The Return of Mr. Right?

Regarding the Elder's rumor mongering about Jason Lewis, I actually heard Hugh Hewitt mention on his show a couple months ago that Jason and him are planning to do an appearance together in the Twin Cities sometime before the election (Hugh's comments were to the affect of "I ran him out of town once and now he's back for more..."). So, it's more than a rumor.

I must admit I was confused by the Patriot promotion. I knew Jason was coming and knew that's what the commercial referred to. But I couldn't figure out what the music was about. I concluded that the connection with Huey Lewis was Jason Lewis's well known fondness for all things classic chloroform rock related. (And from his WBT promotion page, I see "Beatle Bumper Fridays" are alive and well in Charlotte. A ratings bonanza to be sure, for where else can one hear the Beatles these days?)

I found it curious to see a Jason Lewis penned editorial appearing just yesterday in the Star Tribune. Why would a Charlotte, NC resident take the time to opine on the urban planning policies of little Lake Elmo, MN? Most likely, it is masterful promotion on his part, keeping his name in the public imagination in advance of his appearance. He's using the Star Tribune editorial page for his advertising, the magnificent bastard.

Or could something more dramatic be at work here than just a one time appearance? Would the Patriot really spend all this money and effort on promoting a guy a year gone from the scene and prominent only because he worked for their competition?

Letting my conspiracy instincts run wild, I wonder if this event could be the announcement of a regularly scheduled Jason Lewis presence on AM1280. Their afternoon line up (Prager, Medved, Hewitt) is well set already, so I can't imagine him squeezing in there. And I can't imagine a talent of Lewis's caliber agreeing to work evenings again, so that's out.

But, what about a show for the mornings? The Bill Bennett program isn't yet fully ensconced and is dreadfully boring besides, fully deserving of the axe. (Listening to Bennet a couple of days ago, for some reason they were playing a clip of Alice Cooper's 'Schools Out'. He said "interesting song for the former Education Sectretary." Then followed by assuring us: "that comment is intended be a little levity this morning.")

Since Jason has only been at WBT for a year, it doesn't seem likely his contract would be up so soon, thus allowing him to move back to Minnesota. So maybe something less than a full-time program is in the works. Something of a syndicated nature perhaps. Maybe an evening, or more likely, weekend replay of the Best of Jason Lewis?

I don't have any inside information (nobody tells me nuthin'), but it sounds plausible. If Northern Alliance Radio wasn't the runaway hit of the summer I might be getting nervous about our future prospects. But since there are hours and hours of time being used for reruns on the weekends, I welcome the possibility.

Remember, you heard it here first. Unless I'm wrong, in which case forget I said anything.