Fraters Libertas

One Step Forward, One Step Back, and One Flying Somersault

Things heard on talk radio in the last 24 hours:

1) Michael Medved interviewing Seinfeld's Jason Alexander. George Costanza himself appearing on the Michael Medved show to talk about ..... something. In my brief window of opportunity to listen in during a weekday I was distracted by more pressing matters (YES, I wanted fries with that), so I couldn't hear what was being said. But the point is, a mainstream pop icon was on talk radio, engaging in pleasant, reasoned, substantive conversation.

My God, it was almost like the Charlie Rose show. Except interesting. And the host actually let the guest talk. Can anyone say mainstream credibility for my favorite medium? Before you sound off, consider I also heard ...

2) Sean Hannity violently shouting down Mark Sommers. Yes, that Mark Sommers, the former host of Nickelodeon's gross out kid's program Double Dare (and now a Food Network host, some show about the history of tomatoes). Apparently he's also some kind of raging, antagonistic Democrat, who's angling to get a show on the new liberal talk radio network.

He called in to talk the issues but ended up accusing Hannity of ripping off Rush's broadcast style. This sent Hannity into a frothing fit. He really lost it and it was pretty funny stuff. Although Sommers was quite correct about the derivative nature of Hannity's style, his snippy, self righteous tone needed to be corrected. And I guess the volume and rapid fire pace of Hannity's verbal abuse did just that. Hannity didn't have any facts on his side, he mostly sputtered about some small format related differences between he and Rush and fired off insults about Sommers lack of credibility. But he never let Sommers get another word in. After hanging up on him, Hannity declared victory. Then he rubbed Sommers nose in it for the next several segments talking about how he really "let him have it."

Yeah Sean, that's what happened, you won. And with your ridiculous bombast and sledge hammering of this buzzing gnat, you no doubt further cemented the popular press's view that my favorite medium is full of nothing but screeching howler monkeys.

But luckily there was someone else to give the medium's credibility a final shot in the arm, with ...

3) Our radio hero and shock jock Hugh Hewitt, between brilliant analyses of the days events and insightful interviews with the leading pundits, giving updates to a national audience on the Elder's travel itinerary.

Radio - what a country.