Vote for the Top Talkers of 2009

It is that time of the year. Time to cast your vote for the "LTR Top Talker of 2009."

It works the same as last year. Check out the poll in the middle column. You will see 40 or so personalities and/or shows listed on the ballot. To make things a bit more interesting this time around, I have added a few television personalities to the mix of typically radio, webcast and podcast personalities, seeing as much of the attention has been paid to the boob tube as of late.

The other names were all picked from the listings in the center column, and consist of all the entrants from last year that still maintain some sort of regular broadcast/webcast/podcast presence. They include some newer shows (Air America has added several this year) and a few local personalities. The names are all listed alphabetically.

Here's what you do: You can select up to ten names. If you only have three, or five, or eight, that's fine. Please go through the list carefully, and vote how you see fit. And don't stuff the ballot box. This ain't Tammany Hall here. One computer/IP address per bracket. Now, you talkers listed can wage campaigns if you'd like. I think it makes it more interesting. Not to mention, it brings the web traffic. But campaign efforts will likely be noted here by either myself or attentive readers, just so everyone knows what's happening.

At the same time, this is really all for fun. That's F-U-N FUN! Let's not take it all so seriously.

And please don't start any ridiculous debates about 'who's liberal' and 'who's not.' Anal retention is most certainly not fun.

The poll closes on December 24, Christmas Eve, at midnight. On January 1, 2010, the results will be announced here. Simple, huh?

For the curious, you can see previous results here.

So, Happy Halloween, and happy voting.

Follow the fun and breaking news on Twitter.

Formulating the "Top 10" of 2009 (a little help is needed)

Just like the end of every year, this very blog will once again do a readers' poll of the top liberal 'talkers' of the year.

This poll, the fourth edition, will be similar to the ones done in the past. But, to throw a little curveball, I added some extra names. In addition to all the radio and webcast notables you've seen and voted for in the past, I have taken into account the various notable television personalities that many watch and talk about. Therefore, this poll will introduce left-leaning television personalities into the mix.

But before the poll goes up, I need your help.

Below are an assortment of names under consideration for inclusion in the poll. Granted, not all of these names may make the poll, but it's where I'm starting from. If there are any notable names missing from this list, please let me know in the comment section.

Bear in mind that the poll will include only personalities that are currently doing a show or a regular podcast. Hence, some names from years past, such as Sam Seder, Peter B. Collins, Laura Flanders and others, will not be included, as they are currently not doing any regular gigs. Marc Maron, however, is included, as he has recently introduced a regular podcast following the demise of his webcast and radio shows.

Here are some of the names included thus far (in semi-alphabetical order):

Alex Bennett, Charles Binder, Angie Coiro, Stephen Colbert, Alan Colmes, Ana Marie Cox, Chuck D, "Democracy Now", Jeff Farias, Norman Goldman, Richard Greene, Sam Greenfield, Thom Hartmann, Guy James, Bob Kincaid, Lionel, Errol Louis, Rachel Maddow, Bill Maher, Mike Malloy, Marc Maron, Jay Marvin, Stephanie Miller, Keith Olbermann, Bill Press, Lee Rayburn, Ron Reagan, Randi Rhodes, Jack Rice, "Ring Of Fire", Nicole Sandler, Ed Schultz, Al Sharpton, Mario Solis-Marich, Jon Stewart, Ray Taliaferro, Mark Thompson, Johnny Wendell, Peter Werbe, Montel Williams and The Young Turks.

Now, if there are any notables missing from this list, please let me know. Keep in mind that I'm trying to list only the best-known personalities here (to list everyone would be chaotic). Therefore, if you happen to have a sporadically-scheduled webcast or podcast with ten subscribers, you will likely not be listed. If nobody's ever heard of you, how do you expect to get votes, right? However, if you'd like to pimp your podcast, well heck, you can do so in the comments as well. I'll open it up.

The poll will go up within the next week or two, and polling will run through sometime in December. I may even restart the poll from time to time to add an element of surprise (tallying up the totals from all polls at the very end). So, if there are any obvious omissions, please let me know. Thank ya.

The Top 10 Talkers of 2008 (Reader Poll Edition)

So, another year has come to a close, and for many, perhaps a year that's best left far in the past. Granted, 2008 did see some really good things. We elected a very promising president in Barack Obama, but otherwise, it was a grueling year of foreclosures, failures and $4 gas. Let's hope 2009 will be a marked improvement. Could it be any worse?

So, given the weird year that was 2008, what could possibly be more fitting than a really weird year-end readers' poll. I conjured up a variety of ideas on how to carry this one out, and improve on last year's experiment, which was flawed but fairly effective. Of course, strange things will always happen. And this time around, they certainly did. And the outcome certainly did surprise me.

When I initially set up this poll, there were some problems with it. I left off some important names. And there was some sabotage. I had to reboot and start over, with the promise to retain the previous results, as several thousand readers had already cast votes. When the poll was rebooted, many more people discovered it, including a few radio personalities themselves. Imagine my surprise on one occasion when I found several thousand votes that had been cast virtually overnight, particularly for one group of hosts. But that's the way it goes. As previously mentioned, it ain't scientific. And if Obama and McCain can campaign for votes, why not the hosts themselves, right?

As I vowed earlier, I combined the results of both polls into the final outcome. Strangely enough, it worked in rather interesting ways. It also produced a startling outcome. And it minimized the possibility of box stuffing as well. The vote tallies of the two polls have not been altered, except to add them via a simple calculator.

From the get-go, I didn't care who won. It was all up to you. Sometimes it's quite interesting to just see where it all goes. And whatever the results, that was fine by me.

It's not a scientific poll. No web poll ever is. But quite frankly, the resources just aren't there to enlist Gallup or Zogby to do a meaningless survey. Let's face it, it's all for fun anyway, right?

Will there be controversy in the results? Absolutely. Lots of pissed-off people? Sure. Hurt feelings? I hope not. At least controversy does tend to lead to spirited discussion. While the poll did have some flaws, it was the several thousand of you who voted who determined the outcome. As we learned from controversial votes like with Proposition 8 in California, which banned gay marriage, the ones who cast the votes are the ones who decide the outcome. You may agree or disagree with the results, but it is what it is. And with that said, here's how it all turned out.

10. Sam Seder

Sam Seder is kinda like the Rodney Dangerfield of radio. He just gets no respect. At least he doesn't by his radio handlers. His listeners, meanwhile, absolutely adore the former screenwriter/actor turned radio talk show host.

Seder held sway in middays on Air America until April 2007, when his show was dropped in a controversial move that brought Lionel to the network. Following that, he started a Sunday afternoon show that lasted a year and expired when the contract did. But Air America, to their credit, still saw value in Seder. They named him webmaster for their site, as they slowly ramped up their anemic online presence. He also auditioned for the open afternoon slot vacated by Randi Rhodes, which was given to New York talker Ron Kuby.

But that was not the end of it. There were rumors of him leaving the network and heading to greener pastures. But Seder segued into another gig with Air America, teaming up with pal (and former Air America host) Marc Maron for a regular online-only offering, "Maron vs. Seder." The new show is basically no-holds-barred. No time clock. No restrictions. No real structure. And no prohibitions, particularly when it comes to profanity. With terrestrial radio becoming stifling and restrictive, and fading in popularity to the wide variety of other options out there, have Seder and Maron latched onto something? Could web-only be a sign of things to come? Whatever the answer is, we'll be looking forward to see what happens in 2009.

9. Randi Rhodes

It's an all too familiar tale. An entity hires a controversial, outspoken personality to be controversial and outspoken, and distances itself from said individual when the proverbial shit hits the fan. It didn't quite work that way with Randi Rhodes and her former employer, Air America Radio. But it sure appeared that way.

Back in March, Rhodes was in San Francisco, making a public appearance at an event thrown by her affiliate, KKGN. It was at a popular comedy club in town, and anyone with any knowledge of the San Francisco comedy scene knows that things can get quite bawdy. And with Rhodes on that night, it most certainly did.

In the heat of the Hillary Clinton/Barack Obama primary fight, things were getting pretty hot. The Democratic Party split into two warring factions, and even divided many politicians, pundits, personalities and bloggers along with it. Geraldine Ferraro, a former representative who made history in 1984 when she was tapped by Democratic nominee Walter Mondale to be the first female running mate on a major party ticket, was among the most outspoken in her support for Clinton and her disdain for Obama. She tarnished much of her well-earned credibility in the process.

Rhodes was likely speaking for many of her listeners when she lashed out at Clinton and Ferraro onstage that night in San Francisco. Clinton "is a whore," she said. Ferraro "is a fucking whore." Not much was made of the incident until a short clip hit YouTube. The pro-Hillary blogs went nuts, calling for Rhodes' head. Air America soon stepped in, issuing a statement 'suspending' the host for an indefinite period. In the meantime, listeners and affiliates alike were confused as to what was really going on. Soon, KKGN and a few other stations, including longtime flagship WJNO in West Palm Beach announced they would carry the show themselves, with or without Air America. Then, an announcement that Rhodes and Air America had parted ways, and another announcement the next day that Rhodes had joined the fledgling Nova M Radio.

