's show. So I listened to that for a while. Atleast now I know that a station that I can get in clearly that has Michael Savage. It was another "best of" show so I wasn't totally happy... Be sure to check out all the talk on the following boards: www.TalkRadioForums.com, www.MarkLevinFan.com and http://www.FanTalkBack2TalkHosts.myfreeforum.org/

12/29/05 Responses to Michael Savage Rant

My friend, Jay posted this little rant about Michael Savage on his website. Normally, he doesn't talk about Talk Radio - when he does, I will post his comments here...

Normally, I like Michael Savage, because he's just a bit fed-up and crazy, and his pissed off-ness articulateness is entertaining, especially when people call him up and basically ask to have their hindquarters handed to them. One night last week, they aired one of those "Best of" shows, which usually aren't all that great. I was listening in the ol' van as I did some nighttime chores.One of the segments involved him and a caller (sounded like an nice, old black woman) patting each other on the back for being mutually meanspirited or something. Then he launched into his agnostic / hippie, "every religion is a legitmate path to God" woolly-brained nonsense. That's fine if you're an atheist or a humanist. But, please, be consistent. It's not as hard as it sounds.I wanted to call him up and ask him if atheism or terrorist Islam was a legitimate path to God, and if he didn't think so, what the basis for his reasoning was. Then when he went into a anecdote about San Fransisco or Barbara Boxer being an "empty skirt", I'd ask him if the first six numbers of pi were always 3.14159, or if Lithium's atomic number was always 3, and if so, why not such rigidity could not be applied to the supernatural, and if it cannot, what the basis for his reason was. At this point, he would just start yelling at me for changing the subject and call me "liberal vermin" and wonder why we got rid of the Sedition Act.Then I remembered it was a rerun, so I got a coffee at Wawa and drove home.
Jay (www.xanga.com/jaynumber13)

Some responses posted on www.TalkRadioForums.com
Savage doesn't get into the topic of religion that often, but from what I know, he considers himself to be a Universalist because he rejects the idea that believing in Jesus is the only way to go to heaven and that non-believing good people will go to hell while bad Christians will automatically get a free pass to heaven. He sees religion as a wheel, and that there are five spokes (Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam) which lead to God. I think what he might have meant was every major religion, although that is not what he said. Overall, it seems like his core beliefs come down to salvation for good people, regardless of their religion.
...ask him if atheism or terrorist Islam was a legitimate path to God, and if he didn't think so, what the basis for his reasoning was.
I've heard him talk about atheism before. He was ranting about it and it went something like him asking why in the world anyone would be an atheist because if they're right, they get nothing, and if they're wrong about a religion in particular, their afterlife probably won't be pleasant and something about at least if you're a Christian, you at least have a shot at heaven.I haven't heard him address terrorist Islam (or "Islamofascism" as he calls it) in a religious sense, but it's reasonable to assume that he believes they do not fall into the "good person" category because of all the killings.
He was ranting about it and it went something like him asking why in the world anyone would be an atheist because if they're right, they get nothing, and if they're wrong about a religion in particular, their afterlife probably won't be pleasant and something about at least if you're a Christian, you at least have a shot at heaven.
You have got to be kidding me. I don't want to go too far off-topic, but that is the first time I've ever heard somebody use probability as an argument in a religious debate.

Here's something that I posted to www.TalkRadioForums.com today:
Well, maybe this isn't obscure knowledge but... I have heard a lot of criticisms of Rush's fans - they don't understand the term "Ditto Head" - this does not mean that they just repeat or believe whatever he says. The term "Ditto Head" came about because callers, as soon as they got on the air used to spend a minute or two telling Rush how much they loved him and his show - then some callers got away from this by just saying "dittos" - meaning - "I feel the same about your show as the last caller!" People who criticize Rush's fan by interpreting the phrase "Ditto Head" as meaning mindless followers have not really listened to Rush's show so they are not qualified to comment on it or his fans...

12.26.05 -Best Fill-In Host for Hannity This Week...

Who was the best fill-in host for Sean Hannity this week? Are most people in agreement that it was none other than the Great One, Mark Levin? Post your comments now! The fate of the unviverse hangs in the balance!

Here's some answers that I got from my question posted on a message board:

1. Mark Levin!
2. Neal Boortz, but he has a show already. Walter E. Williams, but he subs for Limbaugh, which is about the only time I'll tune in for all three hours of Limbaugh
3. All were outstanding...Levin was superior...I would love to hear Ollie
4. Althout Mark Simone did an A+ job, my heart belongs to the "Great One," and we got him for an extra hour too!
5. Tucker Carlson. Always fun...and very intelligient
6. Levin. Superior intellect and base of knowledge. VERY funny, albeit an acquired taste in that department. He SPANKED The New York Times and destroyed all the bogus claims against this Administration's authorizations of wiretapping without Court orders. The man is brilliant.

