Minnesota: Non-conservative alternative to local talk radio gets shaky start

Minneapolis Star-Tribune ^ | December 9, 2003 | Associated Press

[jdege]

Non-conservative alternative to local talk radio gets shaky start

The Associated Press

Published December 9, 2003

MINNEAPOLIS - An alternative to the conservative programing that dominates Minnesota talk radio got off to a rocky start when its host quit after two days amid a dispute with show's main backer, a former Democratic congressional candidate.

Veteran Twin Cities comedian Jeff Gerbino left the show, "High Ground," Thanksgiving week because he said his boss would not 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.

[...]

John Rash, media buyer for Minneapolis-based 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.

[...]

[jdege]

WMNN-AM is owned by Minnesota Public Radio.

[jdege]

Bump!

[jdege]

C.J. made some remarks: C.J.: After two days on air, Gerbino enters radio silence

[farmfriend]

WMNN-AM is owned by Minnesota Public Radio

Does this mean tax dollars supporting partisan efforts?

[Guillermo]

Looks like the VRWC struck again...

[Oatka]

John Rash, media buyer for Minneapolis-based 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.

Key sentence. This show will probably gone by the New Year, if not earlier.

[RippleFire]

bump

[RippleFire]

bump

[TheMightyQuinn]

Does it bug anyone that a liberal talk show is labeled a "non-conservative alternative", and that the talk show host quitting the show is called "a rocky start"?

Rush Limbaugh resigned from his position at ESPN, was that also labeled a "rocky start" to his ESPN career?

[brbethke]

Does this mean tax dollars supporting partisan efforts?

Hard to say. WMNN-AM is *incredibly* evasive about their ownership and sources of funding, and mpr.org doesn't list them as a public radio station. They seem to operate like a commercial radio station, with ads and everything. I had to do some serious Googling to confirm that they are indeed owned by Minnesota Public Radio.

On the other hand, in finding this, I also found out that they have a whopping 0.5% market share. So I don't think we need to waste a lot of time worrying about liberal talk radio.

Source: http://www.radioandrecords.com/Subscribers/ratings/ratmain.asp?mkt=msp

[brbethke]

Janet Roberts of Stillwater

Ooh, I changed my mind. Let's send her lots of encouraging email. I want this gold-plated b***ch to burn TONS of money trying to get liberal talk radio off the ground. Remember, every dollar she spends on this is one she can't spend on running for election in the 6th District next year.

[wallcrawlr]

Here...


http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1037029/posts

[Libloather]

...its host quit after two days...

The dude went two days in a row? I'm impressed...

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

Free to Fly Conservative Talk Radio works as...

Controlled Liberal Talk Radio sinks.

.

[WorkingClassFilth]

Shameless MPR bias PING!

[WorkingClassFilth]

Well, I don't need Gerbino to make me laugh.

By the way, have you heard the one about the failed talk-show hostess, Katherine Lanpher, on a 'conservative' talk-station that was given the boot because she was so far to the left she was viewed as a joke?

No?

Well, she landed a job with Minnesota Public Radio where she was able to continue her thinly veiled invective without a problem. In fact, most of her new listeners thought she was balanced, fair and unbiased. Of course, the MPR listener demographic is typically deaf in the right ear and with congenitally defective short left legs causing them to tilt unsteadily to the left.

Oh yeah - I forgot the punchline…

I thought Lanpher's arrest for drunken driving and hit and run was hilarious (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/899548/posts ) and the virtual black-out and suppression of information regarding her trial and related details in the local media has been pretty funny too. Of course, having another talk-show host, Ron Rosenbaum, as her attorney has been amusing in that they used to work together and they both routinely get to skewer high-profile cases like today's decision on Congressman Janklow and his reckless driving conviction. Real kooky hi-jinks, I'll tell you!

What'll those zany lefties come up with next?

[Kirkwood]

Give the baby his bottle. That'll shut him up. Works with Teddy.

[Drango]

Does this mean tax dollars supporting partisan efforts?

>Hard to say. WMNN-AM is *incredibly* evasive about their ownership and sources of funding, and mpr.org doesn't list them as a public radio station.

Something stinks! I'd ask my congressman but he's a rat and may be a regular guest on the show. CPB does have an inspector general who may or may not care.

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[Drango]

Audit??? For those who like to use forms, here is some more info from www.cpb.org ....

---

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[Liz]

....its host quit after two days...The dude went two days in a row? I'm impressed...

Yeah, but after an hour he was on "life support" .....vodka and valium.