So what really happened? As it turned out, the departure had little to do with the San Francisco incident. As it turns out, Rhodes and Air America were involved in heavy contract negotiations. The new management team offered more money, but they wanted to insert a non-compete clause, which could have stifled her career if she were to be fired at will. Coincidentally, her last day at Air America was the last day of her contract. The 'suspension' was merely a cover-up. And that YouTube clip? That was allegedly circulated by her former bosses, as a way of measuring her popularity.

But as we all know, Rhodes quickly rebounded, retaining most of her affiliates and gaining a few in the process. Along the way, listeners noticed a more upbeat Rhodes, as she stripped away most of her frustration and anger and returned to what she did best - being funny.

8. Bill Press

When The Young Turks departed from Air America last January and the network declined to fill the slot with live programming, syndicated liberal talk in morning drive in the eastern half of the country was left to Bill Press.

Thanks to the lack of competition, Press' show landed on even more affiliates that prefer going the syndicated route in mornings. Both Sirius and XM air his show, as do many terrestrial stations. Stations in the western half of the country by default air him as a live offering in the wee dark hours of the early morning. And with Jones Radio Networks being swallowed up by an even bigger fish, Dial Global, Press was backed by a bit more network muscle.

But this lack of competition is by no ways a means of disregarding Press' show. It's good. Press, a longtime television personality, has a knack for broadcasting, and is by no means a slouch. Unfortunately, his show is held back somewhat by a lack of web presence. Searching for podcasts of his show is akin to finding a mint-condition Honus Wagner baseball card in the attic. Given the heavy web presence of many of his peers, Press would surely benefit from a little online exposure.

7. Mark Thompson

With Air America and others seemingly dominating the scene and the dialogue, Sirius Left, which boasts three exclusive daily programs, is still worth noting, and in the past I have made sure that they not be ignored. Likewise, listeners made sure their voices were heard.

One of the beneficiaries of the groundswell from Sirius listeners is their newest host, Mark Thompson. Airing during the evening hours, The more amiable Thompson has garnered a favorable response from listeners who haven't warmed to the more caustic approach of Sirius Left's two other hosts.

6. Stephanie Miller

An item I read in radio industry pundit Tom Taylor's daily newsletter last week pretty much sums up Stephanie Miller:

Who had a good year in 2008? “Progressive/liberal talk show hosts,” says longtime Boston-based radio pro and Lesley University professor Donna Halper. She says “it’s true the progressive and liberal talk personalities weren’t on as many stations as righties like Limbaugh and Hannity. But for those who had long predicted that progressive talk could never survive, the format demonstrated in a number of cities that it did have staying power.” She says “Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller both turned a profit (again) and both picked up more affiliates and were regularly seen on TV as pundits.”

When her show began in the fall of 2004, Miller satisfied a unique niche. While other hosts veered toward being quite droll and serious, Miller went for laughs. Airing in morning drive in the western half of the country, the show turned into a three hour laughfest, skewering the newsmakers in a way similar to that of "The Daily Show." And the light approach has translated into massive popularity. Most of the progressive talk stations in the country carry her show. A Top 40 FM station in Pennsylvania even carried it at night. Her dominance of the time slot has even wedged out rivals such as Sam Seder and Lionel. It's to the point that other most other liberal talk entities and stations don't even bother to compete with her.

5. Lynn Samuels

I admit, I'm not really all that familiar with on-air stylings of Lynn Samuels. I do know that she has long been a fixture in afternoons at Sirius Left. I also know that she has quite a long history in New York radio, most notably on venerable talker WABC. And I know that she is very, very confrontational. And yes, I realize that she was a beneficiary of the Sirius Left wave that hit this site in the past few weeks.

I had only heard her Sirius show on a few occasions. Thick New Yawk accent. Outspoken. Lots of profanity. Somewhat prickly demeanor. Yeah, I guess it's a bit much for a laid-back Midwestern boy like me to wrap his noggin around. And I get lots of emails and read a lot of blog and message board postings from people saying how much they despise her. That reached a head earlier this year when Samuels, initially a Hillary Clinton supporter, continuously lashed out at chief rival Barack Obama throughout the campaign, as the Democratic Party seemingly and briefly divided into two factions. Even as Obama successfully fought his way through the general election, many did not forgive Samuels.

But at the same time, there are people out there that absolutely adore her. And that's what matters, right? I realize that it's a big tent out there, and one of the key principles behind this blog is that generic groupthink is pointless. And in a country that values free speech, people should be encouraged to speak their minds and ruffle a few feathers. Living in a land of over 300 million distinct personalities, we would all be hard pressed to find someone who agrees with us on everything. And while those on the right behave like drones and most parrot identical agendas across the board, we should be thankful for the culture of diversity laid out on paper by dapper guys in wigs over two centuries ago. Lynn Samuels might not be your cup of tea, but give her credit for at least carving her own niche.

4. Rachel Maddow

What a year it's been for Rachel Maddow. With the departure of many of top Air America talents, such as Randi Rhodes, it's been up to promising up-and-comers like Maddow to step up. When she first started with the network almost five years ago, as an unknown personality on the morning ensemble show "Unfiltered," her primary radio experience had been hosting a morning show on a station in Massachusetts. But as many know, pure talent will always shine through. When "Unfiltered" ended its brief run, Air America management saw something in her and gave her a solo show, running in the early morning hours. That show later moved to a higher profile early evening slot and she soon became an important cornerstone in the network's lineup. MSNBC saw something in her as well and enlisted her for frequent pundit appearances. Earlier this year, as MSNBC was looking to build around their top host, Keith Olbermann, they finally decided Maddow was ready for her own prime time show, immediately following the highly-rated "Countdown." The results surprised even them. Soon, Maddow was even getting higher ratings than Olbermann on some nights, and even beat CNN stalwart Larry King on quite a few nights.

Liberal talk has been derided for many years, with many saying it just doesn't work. As it evolves, however, there are obvious people who have shot to the head of the pack. One of them is Rachel Maddow. As I said in the past, the future does indeed look bright. And it keeps getting brighter and brighter.

3. Alex Bennett

Now, here's one of the main focal points of the controversy. Frequent readers of this site by now know that Bennett has been actively campaigning on behalf of himself and fellow Sirius Left hosts via his weekday show. They even plugged this blog and the poll via the displays on Sirius radio receivers. Many pissed off readers fired off emails, letting me have it. Yeah, I was a bit bemused by the whole thing. But hey, I didn't say he couldn't plug Sirius. In fact, I finally decided to just encourage anyone interested to plug the heck out of themselves. It was best to just let it all play out. Plus, a spirited campaign kinda makes things more fun. And we did get a lot of new traffic, and that's not a bad thing.

Of course, when the dust settled, many thought the results would be a foregone conclusion. But, as I mentioned earlier, there was that first poll I had to deal with. So while Sirius hosts clear and away rocked the house on the second poll, the results of the November one provided for a rather interesting outcome.

Like I said, that's exactly what happened. The numbers speak for themselves.

But perhaps its time to praise Bennett, not to slay him. After all, he did get a lot of votes. At least a few thousand people like him enough to stand up for him, right? And he was at least honest enough to come here and communicate with his many critics on this very blog. Perhaps it even inspired to create his own blog. So I guess the guy does deserve some props.

Essentially, you either love him or you despise him. There's not much of a middle ground. But give the guy some credit. He's been in the game since he was a teenager in the latter years of the Eisenhower era, and spent much of his younger years roaming the nation as a Top 40 disc jockey. He wound up at WMCA in New York in the late 1960s, just before they transitioned from their famed "Good Guys" hits era into talk radio. Bennett made the move with them, and found his niche as a default radio voice for the emerging counterculture. His late night show featured many of the New York radicals of the day, guys like Abbie Hoffmann and Paul Krassner. And yes, even John and Yoko.

As the years went on and the national mood settled during the 'Me' decade and the Reagan era, he moved to mornings and held sway on the airwaves of his hometown of San Francisco throughout the 80s and most of the 90s. And in recent years, he's transitioned once again, into a somewhat controversial no-holds-barred talker on satellite radio, given carte blanche by management to say whatever the hell he wants. After all, isn't talk radio supposed to piss you off? For that, I certainly can't fault the guy. Hey, why should you?

2. Thom Hartmann

Finishing just 22 votes ahead, readers went with a familar, friendly voice, Portland, OR-based Thom Hartmann. Although up against heavy competition in his time slot, he is one of the most successful progressive talk voices out there.

