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Doing my civic duty this morning, listening to local boy Craig Fahle on WDET recap the State of the Union speech. Guests are the less-than-impressive Bankole Thompson and a third-rate doofus from some Michigan tea party group. That's it? Them's the best gets you got Craig?

I try to tune in to keep up with local happenings but most of the time that show is unlistenable due to poor guest choices, insipid interviewing or inane topics. What's my other morning local talk radio choice? The flatulent Frank Beckman. Lovely choices. (I threw Gaddis overboard a long time ago.)

Mark Scott was a hoot, but he's dead.

The good days of Detroit-produced radio are pretty much gone, so I go trolling when enough's enough. Not suggesting that other cities have content superior to what's here, but there's a little thrill in pulling down a signal from Boston or New York. In the high 900s there's a news/talk station from Rochester that comes in well, and to the right of that I've been getting Winnipeg. In the trench of 696 I can sometimes get Nashville in the 800s. All of this on the car radio, btw.

Yeah, I think Bankole Thompson is a creep whose commentary usually amounts to just about nothing.

Morning radio is tough, because any outlet that is not actually performing "drive-time" radio has to make, at least, a token attempt at competing with it.
One of my Guilty Pleasures-- one which proves that I am, in fact, sort of a self-punishing loser-- is listening to "The Ticket," sportstalk-radio at 97.1 FM. I think I listen to the early-morning crew because the ire it inspires, in me, gets my blood heated up and running.

As for you, Thunderstruck, if you can tolerate Beckman (is he flatulent, or the actual result of flatulence?,) it seems like you would find Fahle to be positively brilliant. I think I like Fahle more than you do, anyway.
I'm hoping that this thread stays lively. I could use some suggestions. I love talk-radio, but the options are limited, because I am not at all interested in the opinions of anyone who is either completely left or completely right.

Yeah, Frank, that "dead" thing really has a way of putting the ol' kibosh on a guy's radio show.

Like Gully, I listen to The Ticket in the morning. Actually, pretty much all day. It's not great radio, but it's local and it makes decent background noise. Until Pat Caputo comes on, I can't handle that oaf's blatherings for even 2 seconds.

Doctor Detroit wrote:Like Gully, I listen to The Ticket in the morning. Actually, pretty much all day. It's not great radio, but it's local and it makes decent background noise. Until Pat Caputo comes on, I can't handle that oaf's blatherings for even 2 seconds.

I'm with you on that, Dr.D. Although I sometimes can only make it through the first half of Valente and Foster, depending on who pissed in Valente's corn flakes on a given day.

gullycanyon wrote:Yeah, I think Bankole Thompson is a creep whose commentary usually amounts to just about nothing.

Morning radio is tough, because any outlet that is not actually performing "drive-time" radio has to make, at least, a token attempt at competing with it.
One of my Guilty Pleasures-- one which proves that I am, in fact, sort of a self-punishing loser-- is listening to "The Ticket," sportstalk-radio at 97.1 FM. I think I listen to the early-morning crew because the ire it inspires, in me, gets my blood heated up and running.

As for you, Thunderstruck, if you can tolerate Beckman (is he flatulent, or the actual result of flatulence?,) it seems like you would find Fahle to be positively brilliant. I think I like Fahle more than you do, anyway.
I'm hoping that this thread stays lively. I could use some suggestions. I love talk-radio, but the options are limited, because I am not at all interested in the opinions of anyone who is either completely left or completely right.

Yeah, Frank, that "dead" thing really has a way of putting the ol' kibosh on a guy's radio show.

I'll stop by 97.1 every so often, but aside from the recent UM f-ball coach stuff, my interest wanes. I can't stand Beckman. I''m pretty conservative politically but Beckman seems to come to his conclusions for all the wrong reasons. It's dumb radio.

Same for Limbaugh and Hannity, usually dumb radio, particularly Hannity. Limbaugh gets old fast even for a conservative guy like me but he's one of the best out there at the talk radio craft so that helps keep me listening longer than normal.

There's a local guy Bob Duco(?) on a Christian station at 103.5 that does a good hour of more political type talk right after lunch before he gets into more religious talk for the next three or so hours. Again, small doses.

Nationally, I like the topics and guests on the Diane Rehm show on 91.7 but I can't stand her, time to retire. Neal Conan is the best I hear all day on the radio, All Things Considered is good for an overall recap of things. I podcast On Point with Tom Ashbrook, he's close to Neal Conan's level.

Occasionally Michael Medved or Dennis Miller on 1400, or a quick check on what's on 1310. Michigan sports talk on 1050 out of AA.

What I'd really like is the more intelligent talk style of the national public radio shows with a local host and topics. I guess that's a bit of a slam against Craig Fahle, but I just think he too often misses the boat. For example, last week he lets some Cuba-booster guests go on and on with no challenging questions or corrections but hops all over his conservative guests, sometimes deservedly, and sometimes just when their opinions differ with his. A better host would be able to play it down the middle and argue from each side, regardless of his personal views.

My commute is long and only the wife has Sirius so I get to listen to all the locals.

The Drew and Mike gig seems to be working out well a year and a half after Drew's return. But then again, that show has always catered to my targeted demographic.

Bob Duko has an occasional interesting guest but for the most part, his show is cookie cutter evangelical holier-than-thou piousness masked as conservative social commentary. Sometimes I feel like calling and asking him if he's ever had a thought, opinion, or biblical interpretation that differs from what the ghost of Jerry Falwell would say. Also whenever I listen I thank God for seperation of church and state.