For all the answers visit the WABC Message Board: http://www.wabcradio.com/goout.asp?u=http://www.hannity.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=10

MarkLevinFan said...
I certainly agree that Mark Levin was the best fill-in host for Sean Hannity last week. However, you biased the poll with your question, Chris! LOL!

Talk Radio Fan says: I guess you're right - it wasn't to stack the cards in any way though.

Merry Christmas from Talk Radio Fan!

A fan site for Mark Simone's Oldies Show on WABC! Join today!http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Saturdaynightoldiesshow/

I posted a buncha new links for all you Talk Radio junkies out there. I like to try new things and see what's out there in the way of Talk Radio. If you're on the same wavelength then you've come to the right place. Here's an awesome portal site, check it out: Broadcast Talk -http://talk-radio.20m.com/

For My Republican Friends:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

For My Democrat Friends:

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2006, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee. By accepting these greetings you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for herself or himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.
(I did not make this up, but wish I had!)
Here's the line up for Sirius' Conservative Talk Talk channel. Does anyone tune into this?
http://www.sirius.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Sirius/CachedPage&c=Channel&cid=1104779630488

Listen to Right Talk on your cell phone: http://www.rightalk.com/rightmobile.php

12.23.05 - Question results....

Mark Levin fills in for Hannity this afternoon! I can't wait.

About a week ago I posted these questions - How much talk radio do you listen to on a daily basis? Do you ever get stressed out when you listen to a lot of talk radio? Do you ever feel like you need to take a break from talk radio? I got three answers:
"1. I listen to NPR about 2 hours a day2. Yes. Sometimes they let a conservative gets on and I want to ring their neck. (Or the occasional eastern liberal who hasn't realized that we don't do AA here in california. 3. Why no, I always enjoy learning points of view you don't get to hear otherwise"

"About 4 and a half hours without commercials (so, about 7 with commercials). All 3 hours of Savage (2 hours -- no commercials), 2 hours or so of Ingraham (no commercials), best of Rush of previous day -- about 30 min. Saturdays -- Monica Crowley, Sunday -- best of Hannity, best of Medved and Drudge"

"5 or 6 days a week I think it great, if I get stressed over it I just turn it off there nothing else to listen to."

Don't forget to check out these websites: www.TalkRadioForums.com and www.MarkLevinFan.com

Beer's not free - Radio is!

I expected to hear Hannity's voice come on after the 3:00 news but nooo....it's Mark Simone. The guy shows up everywhere. I swear the guy working on the power lines outside my apartment on Saturday afternoon was Mark Simone... Hey, I'm not complaining.

This was posted today at the WABC Message Board :
We at Hannity.com would like to thank you for being a loyal Hannity Forum Member by offering an exclusive two months free to the Hannity Insider Subscription service!
Never miss a minute of the Sean Hannity show. Stream the show LIVE every day from 3 - 6pm and download archived shows directly to your computer or portable audio device. Check out the HanniBlog to update your fellow Conservative minds on the stories from around the world and be sure to connect to other like minded subscribers using our exclusive Hannity Instant Messenger. Not to mention CD-quality and commercial free audio!
Act now, this offer is only valid until January 15th! Click Here to register via credit card
Click Here to register via online check
Free? I Must've missed the free part. Two months free before you start getting charged, that is. I'd like two months free and then the option to decide if I want to pay. I think I'll take the real free stuff - radio - live every day!

A question for Talk Radio fans

I am taking the weekend off from Talk Radio. I need a break from news and politics. Here's a two-part question that I would like my visitors to answer:
1. How many hours a day do you listen to Talk Radio?
2. Do you ever feel stressed out if you listen to Talk Radio for long periods of time?
You can post your comments anonymously. I will let this question sit here for a few days and then post any answers from you people...

Thank Goodness for News/Talk Radio

I am really thankful for Talk Radio. The world is a much better place because of Talk Radio. Almost all of the big news outlets are agenda-driven...Talk Radio offers the opportunity for listeners to hear other sides of the stories and give the shakers and movers of the world to speak without a media filter over the mouths.
I was wrong! Sean had Marty on the air at 4:08 this afternoon

Top Talk Radio Audiences

Top Talk Radio Audiences
From Talkers Magazine
Rush Limbaugh 13.75+ million per day
Sean Hannity 12.50+ million per day

Michael Savage 8.00+ million per day

Dr. Laura Schlessinger / Howard Stern 5.00+ million per day

Neal Boortz 3.75+ million per day

For full listing visit: (http://www.talkers.com/talkhosts.htm)

I was disappointed that there was a fill-in host for Glenn Beck today but he did a good job. Someone suggested that I add a link to Richard Bey which I did.

Confessions of a Talk Radio Dork...

