Thursday, December 03, 2009

A blessing to be busy 

Just one of those days when I can't get to blog, but partly because I was just having too much fun sneaking peeks at the WSJ live blog of the Bernanke confirmation hearing. I don't see it as having been rougher than other ones; the most hilarious part is that he is asked about fiscal policy repeatedly -- he at first doesn't answer, gets asked still, answers some, then at the end Sen. Corker criticizes him for speaking too much about fiscal policy.

There's no question in my mind that he'll be confirmed; I'd be long on a contract that paid for every vote for confirmation over 60.

In the meantime, please enjoy a profile of a very special woman in my life. My aunt was the one who didn't live in New England, who treated me with UCLA (NOT USC) gear as a kid, who let me stay at her house when I first moved to southern California and didn't have my dorm room secured yet so she potentially was stuck with nine boxes of my junk, and remains my LA home-away-from-home. She is probably my most liberal friend (in a family with dots all over the political spectrum) who takes a joke as well as she emails one. It is inspirational what she is doing at 78 years old; I hope I can keep up the family tradition of long lives and long careers. Or, to borrow a styling from Larry Miller, REMEMBER: IF YOU WALK OUT OF BED THIS MORNING AND LOOK IN THE MIRROR THINKING "I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL I'M 75 AND still WORKING???", YOU'VE WON THE GAME AND THANK GOD FOR GREAT GENES.

P.S. And I'll be walking out of bed and into a 6am studio for the KNSI Morning Show tomorrow, at least that's it for this week.

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Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Media reminder 

I will be hosting the KNSI Morning Show the rest of this week. Please listen in. It is not the format of the old Final Word or the new King Banaian Show: early morning radio in markets like St. Cloud have many ads for local firms, news and sports and weather every 30 minutes, etc. But we sneak a little fun in from time to time, and even a quick point about current events. I hope you'll tune in.

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Monday, November 02, 2009

Media alert 

Due to flu of the regular host Don, I will be substituting the rest of this week on the KNSI Morning Show (except Wednesday, when I will be at the all-city Rotary speaking to a morning meeting.) No podcasts, but streaming audio is available.

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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Quick media alert 

Forgot to tell you: I'm sitting in for Don Lyons on the KNSI Morning Show tomorrow, 6-8 am.

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Thursday, October 08, 2009

Media alerts 

  1. Due to a technical glitch, I am covering for Don again on the KNSI Morning Show, 6-8am tomorrow.
  2. If you are in St. Cloud, you have a great opportunity to hear an alumnus of my department who has made quite a name for himself. Jim Bullard, president of the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, will be speaking at Atwood Little Theater tomorrow at 1pm on the economy. There will be a brief Q&A at the end of the hour. Admission is free. Here are directions to Atwood.
  3. As to the status of Final Word, please check back tomorrow for news. I'm 98% sure of what happens next and need time to get the details. But it's going to be a different and I think an exciting opportunity.

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Friday, October 02, 2009

No radio tomorrow (UPDATED) 

We are in the middle of making some changes to the radio show, which will include the time of its broadcast. Suffice to say, my travel gave us little time to get all the changes made for this Saturday, so the best thing to do is to take another week off. I hope that in a week I can offer you a full update of where Final Word will be going next. The first four hours of NARN will be on the air as always and we don't anticipate changes to that part of the schedule.

I apologize for how sketchy this note is, but there are many details that are TBD at this point and probably will be for another five days or so.

If you're really desperate to hear me, besides needing to get your head examined you could hear me on KNSI next Thursday 6-8am on its Morning Show, filling in for Don Lyons.

UPDATE: Forgot it was first Saturday, so I'll take my usual turn on the David Strom Show at 10am.

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Media alert 

After a long absence, I return to KNSI tomorrow for the Morning Show, 6-8am. The link should include a place to stream the podcast. I'll be there the rest of the week.

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Too good not to share 

If you're interested in hearing radio without my one-hour economics lectures, listen in to KNSI tomorrow, 6-8am, as I sit in for Don Lyons on the Morning Show. (Streams from link on right hand side of the page.) So good, they have to give me a producer. What you won't hear is this:


(h/t: Craig Newmark)

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Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Media alert: KNSI 

I am on the KNSI Morning Show Wednesday through Friday this week, 6-8am CT. �Hope you listen in! �Streaming is available from the link, but alas no podcast.

