Radio talk show host quits non-conservative program

Star Tribune ^ | December 9, 2003 | Eric Black

[wallcrawlr]

An effort by a recent Democratic congressional candidate to introduce a non-conservative alternative to the local talk radio scene got off to a shaky start Thanksgiving week when the star of the show, veteran local comedian Jeff Gerbino, quit after two days.

He complained that the boss wouldn't let him be funny or provocative and was turning the show into a "shameless plug for the DFL."

Janet Robert of Stillwater, a wealthy attorney who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House last year, said that she wouldn't discuss Gerbino's departure and that it wasn't fair to judge the show on its first two days. Promotional materials for the show feature almost exclusively Democratic officeholders but Roberts said the goal was to be centrist and politically independent. "Jeff was the one that was trying to push us too far to the left," she said.

Nationally and locally, the talk radio scene is dominated by conservatives, but Democrats have been trying to create a liberal radio network.

A Democratic investment group is close to buying radio stations in five major cities and recently hired Lizz Winstead, another veteran of the Twin Cities comedy scene and one of the creators of the "The Daily Show," to oversee the entertainment programming. Minnesota native Al Franken has also been mentioned as a possible host on the network.

Gerbino was one of a group of stand-up comics who helped build the local comedy club scene in the late 1970s. Louis Lee of the Acme Comedy Company said he wasn't surprised to hear about Gerbino's short, unhappy tenure in his latest gig because he's known in the comedy business as "not the easiest-going guy in the industry." Gerbino also worked as a drive-time radio host for two local stations in the 1990s.

Politically, he's been a maverick with Democrat leanings. Gerbino said that in the past eight presidential elections he has voted for four Democrats, two Republicans and two independents (John Anderson and Ross Perot). He said he wrote humorous material used in speeches by Gov. Tim Pawlenty during last year's campaign.

Robert and Gerbino met weekly for months to work on the format and philosophy of the show. "High Ground" premiered Nov. 24 on WMNN, 1330-AM, an all-news station.

During the first two shows, Gerbino felt that Robert micromanaged the content, the guest list and him. In an e-mail to the Star Tribune, he complained about an hour of the second show that featured this lineup of guests:

Sen. Mark Dayton, U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, Attorney General Mike Hatch, a professor discussing the Democratic presidential field, state Rep. Tom Rukavina and Franken. All of the elected officials, plus Franken, are Democrats. Gerbino described the hour as a "donkey telethon" and said Robert criticized him for not "gushing" enough over Dayton and Oberstar. He also complained that Robert would not allow him to schedule any Republican guests and forbade him from mentioning his work for Pawlenty.

Turning the show into an "infomercial for the Democratic Party" would ring hollow for the audience and he couldn't be funny or provocative in such a format, Gerbino said.

Robert said she discouraged Gerbino from talking about his work for Pawlenty because the show was not supposed to be about Gerbino but about the issues. She said the show has no partisan leanings and has had Republicans as guests, although she could think of only one, State Auditor Pat Awada, who was on the show after Gerbino's departure.

She also said she is not the boss of the show, is only handling the public relations and hopes to be gone from the operation soon. Her goal is to line up enough affiliates that the show will be heard statewide within a year.

"High Ground," is continuing Monday-Friday from 1-3 p.m. with fill-in hosts who are auditioning to be the permanent replacement. Robert said a decision on permanent co-hosts will be made by Monday.

WMNN is owned by the parent company of Minnesota Public Radio but has a much smaller audience than MPR or any of the big local talk radio stations. John Rash, media buyer for Campbell Mithun advertising agency, said the flap over the show's creation and Gerbino's sudden departure had generated little talk at his end of the business because "High Ground" seems unlikely to be an attractive media buy with or without Gerbino. Gerbino, he said, isn't famous enough in comedy circles or political circles to get many people to sample a show on an unfamiliar station. If Franken launches a liberal talk show, it might different, he said, adding: "In advertising circles, what creates the most buzz is an audience."

[anniegetyourgun]

LOL!

[cyborg]

Wow we didn't even have to start a death watch

[agitator]

meltdown ping

[Hildy]

An INFOMERCIAL for the Democratic Party! Can you think of ANYTHING more boring?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Sounds like another small plane went down in Minnesota.

[1Old Pro]

This idea was destined to failure before it started. The only thing that can save it is if taxpayers fund it because nobody will listen and thus they will lose money so fast it would bankrupt any normal network.

Liberals don't understand capitalism.

[2banana]

WMNN is owned by the parent company of Minnesota Public Radio

My taxpayer money supporting democrat radio - who would have thunk it?

[ASA Vet]

A Democratic investment group is close to buying radio stations in five major cities

Please CommiecRATs, invest lots and lots of money is this loser idea.

[OPS4]

The Dem's need to get a grip on the truth. They sound like a bunch of cry babies on the radio. Slanted talk on the mundane, is not what ratings are about.

Ops4 God Bless America!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

When more than half the people have a connection to government, what'd you expect ?

[BufordP]

Jeff Gerbil

[over3Owithabrain]

Richard Gere's boyfriend?

[Prime Choice]

Ah, what joy it is to watch the Left self-destruct!

Who wants popcorn?

[Dan from Michigan]

Boom!

[EdReform]

Ping

[Grampa Dave]

He lasted about as long as some trolls do on FR.

[js1138]

I hadn't thought of this before, but the main reason liberal radio won't work is that the folks who pay will try to manage the content, killing the creativity of the hosts.

[Tall_Texan]

This is, in its essence, everything that's wrong with liberalism. They want something that makes them feel good. They want dialogue only if one side is allowed to talk. They confuse comedians with actual political talk. They want taxpayers to pay for it. And they don't want to ever, ever, ever admit that they are liberal or that their cabal is a staged, phony attempt to make you think they are intelligent, well-meaning and popular.