Confessions of a Talk Radio dork
This morning as the alarm clock went off for the first time I contemplated my warm blankets and the cold, cold world that awaited me. Do you know what it was that gave me the motivation to get out of bed? Knowing I could listen to Talk Radio almost all day when I am driving around at work. If this does not qualify me as a Nerd then I don't know what will...

Curtis Sliwa says: "Just say 'no' to Dora!"
From the WABC Radio message board RE: Curtis Sliwa of
the "Curtis and Kuby" show
"Does anyone else think Curtis should stop belittling his baby son? For goodness sake...the man is terrified of his little son being gay. His bowels are in an uproar, cause his little boy loves Dora the Explorer instead of The Ninja Turtles or Power Rangers. The baby is not even TWO YEARS OLD yet!!! If I were his wife Mary, I'd duct tape his silly mouth. I love Curtis, and I'm a big fan of his.... but he's doing his son an injustice, talking negatively about him on the air. Shame on him."
www.WABCRadio.com

www.TalkRadioNetwork is a pretty good site - I think it's more like a syndication site though. For $5.95 a month you can listen to full shows anytime you want by such heavyweights as Michael Savage and Laura Ingraham

I got an email from J.R. at Talk Show America today. He said that the site (www.TalkShowAmerica.com) has gotten referrals (hits) from guests of Talk Radio Fan. Nice to know because I am not quite sure what my audience is here.

The Next Generation of Talk Radio...

Was it Andrew Wilkow that coined the phrase "The Next Generation of Talk Radio"? What exactly constitutes the "Next Generation"? It's obviously not an amazing speaking voice. No, no, don't get me wrong! I understand that a radio voice like Rush's or Beck's is a very rare thing and it's obvious that Hannity's rising ratings are in no part due to an amazing radio voice (he's very nasaly!). So...who else besides Wilkow is part of this "Next Generation"? Who are the "Next Generation" hosts of the same caliber of Rush and Beck?

WABC listeners RE: Monica and Marty

Post from Saturday: Does anyone else notice that at the very end of Monica Crowley's program on WABC an elderly caller by the name of Marty is put on? Maybe it's just me, but it seems like he is always put on right at the very end of her program (or atleast the minute or two right before the top of the hour news break). Monica calls him "boyfriend" at times too. I think he is put on at these odd times so he doesn't have a lot of time to talk. Don't get me wrong, I love to hear him make it through the wait and get on Hannity's and Monica's shows but...why does it seem he's always put on as the clock is about tick off the last minute or two of the hour?
www.MonicaMemo.com
I posted this question on the following Talk Radio message boards:
www.WABCRadio.com
www.TalkRadioForums.com
If anyone posts replies I will re-post them here
REPLIES FROM WABC MESSAGE BOARD: (clipped and pasted from the board)
1. "A WWII Veteran like Marty I would put on anytime, the Liberals never complain when a Hollywood Left is on the air !"
2. "In talk radio,that always happens! Sometimes the host will put on what helps their cause. On small radio in this town of bucks county,It always happens ,with the republicans,here in bucks the host at least 2 work for the county and its what they do for us ,not the bad only the good!I turn it off and go to the big talker where the host are the best in the world .1210 am have on all sides and that is the way it should be."
3. "It happens in all aspects of talk radio. There is an audience and there are "regulars" who call in. It's good for the show and helps promote it. You see this a lot on sports talk radio as well..."
4. Marty has a special place in Sean's heart and Monica's as well - He is a WW II vet, who served with honor, and his voice carries the strength of his generation - whenever I hear him, I am reminded of all those who who fought to defend and protect this Nation. He is on because both Sean and Monica see fit to honor him and all of his brethern, past, present and future.

Check out a video of the White Flag ad/video that's so talked about on Talk Radio:
www.GOP.com

Talk Radio Fans Unite!

Just re-signed up for the WABC message board where I found this site:
www.fantalkback2talkhosts.myfreeforum.org
a great new Talk Radio forum for fans. Don't forget about www.talkradioforums.com either. Both are great forums run by fans of Talk Radio. I listened to Mark Levin last night (can't usually listen at home) and I could swear a caller said he was the guy who does www.marklevinfan.com. Maybe I was wrong. Listened to most of Laura Ingraham too. She has the craziest sound bites... Listening to www.TalkShowAmerica.com this afternoon. It looks like www.TalkRadioFan.com will finally come true in the next month. The designer is almost finished with everything. I'm pretty excited about the two Talk Radio forums that are mentioned above and also Mark Levin Fan. When I started this blog a year and a half ago I thought it was a "little out there" and there were no like-minded individuals like myself. Guess I was wrong. Please visit these other sites and spread the word!