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Thursday, January 15, 2009

Media alert: Hot Talk 

I will be sitting in for Dan "The Ox" Ochsner on 1450 KNSI from 8 to 11 am tomorrow morning, joined by Mike Landy. For those of you who listen to me on Final Word, the format is pretty similar, but this Mike is not Michael. (More on him tomorrow, since Saturday is MDE's swan song from FW.)

There's streaming audio from the KNSI link; please listen in, and call 320-251-1990 to participate!

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Sunday, November 23, 2008

Media alert 

I am sitting in for Don Lyons tomorrow morning 6-8AM CT on 1450 KNSI in St. Cloud. I'm thinking of one theme being provocations, like Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called two presidents driving near a border, or when a local newspaper decides people who question residency requirements for voting are just disguised racists.

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Thursday, September 18, 2008

Quick media note 

I am doing the second half of Hot Talk on KNSI tomorrow morning, from 9:30 to 11am. Ox and Mike will have the first half, I believe, from the new Derrick House at Quarry Park.

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Thursday, September 11, 2008

Fourth and inches 

So close...

...The page proofs are dropped in the mailbox.

...There's one more day of radio: �KNSI 6-8am (call-in line is 320-251-1990) and then an hour with Fausta's BTR show at 9am. �Been a while since doing some BTR, should be good.

And then, we celebrate the end of a five-year project to get that book to a publisher, get writers, and get the thing done. �How? �Golf, a cigar, some Scotch. �Rinse and repeat. �

See you in the morning.

(And yes, we're doing NARN Saturday. �Most fun day of the week.)



From Janet: Congratulations!!!! Well done, King!

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Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Can't get enough of this radio thing 

Media alert: �I'll be hosting the Morning Show on 1450 KNSI for through Friday from 6 to 8am. �Streaming available on the link; the call in number is 320-251-1990. �It gets a little lonely in that first hour sometimes so if you're up and interested, give us a call please.

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Friday, August 22, 2008

Media alert 

I will be subbing for Don Lyons on the Morning Show today at 6-8am on 1450 KNSI here in St. Cloud (streaming available through the link). Then at 5-7pm, the Final Word begins its State Fair duties. If you are at the Fair this afternoon, come by the Patriot booth, newly placed on Dan Patch Blvd, and visit with Michael and me. NARN will be at the Fair weekdays 5-7 along with our normal Saturday gig (11-5; the Final Word begins at 3.)

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Monday, August 18, 2008

Goodbye Garcia? 

I received a very short note from Tony Garcia that his 1-3pm show Sundays on KNSI was "on hiatus until further notice" based on a decision by station management. I have enjoyed being a frequent guest on Tony's show, and hope he will appear either back on that station or someplace else soon.

No announcement has been made on a replacement.

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Friday, July 11, 2008

Radio daze 

My radio schedule is pretty full this coming week. Tomorrow I will be on the David Strom Show at 10am for my usual one-hour discussion of the economy with David and Margaret. I would guess that we will discuss whether recession is a mental disorder.

Then the usual shenanigans of the NARN begin at 11 with the First Team of the Fraters and Ringo Hinderaker, followed by the Headliners, Mitch and Ed, and then us in the Final Word at 3pm. I'm pretty sure I saw something about Franken on Michael's blog; he might want to talk about it. Or maybe we'll just spend two hours playing with his new iPhone.

For the local St. Cloud listeners, I will be sitting in for the vacationing Don Lyons next week at KNSI's Morning Show, 6-8am Monday through Friday.

All of these shows stream (Patriot; KNSI); the Saturday shows can be found here (for Strom) and here (NARN.)

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Thursday, April 17, 2008

Another day, another radio 

I will be filling in tomorrow morning for Dan "The Ox" Ochsner on Newstalk 1450 KNSI, 8-11am. Live streaming (but no podcast) available from the link. I will be with Dan's usual co-host Mike Landy; we anticipate a discussion starting at 9 about government waste.

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Wednesday, March 26, 2008

KNSI tomorrow and Friday 

6-8am on 1450 KNSI (streaming audio available for those outside the St. Cloud area.) I'd like to talk about the story Janet has been covering the last few days about VFF and Forest Lake High. I'll have something to say as well about the DFL budget solution -- I'm going to suggest there's a deal here the GOP should consider.