Gerbino's right. You can't be funny while you're busy gushing over a bunch of socialist Bush-haters.

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for the ping.

When the advertisers start pulling ads or talking about it, these clowns have a short career.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Does WMNN actually come in in Minneapolis ?

[RightWhale]

A comedian doing Democrat talk radio seems like a perfect match.

[thoughtomator]

I do believe this goes under the heading of "miserable failure"

[Bluntpoint]

Liberals just don't have a sense of humor!

[blackdog]

Dems might be good at a few things, but running a business is not one of them. Sure, they'll pour endless amounts of cash into capturing an audience of ten, but that'll leave them broke for DNC gimmies. I love it, I love it, I love it!

[skinkinthegrass]

Who wants popcorn?

A box here, please! ...Any butter? :)

[blackdog]

Oddly enough, if properly run by business goals, these stations should morph into the exact opposite of what they are trying to do.

Format choices and hosts based on ratings will filter the liberality goop out of the payroll and replace them with conservatives. The public is in no mood for liberalism.

This situation should become mandatory case study at communications schools around the country.

[suzyq5558]

Wow we didn't even have to start a death watch

I know isnt that just the cat's meow?lol...

[cyborg]

schadenfreud besides! LMAO... this is so hysterical

[BluSky]

"This is, in its essence, everything that's wrong with liberalism. They want something that makes them feel good. They want dialogue only if one side is allowed to talk...... And they don't want to ever, ever, ever admit that they are liberal or that their cabal is a staged, phony attempt to make you think they are intelligent, well-meaning and popular."

Exactly!!! Democrats/liberals are all about 'the look' never 'substance'......and do a piss poor job with the 'look' as well.....

Democrats manufacture 'the look' in all they do:

Dems want to 'look' like they care about the little guy.
Dems want to 'look' like they are compassionate.
Dems want to 'look' like they care for minorities.
Dems want to 'look' cool.
Dems want to 'look' like being hip.
Dems want to 'look' like they are the mainstream.
Dems want to 'look' like they are for National Defense. ("we support the troops but, not the war...")
Dems want to 'look' like they are concerned for our troops.
Dems want to 'look' like they are serious in finding Saddam.
Dems want to 'look' like they care for crime prevention.
Dems want to 'look' like they matter.
Dems want to 'look' like they want to better America.
Dems want to 'look' like they are patriotic.
Dems want to 'look' like they are religious. (Ever notice dems rail and support their lynchpins, ACLU et al, to remove Christianity from all aspects of society but, as soon as a tragedy occurs, they are front and center leading prayer tributes - example: Columbine massacre; I was there,and noticed Gore front and center leading a prayer - what hypocrites! I digress.)
Dems want to 'look' like they understand what this country stands for.
Dems want to 'look' like now, they have a talk radio show.
>END< The list is long.

[Broadside Joe]

WMNN, 1330-AM "shameless plug for the DFL", "donkey telethon" Or MPR

What's the difference?

[cruiserman]

Non conservative? What a strange way to put it.

[suzyq5558]

Ya Baby! LMAO with ya!!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The owner of MPR made over $250,000 last year. Is this a great country or what ?

[WorldWatcher1]

"a non-conservative alternative"

Notice that it's not a liberal alternative...it's just anti-conservative. Just like the empty liberal message, "We don't stand for anything, we just stand against conservatives". And they wonder why there isn't an audience.

[Broadside Joe]

Yeah and the worse part is that at least some of the 250k is taxpayer's money. It's all part of 'Minnesota nice'. Time to cut them off and then they can either sink or swim.

[Tamzee]

The pic is hysterical :-)

[Conservative4Ever]

crash and burn at lift off.....Bwahahahahahaha. The dems are in their death throws.

Red

[DManA]

People are. Heard Kling saying they came up short of their fall fundraising goals. Not really a problem in my opinion. Kling could take a pay cut or they could sell WMNN and make up the difference. Easy.

Time to cut them off and then they can either sink or swim.

[Conservative4Ever]

Me Me Me....*right hand raised* :)

Red

[Diddle E. Squat]

Politically, he's been a maverick with Democrat leanings. Gerbino said that in the past eight presidential elections he has voted for four Democrats, two Republicans and two independents (John Anderson and Ross Perot).

Hmmm, why wouldn the paper name the independents, but not also at least give us the names of the two Republicans he voted for(and then we could figure out the rest)?

[Conservative4Ever]

A little sick and twisted...but funny. I laughed.

Red

[Aeronaut]

That's funny!

[Broadside Joe]

I can't figure out how they are even allowed to own that station in the first place.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Its all taxpayer money. He wouldn't have his MPR sidelines without MPR.

[gcruse]

Dems might be good at a few things, but running a business is not one of them.

Care to rephrase?

[blackdog]

I was trying to be nice.

[blackdog]

I get my "To Go" espresso from these two ladies who opened up one of those coffee shacks. The two women had lives prior to joining the small business community which featured them as a school psychologist and a guidance counselor. These two ladies were dyed in the wool liberal attack dogs with warm fuzzies and a lack of reality. After six months of payroll taxes, employee headaches, sales tax, quaterley's, and such, these are two ladies questioning everything they had held sacred. They had to rethink the world.

[gcruse]

What I mean is, democrats show no less an aptitude for running businesses as republicans. The fifty-fifty split between red and blue isn't just at the voting booth, although it sure doesn't apply to academe. ;)

[johnb838]

I'd like to see Alfranken as a talk show host because everyone would be calling trying to get him to fly off the handle. Bet it wouldn't be too hard. OTOH, that's what the left did to Savage on MSNBC, wasn't that difficult apparently.