Nearly drove off the road this morning listening to the "A Conservative Christmas" song parody on the Glenn Beck show (done to the tune of that John Lennon song - whatever it was called). Sometimes I want to stop listening to listening to Talk Radio because I want to stop hearing about politics for a few days at a time. To hear is to become angry...
Check out the photo blog of Glenn Beck's Christmas show tour: http://www.glennbeck.com/news/12062005.shtml

Slow Monday...

www.RadioEqualizer.blogspot.com is a good blog of Talk Radio related stuff
www.RadioDailyNews.com has radio news from everywhere
www.TalkRadioForums.com is a good forum for everything Talk Radio-related

On Talk Radio Forums there is a section that you can post to called "You know you've been listening to talk radio too much when..." Here's what I posted there today: "Last night I had a dream that Rush Limbaugh was talking to one of my friends at work and my friend found himself being convinced on some political points that I don't remember. The thing is - it was two days since I heard Rush on the radio until I had the freaking dream!"

Mark Simone's Oldies Show on WABC

So.....on Saturdays Mark Simone has a talk show on WABC from 6am - 10am then from 6pm - 10pm he has an oldies show on the same station. Not only has Mark filled in for tons of other hosts but now this...I hear that Mr. Simone also does a lot of the plumbing and heating work at WABC. Gotta pay the bills! I listened to most of the oldies show last night (the first time it was aired). Lots of great stuff from the 70's that brought back a lot of memories for me when WABC was a music station. I used to listen to WABC on a tiny transistor radio that my father gave to me when I was about 7 years old. Again, Andrew Wilkow's show was cut short by WABC airing a stupid basketball game. It's not like everyone doesn't own a television.... WAEB was airing sports too....

Oldies Show: www.MusicRadio77.com or http://wabcradio.com/showdj.asp?DJID=30049
www.MarkSimone.com

Talk Radio Stuff...

25 Best Talk Hosts according to Talkers magazine: http://www.talkers.com/greatest/index.html

I listen to Kim Komando's show every Sunday morning. Her site www.Komando.com is pretty decent and you can read her online journal without paying (like a lot of hosts make you do).

For Glenn Beck fans: A new site dedicated (sort of) to the More-On Trivia segment of Glenn's program each Friday morning. (This is not affiliated with www.GlennBeck.com)
www.MoronTrivia.com:
"Mor(e)on Trivia (or Moron Trivia/More On Trivia whichever your preference) is a segment done on the Glenn Beck Program in conjunction with the football season. Monday Night Football is a big part of many lives and Glenn and Stu bring it to the listeners in a completely unique way."

Rate Talk Radio hosts: http://www.rateitall.com/t-440-radio-talk-show-hosts.aspx

And here's a site of interest to loyal Talk-Junkies: http://www.univox.com/radio/radiomags.html Read the reviews of your favorite hosts - it's funny because almost every review of a conservative host was obviously written by a person that a) hasn't actually listened to the host b) listened to a half an hour of the host c) is repeating the opinions of others who a) and b).

Air America involved in scandal: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45730 and http://michellemalkin.com/archives/003282.htm These are not new items, I just threw them out there to see if anyone had an opinion...

Three small things...

Lots of new topics started at www.TalkRadioForums.com - check it out!

I really hate it when I find out that a host that I really admire ends up espousing some type of belief/political stance that I am totally opposed to. It's shocking! It almost made me want to completely write off this host. It almost made me want to shut down this blog. What could I do though? Atleast now I know...
My buddy from www.MarkLevinFan.com already wrote and asked me who this host was and what sparked my ire. It's not important. All Talk Radio Fans will reach this point with a host. Plus, I don't want to discuss politics on TRF!


Michael Riley wrote:
Dear Talk Radio Fan;

I hope you don't mind, but I saw your profile on the radiotalk.org forums, and I thought I'd send you an email.

I am a journalism student at Ryerson doing a feature on talk radio in Canada, and how it compares with talk radio in the U.S
I was just wondering as a fan of talk radio, what your insights might be into this issue. What do you think the similarities/differences are between the talk radio format in Canada and the US?
I've never heard any Candian talk radio before. Sorry.
Also, do you feel that talk radio hosts in general are engaging in "hard journalism," or is it more "peripheral journalism," catering more to being entertaining and commercial to attract advertising dollars?
Most talk radio hosts from my knowledge do not consider themselves to be "journalists." Most hosts consider themselves entertainers.
How long have you been a fan of talk radio, and who are your favourite talk radio hosts?
I've been listening to talk radio since 1992. My favorite hosts are Mark Simone, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh
If you wouldn't mind having your insights quoted in my feature, as well as giving me your full name and location, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance for helping me out with my feature!
Chris Francz from Shawnee on Delaware, PA USA
Sincerely;

Mike Riley

www.TalkShowAmerica.com has a brand new site up that's in the form of a blog. Much nicer than what they had before. Click on "Listen Live" right now...