The problem I have with sports radio is redundancy. The same guys, AM and FM, talk about the same things ad nuseum. Lions need a backfield that can tackle. Yep, heard that a few thousand times since last August. The Tigers have no solid closers this year. Give me a nickel everytime this is said and I'll have a new boat by July.

Mildred Gaddis has never been my first choice but she definitely was engaging during the early days of the Kilpatrick reign.

On a clear day I'll pick up college radio on the western side of Wayne county. I'm guessing it's a pirate or student station out of Ypsi or Ann Arbor because sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not. Usually the content is piped-in progressive mumbo jumbo liberalism with talk of revolution but occasionally still-adolescent college kids get behind the mike and stammer about local news, UM sports, politics, movies, music, dating, and other big doings taking place in the Milky Way. The listenership is probably ten people or so because it's so bad but it still makes me laugh.

The gap created when JP died has never been filled, IMO. Knew his son at MSU.... a real Class A Sigma Nu douche. Hard to believe they were even related.

And NPR bugs the hell out of me. The local stuff is bush league and I haven't been able to listen to the national programming since Daniel Schorr died. What bothers me most about NPR is every effing story has to have a "victim" angle.... the sun is about to implode and the endangered sun bears of Borneo will among the most impacted. It gets tiresome, frankly.

Drew and Mike are the best thing going on Detroit radio, and at that maybe only half of it is bearable. Please, no more fucking sports and no more flatulence into the mike.
NPR, as noted, is sometimes hard to take. Morning Edition, ATC... same crap. Take Away: fuck you. Storyteller shows: fuck you, I can come up with my own meandering daydreams. Terry Gross is pretty good, but about half of the time the guest has nothing to say; some of those topics are so bad that I almost believe that those producers are trying to outdo one another with bullshit esoterica. Dave Davies does a good job as a pinch-hitter, but maybe I just like his name.

The hunt for the exotic goes on. Tonight I tuned in the following on the car's AM: Radio Disney in NYC; news radio in Boston; news radio in Chicago; sports-talk in Cincinnati. Big fucking deal, I know, but how cool is that to dial in a rare bird from so far away? Take that, Mitch Albom.

I'd rather WDET started "Morning Edition" a little later, if only to spare us the awful "Takeaway." Lord, that show sucks.

"Tell Me More" isn't much better and the Michael Eric Dyson show usually rises and falls based on its guests, just as Frank says about Terry Gross.

I do love the "Marketplace" program, financial news for dummies packed into a nice, tidy half hour. "Soundcheck" often has some cool stuff, too.

I'm sure I speak for the Beav when I say I want "A Prairie Home Companion" on Saturdays.

The Suburban Avenger wrote:I'd rather WDET started "Morning Edition" a little later, if only to spare us the awful "Takeaway." Lord, that show sucks.

"Tell Me More" isn't much better and the Michael Eric Dyson show usually rises and falls based on its guests, just as Frank says about Terry Gross.

I do love the "Marketplace" program, financial news for dummies packed into a nice, tidy half hour. "Soundcheck" often has some cool stuff, too.

I'm sure I speak for the Beav when I say I want "A Prairie Home Companion" on Saturdays.

After Dyson and Rochelle Riley stroked each other off bitching about Detroit voters for electing Hansen Clarke over her holiness Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick, I stopped listening to that show all together. Fuck that worthless rent boy.

I didn't think it was possible that I'd listen to less WDET after Bandyke/Adams left, but it's true. Friday nights, Saturdays, and part of Sunday the music is pretty great. Jon Moshier is awesome.

Sometimes, NPR, but Marketplace is a favorite. Otherwise, I was never much for talk. Unfortunately, Fahle is bush-league and provincial -- two comments that get thrown around the office almost every day by those who tune in -- and the other stuff is crapola. Take Away, Dyson, blech.

On the other stations, I could stand a little music in the morning, but I can't stand the commercials, so most mornings, I just turn the damn radio off and drive in silence.

Please, no Keillor, though I'd love to have Folks like Us or Arkansas Traveller back on.

Brenda loves AM talk but that shit makes me homicidal.

and no more flatulence into the mike

The ButtMike schtick got tired a long time ago. Dude, you're fifty-plus years old-- it's high time to act your age.

Thing is, the DM show actually works when they have serious guests and discuss topical subjects. It's their regular forays into the sophomoric that lowers the show to the common. The sooner they erase the fart noises from the soundboard, the better.

I like this thread

frank - up in grand blanc wrote:Drew and Mike are the best thing going on Detroit radio, and at that maybe only half of it is bearable. Please, no more fucking sports and no more flatulence into the mike.
NPR, as noted, is sometimes hard to take. Morning Edition, ATC... same crap. Take Away: fuck you. Storyteller shows: fuck you, I can come up with my own meandering daydreams. Terry Gross is pretty good, but about half of the time the guest has nothing to say; some of those topics are so bad that I almost believe that those producers are trying to outdo one another with bullshit esoterica. Dave Davies does a good job as a pinch-hitter, but maybe I just like his name.

The hunt for the exotic goes on. Tonight I tuned in the following on the car's AM: Radio Disney in NYC; news radio in Boston; news radio in Chicago; sports-talk in Cincinnati. Big fucking deal, I know, but how cool is that to dial in a rare bird from so far away? Take that, Mitch Albom.

I'm often able to get LSU football games from New Orleans' WWL (870 am) when driving back from East Lansing on Saturday nights. Love it. During summer car trips its fun to try to find baseball games from faraway cities ... sometimes it passes the time better than music.