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This diary is part of a series that's been running today with a really great goal: Bringing liberal talk radio back to San Diego - and beyond! While it starts here in my home town, the ultimate goal is a nationwide presence. HT to AlanF for suggesting that I link to the other diaries in the blogathon.
8am - MsGrin: Progressive Talk Made 2005 More Livable than 2004
10am - CanYouBeAngryAndStillDream: You want to know this.
12pm - Catjab: Relevant Talk
2pm - Jill Richardson: We're on the ground floor of something big
4pm - plf515: Blogathon for liberal radio
6pm - Ramara: Tomorrow The World
8pm - Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse: GOP Rage Talkers
10pm - Top Comments: True Blue Radio Edition (asimbagirl)
12am - boatsie: TRUE BLUE RADIO: "TAG! YOU'RE IT."
First, a little background, for those of you who aren't familiar with the True Blue Radio blogathon.
Think of it as a well run Air America Radio. The advisory board is impressive: Robert Greenwald (Brave New Films), Jim Dean (Democracy for America), and Gov. Michael Dukakis. In addition, they're going to have a top notch broadcast management team, including the best talk show trainer in the country - think of all that progressive talk talent out there just waiting to be developed! (Hey...I could use a career change....)
There are so many really cool things about how this new liberal radio idea works. Like all grassroots efforts, it's starting small, but the thing is, it is starting. It's on the air, as of Monday. Here in San Diego. We have, uh, one show. but....it's DURING THE PM DRIVE TIME. W00t! Jon Elliott is on the air weekdays from 3-6 pm on San Diego's AM 1700. You can also listen to him online here.
The tentative lineup planned for San Diego is pretty cool... (From some info I got from Jill Richardson (aka OrangeClouds115), who has been the driving force behind this blogathon:)
The lineup in San Diego (and this is subject to change) will be: Bill Press, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Randi Rhodes, Jon Elliott, Ed Schultz, and TBD for evenings. On weekends we are going to develop local talent as our "bench" so that we'll have people to cover us if the weekday hosts go on vacation, or if at some point they leave. For San Diego, Jon Elliott is local and he'll be covering afternoon drive. In other markets (once we expand) we will always make sure that either morning or afternoon drive has someone local on the air (as Jon put it, you need someone who knows who plays 3rd base on the local baseball team). Other markets will be free to tinker with the line-up so it makes sense for their local audiences - the tentative line-up you see here is just what makes the most sense for San Diego since we've already tried it before and it was wildly successful.
Now, here's where you come in, you folks in the heartland and on the east coast, and in all areas not San Diego. The goal is to have 30 stations controlled by liberals (NOT CLEAR CHANNEL, YAY!!!!) by 2014. YOU can get in on the ground floor of something great!
more from Jill about how expansion is intended to work:
It will be a franchising model. We provide the format and much of the overhead, they invest and do whatever needs to happen locally. We find the station, negotiate for it, train their staff, and provide them the website, graphics, slogans, etc.
We're talking about a hybrid model here. Ad sales and memberships. Yeah, it's like PBS with commercials, and I know, the first thing I thought was, "Commercials AND membership drives????" BUT when we prove we've got the listeners, the advertisers will come, and in the meantime, there will be some cool members only benefits. And frankly, this is not even a price to pay if it means that we get some voices out there in the radio wilderness that provide alternatives to the idiots like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.
Now, here's something else to think about. San Diego county has typically been pretty conservative. But in the 2008 elections, it went blue. I just about fell over when that happened. If we can get this radio model up and running, people like congressional expert and blogger Howie Klien believe that there will be ramifications. Specifically, CA-50 is a much tighter fight than it's ever been. If we get liberal radio back on the air - successfully - in San Diego, people are going to realize that they have a choice. That means that there's a better chance than ever that instead of the carpetbagger Brian Bilbray, we could have Francine Busby representing us in congress. And I want to see this happen, because that means that my sad little district just might be next. CA-49's representative is an asshat of monumental proportions. He's the idiot who was largely responsible for giving California the Governator. Darrell Issa. God, I would LOVE to see him unemployed. And I know I've got plenty of company in that desire. Well, it's not going to happen unless there are alternatives out there to educate people. Our print media here in SD is pathetically skewed. Our AAR station was killed by Clear Channel in 2007, replaced by something we needed not at all - yet another all talk all sports station. San Diego county still went blue in 2008, and True Blue Radio can keep that momentum building.
So, as with any huge voyage, we must start with mere steps. And that's what we're doing. Today, this post is part of a blogathon geared toward educating people about True Blue Radio and toward signing up members. Our goal is 200 members today - will you help?
Tomorrow, Jon Elliott himself will be blogging here at Daily Kos. He'll most likely be blogging as Jill Richardson, because we couldn't get him registered in time to post a diary, but he'll be here from 11 - 2 Pacific (2-5 Eastern) to answer your questions about True Blue Radio - which has been his brainchild. (And really, you've got to love a man who says, on air, "Sarah Palin is a chew toy to me!" - seriously - just did!
