Fraters Libertas

Parting Shots

Jason Lewis's last show on KSTP was yesterday. It was originally supposed to be on Friday, but apparently station management didn't appreciate the constant parade of callers bemoaning the loss of Jason and predicting the station won't be able to find a replacement as good.

I'm sure they also didn't appreciate Jason's recommending that listeners check out his Charlotte broadcasts via the Internet, or his speculation that maybe he'll be back on Twin Cities airwaves someday via syndication (presumably on a station other than KSTP). According to Jason yesterday, station management asked him to tone down these types of comments for the rest of the week. But since that would have created an uncomfortable situation for him and the callers (that is, avoiding the main topic they both wanted to discuss), both parties agreed to pull the plug early.

That officially ends the Jason Lewis era in the Twin Cities. But I see that the Pioneer Press's entertainment columnist couldn't let it pass without a snide, disparaging comment. This appeared in the Raleigh-Durham Herald Sun (via the Associated Press):

Brian Lambert, a media critic for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, said KSTP will have a tough time replacing Lewis. "Lewis is a very talented performer in that arena and has a very strong cult following," he said. "

Cult following? This same article mentions that Jason Lewis had the second highest rated show in the Twin Cities during his time slot. (I presume number one was WCCO, with its hammerlock hold on the AARP crowd and with the Minnesota Twins broadcasts typically running during this time slot.) So second place is a significant accomplishment and it means a big audience, relatively speaking. I'm sure a damn sight bigger than what MPR gets. And more than the more liberally-oriented Dan Barreiro on KFAN manages to get. I wonder how Lambert would describe the miniscule followings of these programs? Using his model, let me suggest "fanatic adherents of a discredited, dying philosophy." (And that's just those tuning in for the Lynx games).

Lambert went on to say this about KSTP's search for a replacement: "They can't grab just anybody. There are plenty of Rush (Limbaugh) wannabe's out there. He [Lewis] managed to avoid that, and carved out a very specific niche."

I will say that Jason Lewis did have a different style than Rush, but there was definitely a philosophical confluence between the two. Apparently this is what Jason's new employers are promoting as well: From an article in the Charlotte Observer:

[Lewis] will inherit the afternoon drive time slot following conservative host Rush Limbaugh, with whom Lewis shares resonant views, said Rick Jackson, vice president and general manager of WBT (1110 AM). "He's either right with Rush, or right of him," Jackson said.

Jason Lewis has the opportunity to become very popular in Charlotte. My review of his new station's Web site reveals a dearth of local talent. Guys with resumes that show they may be qualified to read wire copy news stories at the top of the hour, but have no business running a personality driven show.

In particular, I point out someone named Keith Larson, whose show is promoted as follows (any observers of Ian Punnit's meteoric descent and crash in the ratings at KSTP can guess how well this approach goes over with the listeners):

Keith Larson opens a dailogue with his listeners each weekday form 9am-12noon on WBT. Keith is in touch with the community, and he uses his show to talk the issues that affect our lives today.

There was a guy named Keith Larson doing fill-in duties on KSTP a couple of years ago. The few shows I heard him do were hilarious, but only because they were without question the worst radio I've ever heard. Absolute fiasco. He had a dreadfully dull personality, preferred to discuss "happy chat" topics like the weather and the funny things his kids do, and had no firm opinions on anything of substance. This might have gone over well on WCCO, but on KSTP it was met with silence from the audience. For segment after segment he got no callers, forcing him to improvise. Which was a disaster, since he was incredibly nervous, his voice shaking while he talked a mile-a-minute, getting faster and faster the longer he had to continue his unbroken monologue about nothing.

The few who eventually did call in, clearly out of pity, were given a reception equivalent to that which lifeguards receive from drowning men. Thrashing about, furious grasping, desperate hanging on, attempts to pull them all under the surface along with him. You don't often hear callers telling a host "I need to go now," but that was the constant refrain of the Keith Larson show.

Maybe that's a different guy than the one in Charlotte. Or maybe he's gotten better. But nevertheless I predict Jason Lewis becomes the main event down there within about 10 minutes of his arrival.