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

KNSI tomorrow and Friday 

Filling in for Don Lyons, 6-8 AM on Newstalk 1450 KNSI. (Don's calling the Huskies in the Final Five, including tomorrow night's game versus the Gophers.)

We'll be taking the week off on Final Word, and we'll instead replay the interview with Governor Pawlenty. You can get the podcast if you can't wait.

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Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Back to KNSI 

It appears that, for a while at least, I'm the substitute for KNSI's Morning Show. I'll be on 6-8 tomorrow and Friday this week, and Wednesday through Friday next week. AM 1450 on your dial, and I believe their streaming works (from the link above) when they're on local programming. We might do a little politics tomorrow, just maybe.

UPDATE: Whoops! Missed communication had both me and Don Lyons there this morning. "The Senator" will be trying his hand at the host chair tomorrow. I'll be on next week.

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Monday, January 21, 2008

Quick media note 

I'll be on Captain Ed's Heading Right Radio in about 25 minutes.

And for those of you who missed me on KNSI's Morning Show this morning, you can try again tomorrow and Wednesday.

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Thursday, December 27, 2007

Radio daze 

A long weekend of radio for me:
All times Central. Hope you can listen in.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Wait! I know that voice! 

Even Littlest could identify the fine radio tones of Dan "The Ox" Ochsner on KNSI this morning as we hopped in the car to go to school. He apparently was on for the whole hour, and according to sources did not get a welcome back or any such thing on the air. He just sat down and talked like he was doing his old show again. The real purpose of his visit was to promote a chefs auction for the March of Dimes in town tonight. Currently he works in commercial real estate. His old producer Don Lyons has been handling most of the host duties since the departure of Andy Barnett, with Tony Garcia handling last Friday's show while Don traveled with Husky hockey.

I have not heard whether the station is searching outside for another host or choosing from its in-house personalities. So far, though, there's been no change in format and that's good news.

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Wednesday, November 07, 2007

The saga continues 

Andy Barnett is scheduled to appear on Glenn Beck on CNN tonight to discuss the KNSI case. Publicity is good, but how much good does all this publicity do for his future in talk radio?

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Monday, November 05, 2007

Murkier talk 

Responding to the criticism that has arisen about the Andy Barnett case, KNSI has posted "the COMPLETE, un-altered interview of two St. Cloud City Council Candidates from Friday, November 2nd 2007." It's a 20 MB file (compression would be nice, guys -- many of us do hour-long podcasts in smaller files), so proceed accordingly.

Andy is posting his story. Speed Gibson comments:
My heart goes out to Andy Barnett, but from what I've read and heard, including Barnett's own account, my head is with the station management on this one. Regardless, the worst behavior by far was that of the complaining candidate(s). I again ask, why are liberals so convinced they're right yet are so uncomfortable defending them in public?

Getting back to KNSI, abortion and same-sex marriage just aren't local issues. Barnett gave a couple of weak examples showing how they could relate to other local issues, but this just isn't good enough. Frankly, I think the intent was there to embarrass the candidates. If Barnett was adamant with management as I think I heard him say he was, then yes, he'd be gone at my station, too.
As I updated in the earlier post on this topic (not sure when it got up on this site, but I had tried to post this without success when our wireless modem went down yesterday), we have to be careful about besmirching the candidate -- as you will hear in the interview, she's adamant about her disapproval of the questions on-air, but that is the only evidence of disapproval we have. Leo has updated his post which started the ball rolling in the blogosphere saying that the station manager, John Sowada, has written to another blogger stating he did not speak to the candidate after the interview, and that in his conversation with Barnett earlier tonight Barnett said he did not see the two speaking, that "several people at Leighton told me." That's consistent with what I've found; it was not my understanding when I spoke with Andy Friday, but that came out in the interview Saturday (podcast now available -- interview begins about 12 minutes in) and confirmed by other discussions.

The part that one has difficulty with is how one goes from on-air debate to fired in four hours; given that Sowada made this decision without speaking with the candidate, one can conclude one of two things -- either it's an overreaction to an uncomfortable interview (to him as well as to the candidate), or there's more here that we do not know. Answer c: Answers a and b are correct, is permitted.

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Saturday, November 03, 2007

Did KNSI just change format under duress? 

By now everyone in St. Cloud has heard about the events at News Talk 1450 KNSI yesterday. I've written and spoken to some people at the station and elsewhere. The facts in Larry Schumacher's Times article are essentially correct. What I think is missing is context.

