Monday, March 14, 2005
Rhodes Returns
I'm really not looking forward to the return of Randi Rhodes to Air America Radio on Thursday (she's been off for several weeks for a planned surgery). She's annoying, loud, tells bad jokes, pedantically adheres to a small set of daily talking points at the expense of many other worthy things to say, is rude to her callers, shouts over her callers, berates even friendly callers for not slavishly dittoing her daily talking points, is an egomaniacal name-dropper with an unironically inflated sense of her own importance in politics.
During her absence, I so enjoyed listening to her substitutes (Sam Seder, Thom Hartmann (sp?), Mike Malloy) that it only emphasized what we were not missing.
I'm increasingly impressed with the Majority Report (Seder for his sharp commentary, manner with callers and interview subjects; Garafolo for her humor) and the Mike Malloy Show. Malloy, even though he is by far the angriest and most rhetorically scathing host, understands how to shut up when a caller is talking and actually listen to what he/she is saying. Even with troll/wingnut callers, he lets them say their piece before tearing into them. Randi just shouts and whines. She also has this thing where only she can criticize Democratic congresspeople for their flaws and shortcomings, but not you.
I know her heart's in the right place, but sorry--radio is radio--and Air America should seriously considering truncating, if not dispensing with Rhodes' show.
posted by Blicero : 3/14/2005 03:44:00 PM
During her absence, I so enjoyed listening to her substitutes (Sam Seder, Thom Hartmann (sp?), Mike Malloy) that it only emphasized what we were not missing.
I'm increasingly impressed with the Majority Report (Seder for his sharp commentary, manner with callers and interview subjects; Garafolo for her humor) and the Mike Malloy Show. Malloy, even though he is by far the angriest and most rhetorically scathing host, understands how to shut up when a caller is talking and actually listen to what he/she is saying. Even with troll/wingnut callers, he lets them say their piece before tearing into them. Randi just shouts and whines. She also has this thing where only she can criticize Democratic congresspeople for their flaws and shortcomings, but not you.
I know her heart's in the right place, but sorry--radio is radio--and Air America should seriously considering truncating, if not dispensing with Rhodes' show.
posted by Blicero : 3/14/2005 03:44:00 PM