Hartmann's current show has been on longer than most on this list. He was part of the old I.E. America network, along with Mike Malloy. When that network folded five years ago, Hartmann continued to self-syndicate to a small number of affiliates. He hooked up with Air America a few months after they began and with the departure of former host Al Franken gained one of the network's highest-profile time slots, in addition to a strong affiliate base. Along with Rachel Maddow, Hartmann is a cornerstone of the network.

And that still isn't enough. Hartmann is also a prolific author, having written many books over the years and still releasing 1-2 each year. He has also done well as a businessman, which helps when he goes head-to-head with the Ayn Rand types who typically appear as guests on his show. In the past, Hartmann has credited a conservative talker, Michael Medved, as giving him the idea of bringing in on-air guests who disagree with him, as a way of spicing up the show. Not many liberal hosts tap conservative think tanks like the Heritage Foundation for guests.

So, as the smoke and dust has settled, you voted Thom Hartmann as your #2 Top Talker for 2008.

So, that brings us up to the winner, the one you all voted for. And the winner of the reader's poll, for the second year in a row, is...

1. Mike Malloy

He's on late at night. And only on a handful of stations. Yet there perhaps is no other host who possesses the passionate following that Mike Malloy does.

And he's been at it for longer than most on this list. A former writer for CNN, he moved into radio during the 1990s, with stints on well-known talk stations like WSB in Atlanta and WLS in Chicago. As ABC abruptly moved their talk stations hard to the right, Malloy's popular show was unceremoniously dumped from WLS' airwaves, and he returned to Atlanta to begin a syndicated effort via I.E. America, where he carried on during events such as the beginning of the war in Iraq in 2003.

I.E. America went belly-up in early 2004, just as Air America was set to launch. Passed over at first, and unable at the time to broadcast remotely from his hometown of Atlanta, he soon was tapped for the late-night shift at the fledgling network.

Malloy's relationship grew icy in 2006, after a myriad of executive turnovers. In August of that year, he was unceremoniously dumped by the network, amid a vast outcry from his devoted listeners. He soon rebounded, thanks to former Air America boss and faithful supporter Sheldon Drobny, who proceeded to launch a new network built around the host. More than two years later, Malloy is still doing what he does best.

A revolutionary aspect of his show is how popular it is via the internet. Shut out by many radio stations and tape delayed by others, he gets most of his support and listeners online, via live webstream and podcasting. And with terrestrial radio going through very tough times now, due to decreased advertising revenue and stale programming practices, Malloy and his listeners are exploring the new frontier of broadcasting.

You voted for him in a landslide, and yes, you named Mike Malloy the Top Talker of 2008. Really.

(NOTE: In the companion entry, posted immediately before this, is a list of the Top 10 picked by this very blog, rather than the reader poll. Consider them to be companion pieces.)

The Top 10 Talkers of 2008 (The LTR Picks)

With the posting of the readers poll results of 2008's Top Ten Talkers, a severe storm of shit will likely rain down upon this silly little blog. I assure you that I played as fair as I possibly could. I merely put up the poll. I just added up all the numbers, and delayed posting by a day or so in order to accurately check and double-check the results. It was up to you all to vote in it. All I asked was that you refrained from cheating by casting multiple votes. And no real evidence of that was determined. So, it is what it is.

A couple years ago, I did the list on my own, before the poll idea came about. I created the list of who I saw as the most influential hosts of the year that had passed, and who made the most impact. In creating the list, I tried to remain impartial, to take a step back and judge who made a difference. It wasn't my own personal preferences, just fair judgement calls. And just to show where my loyalties lie (I try not to play favorites), here is a similar list compiled by yours truly. Again, this is not a list of my own personal favorites (that kind of list would look radically different than this one). Rather, I chose the people who I thought were the most listened-to, the most talked-about, the most influential, the most noteworthy and most generally liked of the past year. I also tried to figure how many of you would rank them. Here is that list:

My list

10. "Maron vs. Seder"
9. "Democracy Now!"
8. Alex Bennett/Sirius Left
7. Bill Press
6. Mike Malloy
5. Randi Rhodes
4. Stephanie Miller
3. Thom Hartmann
2. Ed Schultz
1. Rachel Maddow

So, how did I arrive at this list? Well, the one person who made the most impact this year, Rachel Maddow, was far and clear the big winner in this list. No comparison. She did have one hell of a year. After building an impressive affiliate base, she was tapped by MSNBC for a high-profile slot following the highly-rated "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." As her show exploded in the ratings, and sometimes even beat the high-profile competition on CNN and FOX News, she far exceeded expectations. Her radio affiliates love her and have done quite well with her show. If there is a future in progressive talk radio, the name Rachel Maddow is perhaps first to come to mind. In 2008, she was The Beatles. Everyone else was Gerry And The Pacemakers.

Most of the hosts on this list have already been covered in depth in the accompanying entry, so there isn't much more that could be added. One that hasn't, and barely missed the cut of the readers' poll is Ed Schultz, arguably, the top dog in progressive talk radio. This week, his show reaches its fifth birthday, and it's still going strong. Schultz also employs the advantage of being on quite a few small-market stations that program a mostly conservative talk lineup. So yes, in some areas, one can potentially hear Schultz and Hannity back-to-back on the same signal. In addition, Schultz often gets the best guests, with the A-list of Washington insiders appearing on his show. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have made frequent appearances. He had Ohio representative Dennis Kucinich on for a whole show, since he flew all the way to Schultz' home base in Fargo to appear. Needless to say, Schultz still has serious pull.

Why didn't Schultz fare stronger in the reader poll (he finished #11, just shy of the Top 10)? The only answer is to guess. Schultz' popularity is a bit more mainstream, where he has often aimed. Rather than a passionate hardcore following from the left, a la Mike Malloy, Schultz' draw is much wider and not as deep. And its possible that a "gun-totin' meat-eatin' lefty" may be a bit off-putting to some. But I'm a Midwestern guy, and I can relate to Schultz' North Dakota populism. I also like the structure of his show, very polished, tight and professional, countered with Schultz' folksiness. And where else can one hear about the biggest stories of the day, including interviews with the newsmakers themselves? Schultz' listeners were the first to hear the infamous allegations against Idaho senator Larry Craig over a year ago, and months before the embarrassing 'toe-tapping incident' at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was revealed to the public.

Being successful in a small format is a challenge when up against strong competition in the same time slot, but both Schultz and Thom Hartmann pull it off. Often, they're both on the same station by way of delay (Schultz also feeds replays of his show in late afternoons and early evenings). Hartmann has been at the talk game a bit longer than many of the names out there, and many are drawn to his friendly, direct style. And his show is still growing, both in popularity and in the number of stations carrying him.

The recent brewhaha over Randi Rhodes' departure from Air America has solidified her popularity. Her show barely missed a beat when she moved over to Nova M Radio and relocated from New York back to South Florida. The change of scenery, from New York to Florida and from Air America to Nova M seems to have resulted in a change of demeanor, as the oft-prickly host began showing a warmer, more relaxed side.

Stephanie Miller is still one of the format's biggest guns, and almost completely dominates her morning/late morning time slot. Nobody comes close to competing with her.

Mike Malloy ranks on my list by sheer fact that he has such a loyal following. While he is not carried by many radio stations, he is on both Sirius and XM, and has a very devoted following of people who listen online, which is perhaps the next frontier in radio listening. His strong online presence is a factor in his ranking here.

Bill Press enjoys a somewhat similar situation to that of Miller's, in that he has little competition in his time slot. As a result, he has gained a rather decent affiliate base. The show also includes quite a bit of organized professional polish, befitting an offering from a major radio syndicator, something I feel is important in the genre.

And yes, I did put Alex Bennett on my list. Sirius Left, as I mentioned before, is still a presence. Perhaps this is more a reflection of Sirius Left than Bennett, its most popular host. With the ongoing merger of Sirius and XM, we shall see how things pan out for the channel in 2008 as it (hopefully) gains a stronger presence.

Many of the names on this list and the shows they host have been around only in this decade. "Democracy Now!" has been around since 1995, and via commercial and noncommercial radio stations, public access cable channels and satellite TV services, they have been presenting a direct approach to the news that just isn't seen on commercial news outlets. Granted, the show at times can be a bit dry, but for those looking for a serious breakdown of serious news events, rather than missing blondes and Britney Spears' latest hijinks, "Democracy Now!" is that very tonic. In addition, "Free Speech Radio News" is another noncommercial entry similar in nature and airing on many of the same radio stations as "Democracy Now!" Air America Radio airs hourly feeds from that service.

While still a young show (only a few months, as a matter of fact), I put the new offering from Marc Maron and Sam Seder as the last entry on this list. At this time, it's only available online, offered by Air America Media. But it employs the talents of two much-loved hosts, and is an important step in branching out into web-exclusive media. Both names are included here not particularly for what they did in 2008, but what possible impact they can make in 2009 and beyond.

