I think I have mentioned before that I try and carve out some time during the week to listen to some talk radio. Some of the work I do for a living involves monotony and allows for a little background multi-tasking.
I feel a bit like Goldilocks searching for the porridge with the right temperature. I have tried to find good Canadian talk radio but so far not much luck. Andrew Frasier-sound-alike Krystal on the Rogers stations in the Maritimes is hard to listen to. He’s all over the map ranting like a top shelf liberal about war and then demanding lower taxes like a conservative. He flirts with female guests and his efforts at profundity come out almost creepy.
I tried the talk radio in Montreal and Toronto but it was way to Montreal and Toronto centric – who’d a thunk it?
So, I switched to the U.S. side and some of the shock radio on Fox News and related channels are interesting almost from a anthropological or pop culture reasons. Millions of people listen to that stuff because its sole purpose is to push ideological buttons and push hard. But, eventually, Bill O’Reilly et. al. is preaching to a demographic that doesn’t read much (hence his ‘word of the day’ segment and his scolding of his listenership). After awhile his effort to ram every single new story through his ‘culture war’ lense gets annoying.
So, I tried a little Air America. The leftwing alternative to right wing radio. They yell and scream even more than the right wingers but I have to say they need to check their demographics. It is a statistical fact that the typical Democrat is more educated and most likely less influenced by yelling and ranting than the average middle American Republican (think college professor vs. NASCAR). That may be why Air America is tanking. That and the fact the I feel my brains slowing draining out my ears after listening to the advertisments. They are just plain offensive. Like listening to Sally Struthers peddle home education courses – but every ten minutes on and on and on. Madness.
Finally, I have settled on DennisMillerradio.com. At least it’s funny and you need to think a bit to keep up with his jokes – most of which require some knowledge of recent or current popular culture. Sure, his Right Wing Revival seems a little contrived but I think his interest in national security is sincere. His stint on Saturday Night Live anchoring the news makes him somewhat a natural for this venue. I fear he is not polarizing enough to garner and maintain a large following but hopefully enough ears will tune in to keep him around.
Or maybe we’ll get lucky and a Canadian will take on this role and view things through a Canadian lense. Maybe Rick Mercer doing talk radio. Unlikely and, quite frankly, Rick is a great comedian but crossing the line into serious discourse might be hard for him.
Sunday night, that’s all you get.