Let's review the pressure the station has been under:
Let's then summarize this as follows:
  1. Barnett inherited a show from Dan Ochsner, and the show was singular in the KNSI format.
  2. The station runs syndicated conservative talk (e.g., Limbaugh, Soucheray, Savage) the rest of its weekday. It has a weekly show by the local mayor, former Republican state Senator Dave Kleis, as well as current Republican state Representative Steve Gottwalt. The KGOP tag isn't exactly wrong.
  3. Nevertheless, it does not appear the station was happy with the format.
  4. The station was pressured by local DFL and appears to have been stung by the Times' criticism.
  5. It fired Barnett within four hours of the disputed interview, between which times it had received a complaint from a city council candidate, canceled a debate, pulled Barnett from the air, and then waited two hours to make its move. This would seem to imply that the CEO, Bob Leighton, was at least informed and approved of this event, though nobody at the station will speak on the record. At least one member of the family that owns the business was in the station Friday morning.
One is compelled then to ask, did KNSI change its format under duress? What are its intentions to its listeners (of which I am one)?

This should not be construed that I think the station had no right to fire Barnett. It can do what it wants as long as it's not agreed to not censor Barnett through its contract with him; I agree with most that I do not think I would have fired someone for asking those questions (you can hear what was said by listening to this audio on Andy's site and decide for yourself.) It is quite possible that the decision to let Barnett go was made a while ago. But if you expect to be a news talk radio station that has credibility, appearing to cave in to pressure from the DFL and competing media outlets is counterproductive.

I hope the station has a plan to maintain itself as the news talk station that has served the city well as balancing its media ideological spectrum for the last several years.

UPDATE (11/5): Based on additional conversations at the station, I want to clarify that when I said "it had received a complaint from a city council candidate", I do not necessarily mean that the city council candidate ever went to the manager's office or even spoke to him. The only person who says she did was not a witness but says "others tell me." Meanwhile, the candidate and one other person says they saw her leave after a discussion outside the studio. More than this we cannot say with any confidence. I will emphasize again that Barnett's firing may involve more than this one incident but outsiders will be left with that impression, much to the detriment of the station.

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Thursday, October 18, 2007

Back to morning drive 

Twenty-five years ago ("oh God, he's not doing one of those Mitch posts, is he?" -- ed.) I was a grad student-cum-radio DJ at KSPC in Claremont, CA, and morning drive was my beat that term, my last on radio before NARN began. The grad student wakes up usually earlier than your average Pomona College undergrad, so it fell to me to do this (the kids liked doing the after-midnight stints.)

Tomorrow morning I sit in for Andy Barnett on KNSI from 6-9AM, 1450 on your AM dial, here in the Cloud. (Hmmm, now that I look at your site, Andy, I notice a link missing from your blogroll?) Topics will be all over the place, I suppose, as I haven't been able to rustle up my usual collection of guests. Three hours of my voice? Maybe we'll invite Mrs. Scholar to her first radio experience!

Pray for me; I get up early enough, but talking to a corner of the world at that time will be quite the experience.

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Friday, August 03, 2007

How people can help 

Michael has been posting some information at the end of each post since Wednesday night with information on how to help with the victims of the Minneapolis Bridge tragedy. Here's some information (poststamped to stay top for the day.)

DONATIONS
Minneapolis Red Cross - donate blood and money
* Web site: www.redcrosstc.org/
* Donate blood: 1-800-448-3543
* Donate money: 612-460-3700

United Way (2-1-1)
The United Way has an established protocol for handling donations. They work with state and local officials by consolidating offers of emergency assistance and making them known to responders. Contact United Way's 211 hotline for donations. Just dial 2-1-1 or 651-291-0211. (Full disclosure: I am a board member of the United Way of Central Minnesota.)

FAMILY ASSISTANCE CENTER
Minneapolis Red Cross has established a Family Assistance Center at the Holiday-Inn Metrodome, 1500 Washington Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454

We'll talk more about this tomorrow on The Final Word at 3pm on AM 1280 the Patriot, and I will guest host for Tony Garcia on The Tony Garcia Show on 1450 KNSI Sunday at 1pm. (Links go to sites where streaming audio is available.) More about the bridge tragedy as infomrmation develops, otherwise, we'll see you Monday.

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