For results of the readers poll, please refer to the companion entry, immediately following this one chronologically.

Top Ten... reasons the list ain't done yet

I know, I know. You're all asking the same question.

Where is it?

Well, the Top 10 Talkers of 2008 feature is nearing completion. I had hoped to have it up today, but there were a few delays. Actually, there were ten of them. Here they are:

10. The dog ate it.

9. Rod Blagojevich wants more money.

8. The end result was unacceptable, and John, George and Ringo are bringing Phil Spector in for overdubs. They forgot to tell Paul.

7. Alex Bennett hasn't finished writing the rough draft yet (just kidding, just kidding...)

6. Had to be in Alaska for the birth of Tripp Palin.

5. Clint Eastwood movie marathon on AMC ("The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" is a very long flick).

4. Hockey at Wrigley Field? Who'd miss that?

3. Still in denial over the Rod Marinelli firing from the Detroit Lions.

2. Waiting for the outcome of the Coleman/Franken senate race.

And the number one reason...

1. Wasting my time doing stupid Lettermanesque lists like this one.

Rest assured, the list should be up tomorrow. There were a few snags with it. And the process of compiling the results of two polls (the most recent one and the one from November) is a complicated process. In fact, I did spot an error that needed correction (a glaring omission, actually - sorry, Steph). So the results needed another combing over.

In addition, you'll get not one but two lists - one based on votes from all of you and another prepared by yours truly (just like two years ago). Two for the price of one. Cool, huh? So, look for it by tomorrow.

In the meantime, enjoy this early part of 2009. Crappy New Year!

Sirius Pimpin'

As I checked in on this site Monday afternoon, I couldn't help but notice that a radio personality listed on the Top Talkers of 2008 web poll at right suddenly became quite popular. Sure enough, this person went from a scant few votes to over 400, a literal overnight sensation. Hmm... interesting.

Well, it certainly doesn't take a village idiot to figure out what's going on. So, I did a check of my site stats. Unlike other 'surges,' this influx didn't appear to come from a website or message board. Readership numbers (of various "entry links") and vote tallies didn't seem to jibe at first. And said host's website looks like it hasn't been touched in years. So, it seems like a very strong clandestine word of mouth campaign. Or a host is actually (gasp!) stumping for votes on the airwaves. Turns out that yes, this thing has evidently become big enough to inspire individual on-air campaigning activities.

Yes, I have read the testy emails from many of you confirming my suspicions. Some of you are claiming that a few hosts on Sirius Left are going all Boss Tweed on this thing.

And in a scenario reminiscent of an old-time Texas election, some say these hosts are encouraging a little trickery. But just like Jolly Ol' Saint Nick, I know who's been 'naughty' and who's been 'nice,' even without a Sirius subscription. With that, I say hello to our newest readers, Sirius Left's Alex Bennett and Lynn Samuels.

Here's the story. Seems Bennett and/or some of his listeners discovered the poll, and since Monday or so, he's been hawking it on his radio show, encouraging votes for Sirius folks like Himself, Samuels and Mark Thompson. Okay, fine. I guess at this point, if hosts want to campaign, who am I to say otherwise? As a matter of fact, have at it. But some have accused Bennett of telling people how to 'fudge the numbers' using a little computer trickery. I didn't hear it, so I do not know. In the comments on this entry, Bennett denies any wrongdoing, aside from giving a little free publicity to 'the funnest blog on earth.'

When a similar incident happened soon after the poll went up a month ago, sure, I got a little pissy about it. But looking back, that was unwarranted. Heck, I obviously saw it coming. I probably encouraged it. A few weeks ago, I did restart the poll, over a thousand votes already in the bag. It was not really because of chicanery, but mostly because I left off a few names that myself and others really wanted on there, but were accidentally left off. And yeah, the foolishness happened again. And no, I'm not going to get pissed about it. Nothing to really get worked up about.

There's an old saying, 'we learn from our mistakes.' Story goes, when Thomas Edison was working at inventing the incandescent light bulb, he went through hundreds of unsuccessful attempts. In his eyes, he didn't fail. He just discovered more ways not to invent a light bulb.

Another old saying goes, 'if life deals you lemons, make lemonade. So, let's take a look at the lemons:

1. The method was flawed from the beginning. My fault. I was trying a new, rather complicated way of doing it. For some reason, I tend to make things more difficult than they should be.

2. The poll has possibly been 'juiced,' sometimes by semi-nefarious methods.

3. Some hosts have resorted to blatant self-promotion.

4. It's not being taken all that seriously. Or maybe it's being taken too seriously.

5. This Blogger poll widget is kinda goofy.

And with that, we make lemonade:

1. I learned another way how not to make a light bulb.

2. I obviously saw it coming. I even encouraged it somewhat by adding names of people who I knew some die-hard fans would give a boost to.

3. The offenders are obvious to anyone visiting this site. Nobody's being fooled here.

4. Thanks to this silly little poll, this blog is getting lots of free on-air radio promotion. That usually costs a lot of money. Thanks, Sirius! You rawk!

5. Let's face it, at the very root, it's a silly web poll.

6. This has all promoted a lot of interesting activity, discussion, enthusiasm and fun, and has brought a wider mix of readers and commenters. I like that.

7. Chaos can be fun.

8. Finally, as news is a bit slow and I have nothing really to write about, I've actually got a rather interesting topic this time around. And one that will no doubt spur quite a bit of reaction from many of you.

All in all, I have become amused by all of it. I'm not angry. What's the point? It's really all for fun, right? I certainly don't hope that Bennett, with his many years in radio and all, is spending hours or so sitting in his pajamas in front of his laptop clearing his browser cache and cookies folder while casting multiple votes for himself. If that's truly the case, he needs better hobbies. Pronto.

And wouldn't you know it? I actually like Alex Bennett, and I'm probably one of the few I know who does. I chalk it up to sentimental reasons. I listened to him back in the 80's, while living in the San Francisco Bay Area where he did the morning show on Live 105. It was one of the funniest, most entertaining things I've ever heard on the radio. Kept this lonely bitter teen sane during a few crappy years growing up in that hellhole known as Fremont, California. For that, I thank you, Alex.

Sure, most people who read this blog absolutely detest the guy, and believe me, I've read the emails and comments from those of you who feel this way (they're even less kind about Samuels). Bennett's not your typical 'liberal' talk show host. You either like him or hate him. He's not a person everyone likes, like, say, a Rachel Maddow. But I like the fact that he's a bit cranky and off-the-wall. His style of radio is to often challenge and piss people off, rather than reinforce what you already believe. It's old-school confrontational talk radio. Old-timers like Joe Pyne, Bob Grant and Alan Berg did this. And unlike, say, a Sean Hannity, this isn't just reading daily political party talking points memos word-for-word. Bennett obviously knows the object is to keep people tuned in, and say whatever comes to mind. I can't help but to laugh at the fact that years after I grew up listening to him everyday on the radio, he's now pimping my blog on his show. Welcome to the internet.

But back to the topic. So hi, Alex and Lynn! Glad to see you! And since you are now my readers, how's about throwing us peons a bone and put up podcasts of your shows or something? Especially for those of us uneasy about subscribing to "Mel's Folly," knowing full well that he may up and cancel Sirius Left on a whim as he chops away at the two satellite monoliths in his fold to justify that Howard Stern money. Let's hope this doesn't happen. At the very least, I'd sure love to hear audio of the on-air plugs you've been giving me this past week. Email the mp3's to ltradiomail@yahoo.com.

(NOTE: Bennett says that Samuels has nothing to do with this, though some readers have said otherwise. Will someone come to a consensus here, fer cryin' out loud?)

As I mentioned earlier, I do have a plan in place for dealing with this mayhem (though it does seem to be constantly evolving), while at the same time acknowledging all of the choices of the thousands of people who have voted. But you'll have to wait until January 1 to find out. In the meantime, have fun, play nice. Just be sure to vote only once. That's all I ask.

After all, what good is a shallow victory?

My Big Fat 2008 Turkey of the Year

The word "Thanksgiving" has many meanings. In historical context, the Pilgrims gave thanks for their new home, free of the religious persecution they escaped in Europe. In modern times, it means food. Lots of it. And family get-togethers. And football. And turkey. Lots of turkey.

Here,we're serving up the turkey as well, celebrating the second annual "2008 Turkey Of The Year," devoted to the year's masters of media buffoonery. And what a year it was! Of course, it was all about the election this year, and the zany exploits of many have been covered here throughout the year.

The Turkey nominating committee had a very difficult time narrowing it down this year, and keeping this entry from becoming too long. I was tempted to include various political figures this year, but that would make this thing ridiculously long. But there was so much hilarity on the political landscape that I may write an extra edition devoted to them, perhaps at year's end.