So, what can you do to rid San Diego of Brian Bilbray and Darrell Issa?
- Join here. It's easy.
- Forward this diary to anyone you know in San Diego or Southern Orange County.
- Listen to AM1700 if you're in San Diego. Stream at http://www.jontalk.com/ if you're not. 3-6 PM Pacific, 6-9 PM Eastern.
Without further ado, here are tonight's top comments!
Lefty Coaster submitted this a bit too late for last night's diary:
This gem by darthstar gets my nod.
another late night submission, from rjnerd
This was a nice sentiment. (Comment by Rex Manning)
From Youffraita:
This thread (started by blue aardvark) is punnerful.
From cfk:
the whole diary may have made metajesus cry, but this comment by NCrissieB made me laugh.
From sboucher:
A minimalist thread begins with Plutonium Page's comment atttached to budhydharma and Bob Johnson's posthumous GBCW diaries.
From Elise:
MoNuckah hits it.
my picks:
Brandon Friedman nails Republican idiocy in this comment.
PBen made me lol with this. And I stole it, too. So there.
ChurchofBruce has some truly spectacular parenting advice. Being the parent of an 11 year old girl, I was delighted to read it and am taking it to heart.
brillig brings Top Mojo! Yay, brillig!
Top 30 Comments excluding search-identifiable tip jars, first comments and C&J:
1) He's the best minority leader by cskendrick — 230
2) Gutsy move, buhdy! Thanks. n/t by bigchin — 139
3) "We" who the fuck is "We" by dakrle — 134
4) asdf by droogie6655321 — 106
5) Meteor Blades said Tocque could have by newusername — 100
6) Kos fucked up! Book burning is bullshit! by dakrle — 91
7) I consider myself a longtime poster by droogie6655321 — 90
8) Your plan wouldn't work & here's why by FishOutofWater — 88
9) Pretty close. Banned because of what someone by CanYouBeAngryAndStillDream — 87
10) Banned for your thoughts..... by Jay Emerson — 83
11) of course he owns it and he burns books by dakrle — 80
12) I doubt you are the only one by Mortus — 78
13) I frequently call out my bosses by yet another liberal — 78
14) The end came sooner by Its any one guess — 75
15) Goddamn it! You need to be! by Bob Johnson — 75
16) My representative, Brad Ellsworth (DINO-IN-08), by Dar Nirron — 74
17) We Can Always Dust This Off: by mataliandy — 72
18) Knock yerself out! by buhdydharma — 72
19) You fail to understand by buhdydharma — 71
20) It wasn't Toque's best work by FishOutofWater — 69
21) Props to VoteVets by jtb583 — 69
22) There should be an anti-Reid diary on the Rec by AfroPonix — 68
23) Nope by buhdydharma — 68
24) Is that in the FAQ? by Seneca Doane — 68
25) "Suffer the children to come to me" by cskendrick — 67
26) I see no basis for this optimistic prediction. by LeanneB — 67
27) TXsharon is my mom by TABadam — 63
28) And the reason why we can't seat Franken is by AfroPonix — 62
29) "reprehensible." by NYCgrl — 60
30) My view of the TocqueDeville banning is: by Greasy Grant — 59
Top 30 comments with no exclusions:
1) Tips for Tocq, flames for me! by buhdydharma — 612
2) I know this is more rantish by clammyc — 523
3) Tip jar! by Darcy Burner — 502
4) Thank you by Gallatin — 445
5) Tips n/t by Cenk Uygur — 344
6) tip jar, and fuck you, Senator Nelson by slinkerwink — 319
7) Tip jar by Brandon Friedman — 289
8) tips by dday — 246
9) Tips for the Baby Girl! by xxdr zombiexx — 241
10) He's the best minority leader by cskendrick — 230
11) Come on, I wanna see the whitey tape! by DemocraticLuntz — 211
12) I can only hope by gchaucer2 — 210
13) Well done sir/ma'am. by NHConservative — 179
14) Tip Jar by Jesselyn Radack — 156
15) Tips / Mojo: 19 May 09 by A Siegel — 144
16) Close the Loophole NOW by TXsharon — 143
17) Gutsy move, buhdy! Thanks. n/t by bigchin — 139
18) "We" who the fuck is "We" by dakrle — 134
19) Tips :) or Flames :( by BirderWitch — 124
20) Good on you George by mbayrob — 123
21) Tipjar by SmileySam — 117
22) tipjar - recs appreciated! by AdamGreen — 110
23) asdf by droogie6655321 — 106
24) Meteor Blades said Tocque could have by newusername — 100
25) Now we wade out into the weeds by droogie6655321 — 92
26) Kos fucked up! Book burning is bullshit! by dakrle — 91
27) I consider myself a longtime poster by droogie6655321 — 91
28) Your plan wouldn't work & here's why by FishOutofWater — 88
29) Pretty close. Banned because of what someone by CanYouBeAngryAndStillDream — 87
30) Tears Jar by cskendrick — 86