And unlike Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's embarrassing turkey pardon last week, there will be none here. The axe will still fall anyway.

Some of the usual suspects nominated last year make return visits, and there are many new turkeys to choose from. But there can be only one Turkey Of The Year.

And we begin this edition with an update on last year's top contenders...

Bill O'Reilly. Obnoxious. Egotistical. Self-righteous. Loudmouthed. Hypocritical. Yes indeed,no one could ever run out of adjectives to describe this FOX News blowhard.

And we found out this year that this isn't a new thing for the falafel king. Apparently, he's always been an asshole. From 1989 to 1995, O'Reilly hosted a syndicated tabloid news show for CBS called "Inside Edition." And long before he annoyed coworkers at FOX, he was doing it there. Somebody dug up an old outtake, showing O'Reilly blowing his lines and blaming it on the teleprompter guy in a vicious profanity-laced tirade. Fuckin' thing sucks, indeed.

O'Reilly's nasty temper is blatantly obvious to anyone watching. And he often uses his show to bully and wage personal vendettas against his so-called enemies. Chief rival Keith Olbermann on MSNBC had a lot of fun mocking the "Inside Edition" meltdown, and in quick retaliation, O'Reilly (who refuses to even utter the name of his nemesis, let alone challenge him directly) lashed out at Olbermann's boss, Jeffrey Immelt, the CEO of General Electric, parent of the NBC broadcast properties. O'Reilly called Immelt a "despicable human being" who, as the head of a major U.S. defense contractor, bears responsibility for the deaths of American soldiers in Iraq, since GE had done some low-level business in Iran.

Not being content with that, O'Reilly prodded his own bosses, News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch and FOX News chairman Roger Ailes, who leaned on NBC boss Jeff Zucker to tell Olbermann to cool it. Zucker told them to get lost. The News Corp-owned New York Post then began publishing hit pieces on Olbermann in their gossip columns. It was war!

Yes, it is true that O'Reilly uses others to do his dirty work. Like his hapless producer, Porter Berry, who attempted some ambush journalism. But pitting this sad sack against a journalistic heavyweight like Bill Moyers -- at a conference for independent journalists no less, is kinda like feeding him to the lions. O'Reilly was hoping at least to get some footage that could be edited in a way to cause Moyers some embarrassment. But Moyers is too smart to take the bait. Anyone who could work for LBJ and live to tell about it has got to have some inner toughness, right? Moyers was very polite and direct toward Berry as he proceeded to verbally turn him into a puddle of goo. Following the encounter, some of the folks at the conference who were taping the so-called 'ambush' then followed Berry all the way to the exit, pestering him about whatit was like to be publicly 'owned' and to work for such a crappy 'news' organization. But give Berry some credit. At least he's willing to engage in humiliating things that O'Reilly doesn't have the balls himself to do.

Though he is likely a coward outside of the safety and security of his studio, O'Reilly occasionally engages in some real world physical combat, to prove his 'toughness' to a rather skeptical public. Last January, O'Reilly got into a small skirmish as he tried to strong-arm Barack Obama's National Trip Director, the 6'8" Marvin Nicholson, in order to get to the candidate at a primary event. Nicholson probably could have folded him into something the size of a briefcase, but he didn't. Naturally, O'Reilly lied about what happened on his show afterward. And he proceeded to pick on another usual target, the
gang at MediaMatters.org.

Sorry Bill-O, but you ain't Geraldo Rivera. And you may not be the 2008 Turkey of the Year, but you are definitely in the running for 2008 Pussy of the Year.

John Gibson. O'Reilly isn't the only FOX News goon worthy of Turkeydom. Whenever FOX needed a talking head to deliver cruel, offensive and bigoted rhetoric (or at the very least more cruel, offensive and bigoted than their other meat puppets could serve up) or to mock those that cannot defend themselves, Gibson could always deliver. Hell, anyone who writes a book claiming that liberals are trying to ban Christmas outright is obviously a few fries short of a happy meal, right?

In January, following the sudden tragic death of actor Heath Ledger, Gibson callously mocked the death of actor Heath Ledger, calling him a "weirdo" with a "serious drug problem" on his FOX-syndicated radio show. He went on to play clips from Ledger's film "Brokeback Mountain," spicing it up with some hostile gay-bating rhetoric. Gibson deservedly caught a bunch of flack for his loud mouth, even though I'm not really sure if he even has any kind of radio audience. He issued a half-hearted apology where he didn't even admit doing anything wrong.

And lending proof to the theory that karma truly does exist, Gibson's TV gig on FOX News Channel got the axe about a month later. And now he's toiling in relative obscurity in his syndicated radio exile, where his show only has a handful of affiliates on really low-rated and underpowered AM stations.

But that isn't all in the world of FOX...

Various FOX News idiots. Last year, I gave a blanket Turkey Of The Year award to the whole sordid cast and crew. Rather than repeat myself, I refrained from doing likewise this year, tempting as it was. However, their collective exploits do deserve some mention. Here are a few highlights:

'Fox and Friends' Brian Kilmeade, who, when referring excitedly to a monkey he adopted from the London Zoo last week, said, "I'm responsible. It's almost like... almost like what Madonna did with that Malawi child."

My own personal favorite incident was back in June, when anchor E.D. Hill reported on the friendly 'fist jab' that Michelle and Barack performed just before his victory speech in St. Paul, Minn. "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently." Hill later issued a semi-apology and explanation for her loose lips.

A few days later, FOX News struck again, this time in an on-screen chryon during a segment featuring Michelle Malkin: "OUTRAGED LIBERALS: STOP PICKING ON OBAMA'S BABY MAMA!" As one Daily Kos blogger pointed out, it was one step away from calling Michalle Obama a 'ho.' Another apology issued soon after.

And wouldn't you know it? As soon as Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska started his trial, he got "the 'D' treatment."

Finally, FOX News hired a new pundit this year, former Bush political henchman Karl Rove. You've probably heard of him. Rove must be slipping, though, as he forgot his own GOP talking points as shown by him describing Barack Obama as "the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by." Yeah, kinda like his old boss.

Hey, I'd like to name the whole gang at FOX "Turkeys of the Year" for yet another year, but turkey donations are down across the country, so I'm going to have to limit it to only one person this time around. Read on...

Really bad Republican pundits. They were all over the cable news shows this year, like flies on feces. You often see them chanting canned talking points like zombies. Many of these people are so beholden to the talking points that they really don't know what they're all about, making it quite difficult when a host actually behaves like a real journalist and calls them on it. You may remember L.A. Radio conservojock Kevin James, who had his ass handed to him on "Hardball." Then there was another guy, an actual Republican congressman named Jack Kingston. While appearing on "Live with Dan Abrams" on MSNBC, he chastised Barack Obama for not wearing his flag pin often enough, playing the oh-so-popular patriotism card made popular by scummy political schemers like Lee Atwater way back when. And boy oh boy, was he making a big deal of it! Only one problem – Abrams noticed Kingston wasn't wearin a flag pin on his lapel either, and he made sure to call him out on it. Even a McCain campaign spokesman, Michael Goldfarb, couldn't dig himself out of bogus talking points. Tsk, tsk. For this year's Thanksgiving, they get a processed canned ham with lots of preservatives.

WHNT-TV. Don Siegelman, Alabama's former Democratic governor, got a raw deal when was wrongly convicted of corruption last year. His plight was documented in many liberal blogs and in the mainstream media, which raised the possibility that he was a victim of political persecution, and the whole ordeal had GOP dirty trickster Karl Rove's greasy fingerprints all over it. The CBS show "60 Minutes" ran a report in February on the Siegelman case. Unfortunately, if you live in northern Alabama, you probably missed it. The local CBS affiliate, WHNT, suddenly experienced mysterious "technical difficulties" that blacked out the entire segment. WHNT issued a half-assed apology, and blamed it on a technical problem with CBS out of New York.

Scott Horton of Harper's magazine, who had written in the past about Siegelman, called CBS News in New York and was told that "There were no transmission difficulties. The problems were peculiar to Channel 19, which had the signal and had functioning transmitters."

To their credit, CBS19 was kind enough to show a replay of the segment on their 10PM news. Too bad it was on opposite the final hour of the Oscars on ABC, when nobody would be watching anyway. We'd offer CBS19 some turkey this year, but due to technical difficulties, we are unable to do so.

Pat Robertson. The conversation earlier this year involving the televangelist probably went a little something like this:

"Hey, guess who I was just talking to."

"Who?"

"The Almighty Himself. And you know what he told me?

"What?"

"He told me who would win the presidential election this November."

"Haven't we heard that before?"

"But I'm telling you. This time is different."

Okay, I'll bite. Who's gonna win?"

"Uhh... I can't tell you. It's kinda between me and the big guy. Besides, that crabby old man on '60 Minutes' might make fun of me."

"Mike Wallace?"

"No, that other crabby old man."

"Oh, Andy Rooney." Okay, so tell me, who are you supporting in the primaries?"

"Why, Rudy Giuliani, of course."

Ann Coulter. What would a turkey awards celebration be without mention of this vicious pundit? But in a year when things were looking pretty gloomy for Republicans, she morphed from Annthrax Annie into Baghdad Barbie in a June column:

"The man responsible for keeping Americans safe from another terrorist attack on American soil for nearly seven years now will go down in history as one of America's greatest presidents."

"It is unquestionable that Bush has made this country safe by keeping Islamic lunatics pinned down fighting our troops in Iraq."

"With Iraqi deaths at an all-time low, Iraq is safer than Detroit."

And, in the final paragraph:

The sheer repetition of lies about Bush is wearing people down. There is not a liberal in this country worthy of kissing Bush's rear end, but the weakest members of the herd run from Bush. Compared to the lickspittles denying and attacking him, Bush is a moral giant -- if that's not damning with faint praise. John McCain should be so lucky as to be running for Bush's third term. Then he might have a chance.

And in a very recent development, the New York Post reported yesterday that Annthax broke her jaw and it is currently wired shut. Normally, I'd be sympathetic, but considering she's long made her living being 'as nasty as she wanna be,' I'm really not.

No turkey, though, for her this year, just a cold, heaping serving of reality. In liquefied form.

Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos. Over the course of a year, the Democratic contenders for the presidential nomination went through a grueling series of debates, 21 to be exact. The final one, a Philadelphia showdown between the final two candidates, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, was presented by ABC. One would think the two moderators, Gibson and Stephanopoulos, would take this opportunity to grill the candidates on the important issues Americans really care about. But this debate was less PBS and more TMZ.

The tabloidy first question set the tone, asking if they would join together on a 'dream' ticket. Then it all went downhill from there. The debate devolved into an hour and a half of 'gotcha' bullet points. It was less about the economy, health care, energy, the war in Iraq and terrorism and more about "bitter," Rev. Jeremiah Wright, flag pins, William Ayers, and whatever other stupid non-news distractions swirled around. Granted, moderators are supposed to ask tough questions, and at least CBS' Bob Scheiffer got it right in the final presidential debate the following October. But the performance of Gibson and Stephanopoulos at the ABC debate was roundly criticized. Especially after bloggers and the media found out where Stephanopoulos got some of the questions - from Sean Hannity, who begged him to bring up Wright, Ayers, etc.

Yep, that's our liberal media hard at work.

And while we're talking about insane 'gotcha' politics, we should give ample recognition to...

The 'mock outraged.' You know these people well. They're the modern-day version of the 'politically correct' types from the early 90s that they love to sneer at more than a decade later. Essentially, they're crabby right-wingers who like to feign shock and outrage at stuff the rest of civilized society considers rather meaningless. And they were out in full force this year during the campaign season. OMIGOD!!!

Obama had a crazy preacher!!! Oh yeah? So do you.

OH NO!!! Obama had an acquaintance who was a radical domestic terrorist in the 1960s!!! Oh yeah? Ronald Reagan armed terrorists in the 1980s. And the Bush family has long been friends with the Bin Laden family and the Saudi monarchy – people who actually know the people behind the 9/11 attacks.

All year long, we saw a long line of idiot pundits try to scare us all over the most ridiculous shit that came down the line. All it showed is that Obama is not much different than anyone else in power, and that they sweat over really stupid shit. And they think they can protect us from the real-life threats. Please. No turkey served here. Just a chill pill.

Brian Maloney. One of the biggest 'mock outragers' of all. This guy is such a tool that the turkey award itself should be named after him. As a matter of fact, I think I will. The turkey will from hence forth be known as "Maloney the Turkey." In the four years that the failed radio talker began blogging, he has gone from anti-Air America attack dog to avid Al Franken hater. Then big-time radio talkers like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity discovered him, and as a result, he transformed into a sickening ass-kisser. Radio Equalizer is now basically a shrine to these talk titans who already have over-inflated egos. As a blogger who became an officially-sanctioned propaganda organ for snooty millionaire talk show hosts, he lost what was left of his soul along the way.

But by chance, I happened on his blog once again, after virtually forgetting his very existence. Still the same old nonsense. But with conservatives out of favor in Washington and virtually everywhere else, Maloney has transformed yet again into a pisser and moaner of the highest degree, constantly feigning mock outrage at even the most minuscule of mishaps and any slight thing semi-offensive remark uttered by even the most obscure of liberal media personalities, as if to say, 'ah ha! Gotcha!.' He lets loose on mean-spirited and unhinged rants claiming that all liberals themselves are mean-spirited and 'unhinged.' Uh huh.

Maloney's increasingly ridiculous blog typifies why normal rank-and-file Americans have grown tired of the crybaby conservative movement. Right-wing age has become this year's political correctness, a meme that people are just plain sick and tired of. If the conservative movement has any future, it would be best served moving away from these sniveling wimps as quickly as possible. After all, Ronald Reagan was never a wussy. But alas, no turkey for Maloney this year. Just sour grapes and whine. And whatever he eats for Thanksgiving, let's hope, for his safety and ours, it's with a plastic spork in a rubber room.

Air America Media. People like Maloney have gotten a lot of mileage ripping Air America. Sure, most of it is nonsense, but the fledgling liberal talk media juggernaut is not without their share of unnecessary drama. With 2008, the network saw yet another ownership change. And the new boss, Charlie Kirecker, got off to a really bad start when he decided to play hardball with the network's biggest talent, Randi Rhodes. It started with a live, raunchy promotional appearance by Rhodes for her San Francisco affiliate, KKGN at a local comedy club. When the outspoken host lashed out onstage at Hillary Clinton ("She's a whore") and former vice presidential candidate and FOX News pundit Geraldine Ferraro ("She's a fucking whore"), pro-Hillary and right-wing bloggers went nuts. A video clip was leaked on YouTube . A day or so later, Air America made a big deal of 'suspending' Rhodes. The following week, Rhodes 'left' Air America and quickly landed at rival Nova M Radio.

So, what the heck happened? Turns out there was no suspension. On her first day back on the air, Rhodes accused Air America management of spreading the 'whore' meme in an attempt to gauge the level of her popularity as they were busy hashing out a new contract for the talk show host. A major sticking point between the two parties was the 'opt-out' clause, which would allow for Rhodes to leave at any time and prohibited management from outright firing her. They wanted it removed. In return, they would offer more money. Rhodes was adamant about keeping control of her show, and would not budge. Turns out, the start of the 'suspension' coincided with the final day of her contract.

With Rhodes' departure, Air America had two major holes in their schedule to fill. The morning slot had been vacant since The Young Turks left in January, and now they needed to fill one of their highest profile slots. Over the course of the next month or two, it was a revolving door of guest hosts, some good, some not-so-good, until they finally settled on former WABC talker Ron Kuby.

Now Kuby is a capable air talent, though without Rhodes' fanatical following. And his show was picked up by only a few affiliates, as many progressive talk stations opted to stick with Rhodes. As of now, they still haven't hired anyone for morning drive. And other shows on the Air America schedule (Lionel, "Clout," etc.) are still quite obscure compared to their rivals on other networks. The only bright spots are Thom Hartmann in middays and of course Rachel Maddow, who's had a phenomenal year, not necessarily with her Air America show, but rather as MSNBC's popular new host. Here's hoping Air America's current management, the most secure team they've ever had in almost five years in business, is smart enough not to let either of them go.

The HD Radio Alliance. HD Radio initially came from noble intentions. But the big problem here is the entities behind it just can't seem to figure out what to do with it. It is stagnant. Sure, we hear the ads on radio about this new technology, but the main problem they have is the same one they've always had. Namely, there's hardly any decent products out there on which to hear it. Sure, we'd all love to hear commercial-free eclectic programming on the side channels, and we'd love to hear static-free CD quality music from FM, but until they roll out something besides crappy tabletop radios and a scant few car audio systems and cumbersome converters, it will continue to remain a big tease – something that may sound kinda cool but also something we cannot have. They have quietly been signing up a few automakers to put HD Radio units in cars (as an option), but until it becomes more widespread, easy to use and more portable, HD Radio is looking more and more like a modern day version of the whole AM stereo thing from the 1980s.

Clear Channel San Diego. Last December, after weeks of hemming and hawing, and various protests from listeners, the company blew up the successful, profitable and well-rated liberal talk format on KLSD, flipping it to a sports talk format, the third such one in the market. With the flip came much more overhead, as the station went from one full-time local host (Stacy Taylor) to a handful, creating a mostly live and local daytime lineup. The format flip resulted in the station virtually disappearing from the local ratings chart. But when life deals you lemons, you make lemonade, right? The station did show a slight rise in ratings this summer (albeit still a small fraction of what liberal talk got on the frequency at its peak). Then we discovered how the ratings surge happened. Turns out several Arbitron diaries were sent from the home of the station's morning host. When this was discovered, Clear Channel San Diego wound up with egg on their faces, and said morning host was fired on the spot. A pretty embarrassing beginning for XTRA Sports 1360.

Some of this year's Turkey contenders won't be at this year's awards banquet, instead spending the holiday behind bars...

Evan Montvel Cohen. A reviled character in the early days of Air America, he's the guy who misled his other fellow investors, claiming he had more money than he really did. Actually, he didn't have jack shit, and created a rather ugly controversy by hitting up Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club in the Bronx for a rather sizable amount of change. When this was all uncovered, Cohen was sent back to Guam with his tail between his legs. But Cohen's sleazy tactics didn't end there. In May, he was arrested at Guam's airport on a Hawaii warrant for charges including theft, credit card fraud, forgery, and money laundering. Montvel Cohen is currently facing ten years in prison.

Bernie Ward. Ward was the longtime liberal late night radio host at San Francisco powerhouse KGO. Until it was discovered that he had a rather disturbing hobby – namely collecting child pornography on his computer. He used the Pete Townshend defense, claiming that it was all for a book he was doing on hypocrisy. That obviously didn't wash in court, and as a result, his radio career is over and he's doing seven-plus years in the joint.

Richard Senninger. Known on-air as Rick Wright, Senninger was a budding conservative talk radio host based out of St. Augustine, FL. He also ran an upstart syndication venture, and bought time on various tiny AM stations across the country for his late night weekday show.

He often boasted to affiliates and contractors how profitable his show was, and how he could turn his thirty years in radio and television into self-made radio success. It all sounded too good to be true. It was. Especially when he couldn't pay his bills. After attempting to pass bad checks and other peoples' credit cards to pay his bills, skepticism abounded. In May, Senninger's house of cards came tumbling down when he was arrested in Florida and extradited to Michigan to face larceny charges and bench warrants for unpaid child support. For this con man on Thanksgiving, mock turkey would seem quite adequate.

Elsewhere on the police blotter this year...

Daniel Dean Thompson. This Utah video store owner has been carving out a rather controversial business over the last few years. Basically, he takes Hollywood movies and edits out the naughty bits, removing excessive violence, cuss words, naked titties, etc., and markets them as "clean" videos. Basically, another self-appointed self-righteous moral arbiter defacing art. Gee, can't wait to see that 28 minute purified version of "A Clockwork Orange."

But that will have to wait. Evidently, all that time in the editing room must have driven him crazy. Actually, I believe he was crazy before that. Earlier this year, he and a buddy were arrested for engaging in sexual activity with two 14-year-old girls. No turkey for this scumbag, but he will likely get "three hots n' a cot."

If anyone ever wondered why right-wingers typically crash and burn in the movie business, perhaps Thompson exemplifies the reason. Which leads us to...

Hollywood Republicans. Right-wingers have long bitched and moaned about not being represented adequately in Hollywood. Witness their bitching about the most recent Pixar movie. "Wall-E," which received a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but which various wingnuts described as "leftist propaganda," "a 90-minute lecture on the dangers of over consumption," and "liberal nonsense." Thing is, instead of whining, they should do something about it. Sad thing is, the talent just isn't there. While we on the left can proudly claim the likes of Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Tim Robbins, Robert Redford and countless, countless others, they're stuck with washed-up people like Chuck Norris and Kelsey Grammar. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in politics now and Sylvester Stallone ain't crankin' out the hits like he used to. Bruce Willis and Clint Eastwood (an old-school moderate Eisenhower Republican) don't really talk politics much anymore. Even reliable Republican Dennis Hopper jumped ship this year, proudly boasting to the press that he was voting for Obama. If right-wingers want to succeed in an artistic medium such as the entertainment industry, they need to at least make a credible effort. As you'll see from the following examples, they just have no case to whine.

Raphael Shore. Earlier this fall, Shore, a Israeli-Canadian documentarian and right-wing think-tank member, used his so-called organization' to blanket Sunday newspapers across the country with a DVD called 'Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against The West." The film is a scathing attack on Islam, as told by a mediocre filmmaker with an obvious agenda. And one obvious intent was to try to influence the U.S. presidential election. His website at one time even included an endorsement of John McCain. Okay, you say. But what about Michael Moore, Robert Greenwald and countless others do the same thing on the other side? Well, what Shore came up with was quite offensive, very violent, extremely racist and above all, unintentionally hilarious. Instead of the intended effect, scaring people with threats of Islamofacsists who hate America, people across the country were left snickering at silly Anti-American Iranian rap music videos.

David Zucker. This former member of the comedy filmmaking trio known as Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker, which made such hits as Airplane!," "Top Secret!" and the "Naked Gun" trilogy has finally made a film devoted to the beliefs he holds as a so-called "9/11 Republican." This year, he attempted to make a honest-to-goodness conservative comedy. Unfortunately, "An American Carol" held the appeal of stale garbage, with the main target being Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," a film issued more than four years earlier. "Carol" has the look and feel of a film that had been sitting in either development hell or on a studio shelf for a long, long time, and when it came out, it had all the humor, excitement and appeal of a five-year-old copy of "The National Review." The result? This low-budget yarn garnered horrible reviews and came and went from theaters very quickly. Somewhere, there is a sharp, witty and funny conservative comedy waiting for someone to write it and film it. I believe it is possible. If it were really good, I would actually want to see it. However, this film is not "An American Carol." Close, but no turkey. He gets stale leftovers.

Ben Stein. I long ago came to the conclusion that if right-wingers so desperately want a monopoly on AM radio, they have every right to fight for it. After all, we've got Hollywood, and the conservative movement has had an even rougher time establishing a foothold there than liberals have in talk radio. Take, for instance "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," created by media pundit, former Nixon staffer, television personality and occasional actor Ben Stein (of "Bueller... Bueller... Bueller..." fame). Now, this hardcore fiscal conservative has solidified his partisan cred by putting out a so-called 'documentary' blasting schools for teaching, of all things, science. Why don't they teach that Jesus rode a dinosaur, fer cryin' out loud! Is our children learning?

Well okay – conservatives suck at the movie business. How about music? Read on...

Mike Meehan. The McCain campaign had a pretty tough time rounding up rally music this year. They were shut out of most of the typical top-tier rock anthems when artists such as Van Halen, Heart, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne and the Foo Fighters demanded that the McCain camp refrain from playing their music at their rallies. The best ones were solidly in the Obama camp. With the lack of A-list rock n' roll talent, McCain took his "Country First" slogan to heart and was reduced to trolling Nashville for the predictable retreads. One-hit wonder John Rich (remember 'Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy?") did write a song specifically for him. Okay, not exactly Bruce Springsteen, but you gotta take what you can get, right?

Perhaps they should have called Meehan, a struggling musician from St. Cloud, Florida who erected three identical billboards earlier in the year that showed an image of the World Trade Center attacks, a message begging people not to vote for Democrats and the address of his website, therepublicansong.com. In essence, Meehan became an even more shameless exploiter of 9/11 than Rudy Giuliani, and basically the creator of what could best be
described as "Free Republic: The Musical."

The music itself? Well, perhaps there's a reason Meehan is still pretty obscure.

So, what's his beef with Democrats anyway? As he told CNN, "I believe 9/11 could have been prevented if we'd had a Republican president at the time." Forget the turkey, let's buy Meehan a clue.

Lee Greenwood. Speaking of bad jingoistic music, if it's an election year and there's a Republican running for president, it's time for this schmaltzy countrified lounge singer to climb out of his Branson hidey-hole. Which he did, as he went on the road for John McCain. And next year, he's doing "Hannityfest" with Charlie Daniels and other cheesy country and Christian pop stars. Though, if President Obama follows through on his pledge to outlaw torture, the so-called 'Freedom Concert' might not happen.

appointed this one-hit wonder to a six year term on the National Council of the Arts. The Council's job is to advise the National Endowment for the Arts on how to spend its money. No turkey for him this year. Just cheese. Lots of it.

So, I guess that leaves talk radio, right? Here we go...

Melanie Morgan. What a year it's been for the San Francisco shrieker. Or what a year it hasn't, I should say. For years, she used and abused the airwaves of Disney-owned talk station KSFO to forward her ridiculous hate-filled rants for the past decade or so. Corporate cutbacks resulted in Morgan getting the axe. In essence, the very corporate system that gave her a microphone to spout her nasty rhetoric jumped back and bit her bony ass. In other words, those that live by the sword shall die by it.

This Thanksgiving, she gets two fake turkey breasts and a helping of instant karma.

Chris Baker and KTLF-FM Minneapolis. KTLK-FM couldn't be any different than the similarly-named progressive talk AM station in Los Angeles. Sure, they're both owned by Clear Channel, but that's where the similarities end. Earlier this year, the struggling 98,000 watt FM station (which at times had even been beaten by tiny 1,000 watt AM progressive talker KTNF in the ratings) shook up its airstaff and cut some overhead. They fired their faithful morning guy, legendary Twin Cities personality John Hines, one of the nicest guys in radio, for the crimes of (a) making too much money and (b) not being a mouth-foaming reactionary nutcase. In his place, Clear Channel brought in Baker, a cheap morning guy and right-wing goofball to boot. In keeping with the old adage of 'you get what you pay for,' what they got was just another obnoxious conservative asshole. Witness this exchange with his co-host, from the week of the Republican Convention in St. Paul:

"So we've been talking about police protection during the upcoming convention when all those stinky protesters are coming. There seems to be a big debate over whether or not police officers will be able to wear helmets, carry shields, use pepper spray and Tasers on this crowd. You know, I'll tell you what works on a crowd like this -- a machine gun, that always works very well." Baker's co-host, "Jordan," agreed: "Mow 'em down, baby!" he added.

At other times, he and his co-host claimed that NBA legend Magic Johnson "faked AIDS," called Obama "a little bitch" and ogled Sarah Palin's cleavage and panty lines.

Where on earth do they find these people?

Bill Cunningham. Back in April, the Cincinnati radio host was tapped by the GOP to warm up the massive crowd of 300 people (gasp!) at a local campaign rally, serving up enough red meat to choke a PETA convention. Big, big mistake. Onstage, Cunningham lashed out at the media, at Hillary Clinton, and called former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright as an "ugly old woman," all while the media cameras were rolling. And he called attention to the fact that Barack Obama's middle name is Hussein. Multiple times. A few in the room cheered on Cunningham, while others stood with jaws dropped.

So, let's see... Blame the media? Check. Misogyny? Check. Xenophobia? Check. Racism? Check. Fear-mongering? Check. The fact that the goofy-looking Cunningham best resembles a human dildo? Double check.

Coming on after Cunningham's insane rants, McCain proceeded to throw said dildo under the Straight Talk Express, even telling the crowd that he'd never even met the guy. Yeah right. In turn, Dildo Man went crying to the so-called 'librul media' about that mean old man who dissed him onstage, and vowed he would support Clinton in the election, claiming that McCain was "too liberal." He also made up a new nickname for the Arizona senator, "John Juan Pablo McCain," an apparent reference to McCain's sponsorship of immigration reform legislation. In case you were wondering what he really felt.

Fast-forward to October. As the McCain juggernaut was looking dead in the water, Cunningham changed his tune, and offered to go out and stump for the beleaguered candidate. No response came from the campaign. The GOP may not be that bright, but obviously they can spot a turkey all the way in Cincinnati.

Sean Hannity. Earlier, I mentioned the 'mock outragers' that currently hold sway over the modern-day conservative movement. And the one person that perhaps best exemplifies this group is none other than Sean Hannity. Hannity is basically a GOP robot, barking the daily talking points with lots of bluster and little humor.

His two shows, one on the radio and one on FOX News, are chock full of the usual lies. And following the election, he has been in rare form. Never mind that Barack Obama has yet to take office – he's already responsible for our current recession. And never mind the whole Brooks Brothers Riot that accompanied the vote recount in Florida in 2000, Al Franken is trying to steal the Senate election in Minnesota by (gasp!) demanding every eligible vote be counted! Pot, meet kettle.

And if Hannity were held to the same standards of lesser employees at FOX, he would be out on the street. A few months back, a production assistant was fired when she told John McCain "I voted for you in the primary, you're going to win." Not too soon after that, Hannity all but admitted to being a surrogate for John McCain. Go figure.

The usually dour Hannity did inadvertently provide some comic relief back in January, when he was involved in one of the funniest episodes of the early primary season, as a horde of angry Ron Paul supporters chased him through the streets of Manchester, NH chanting "FOX News Sucks."

Glenn Beck. Beck almost deserves the Turkey outright for a really strange episode from early this year. As the Iowa Caucuses, the first major event of the primary season, were going on, Beck was gone from his show. Turns out he had been recovering from what he called "a botched surgery." In a bizarre attempt at garnering sympathy, the right-wing radio and TV host publicly released a rambling video from his sickbed, unshaven, drugged up and looking like complete shit, lashing out at the hospital that treated him, which he compared to rat-infested Walter Reed, and how the mistreatment and lack of compassion from hospital staff made him almost "full-fledged suicidal." Let's just say this appearance was downright creepy, and when I initially wrote about it, I was reminded of Vincent D'Onofrio's psychotic Marine grunt in "Full Metal Jacket." Beck never did disclose what exactly the surgery was for, though I'm not sure I really want to know.

But the rest of the year wasn't so bad for Beck. FOX News signed him away from CNN Headline News for tons o' money for his own show on that network. Now if only we could find a way to get rid of his former Headline News colleague Nancy Grace.

Michael Savage. Zillions of electrons could be used to keep track of all the nonsense that comes spewing out of Michael Weiner's mouth. I'd include them all, but I don't want to crash the computer systems of this blog's readers. Here are just a few tidbits:

March 31: "I would round up every member of the ACLU and of the National Lawyers Guild and I'd put them in a prison in Guantánamo and I'd throw the key away"

May 20: Savage aired the Dead Kennedys song "California Über Alles" while discussing Kennedy's diagnosis with a malignant brain tumor.

July 16: Savage claimed that autism is "(a) fraud, a racket." He also said, "I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is.

September 16: Muslim immigrants "are no doubt terrorists, and some of whom are gonna produce children who will become terrorists"

October 10: Accused Obama of running a "corrupt campaign," suggested that white liberals "hate white people," repeated the discredited charge that Obama "won't produce his birth certificate," and asserted "Kenya is going to move to America" if Obama wins the election.

But, alas -- no turkey for this clown. Turkey weiners, maybe.

And so, we have come to the big turkey enchilada. The biggest, fattest turkey of them all. Now, narrowing it all down to one single entity was a tough job in this activity-filled year. And I didn't even cover the political non-media end of the spectrum.

This would have to be one turkey that rose far, far above the others.

The sweeping tide of Democrats in 2008, culminated by the election of President-elect Barack Obama, drives the biggest nail into modern-day neoconservatism. It is very clear that the movement has run its course, and it's time for a new direction.

What began as a movement led by the highly confident and optimistic Ronald Reagan has fizzled out into insecurity, pessimism, name-calling,incompetency and overall immature behavior. And that's just on radio and television.

Turn on AM radio in just about any town and you'll likely run across any of hundreds of right-wing mouthpieces, endlessly chanting the mantra of the white conservative agenda. In addition, they're not too casual about pointing fingers, and are quite quick to chastise liberals as traitors, lunatics, dreamers and just plain evil. Yes, this is what passes for political discourse in America.

In the months and years ahead, perhaps these goofballs will be left in the dust as their audiences age and few of them show little reason to change their ways.

Therefore, the 2008 Turkey of the Year should commemorate this changing tide, and the rapid rise and slow death of wingnut talk radio. And in celebrating it, perhaps its best to go right to the head of the line. The year 2008 marked the 20^th anniversary of a significant syndicated talk radio show. But it's not all about the past twenty years. This year has been a noteworthy one for Rush Limbaugh.

Anyone listening to Limbaugh can come to expect to hear a lot of nonsense, right-wing fantasy, racism, misogyny, xenophobia and hypocrisy, all broadcast from a studio in a near-empty office building near his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, One would assume he rarely leaves his home, aside from going to work or scoring drugs from the parking lot of the local Denny's. And with the signing of a new multi-million dollar contract, it's safe to say he's tucked away safely, far removed from that cold, harsh liberal world that exists beyond the subdivision gates. This chubby former disc jockey has essentially become Howard Hughes with a microphone.

Much can be written about the drivel spewed by Limbaugh daily, several for each of the 200 or so days he's been on the air this year. But as I said before, this entry is getting way too long. And in covering his descendants and clones earlier, it would be kind of redundant. We'll at least single out his most noteworthy episode of the year, this one called "Operation Chaos."

In the middle part of the year, he was egging on the heated rivalry between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who he dubbed a "little black man-child," for the Democratic nomination. In August he was hoping for riots to break out at the party's convention in Denver. He dubbed his efforts "Operation Chaos." It got media attention, but on-air bluster is as far as it really got. And soon after claiming that he was "dreaming of riots in Denver and "a replay of Chicago 1968, with burning cars, protests, fires, literal riots, and all of that." Many were offended by Limbaugh's call for riots, including several Colorado politicians and even a few listeners. Limbaugh hurriedly retreated from his previous comments, claiming to one caller, "who wishes for riots?"

Rush Limbaugh, 2008 Turkey of the Year.