Rude awakenings. This morning, as my 8am alarm went off with the radio tuned to 790am KABC, I hear “Our first contestant this morning is Brad Friedman…”
Apparently, my 3-minute submission to the KABC “Talk Radio Idol” contest made the cut to be played on the air this morning, to compete with two other submissions for consideration towards the next round (which would lead to a one-hour talk show this Saturday, after which, one of those three finalists will be given their own Talk Radio show contract on KABC, one of LA’s oldest and biggest News/Talk Radio outlets. Local home to my friends O’Reilly and Sean and Larry Elder, etc.)
The submission process for this contest had included the information that I’d be notified beforehand if my piece was selected to be played on air. Well, so much for truth in advertising. In anycase, I was lucky enough to have been listening anyway.
My piece was the first of three competing this morning, and I got good marks all around from the two call-in judges and the one “talk radio professional judge” (had I known in advance – AS THEY PROMISED! – I could have recorded the whole thing and made it available here…Oh, well.)
After a commercial break, they then returned to play the other two contestants of the morning. The second entry was a woman who sounded, shall we say, a bit too Public Affairs — and then finally, the third guy who went on about hitting people over the head with hammers when they say they don’t like the war on terror, or something like that. Angry, hostile, far rightwing. You get it.
He was funny, the third guy, to a certain extent. In the brutal and violent way that the harshest rightwing talk radio folks are these days (see Michael Savage), but as he clearly sounded like he was reading his piece, and seemed to have only one “gimmick”, I’m not sure how he’d be able to fill an hour with that schtick, much less a three hour weekly show.
Nonetheless, in a split decision, the vote went to him, not me, sadly enough. The host of the show however, LA Talk Radio Legend Ken Minyard of “Ken & Company”, who’s unable to vote in this round, clearly seemed to indicate that I would have been his favorite, going so far as to mention he “might like to include Brad Friedman as a wildcard”.
What that means, and if he can actually do that, I’m not sure. So we’ll see. (Feel free to let Ken know you’d like Brad Friedman added as a Wildcard to the finalists in the Talk Radio Idol Contest via email to KenAndCompany@kabc.com if you are so inclined!)
In any case, waking up to “Brad Friedman” this morning is undoubtedly as frightening as clicking on your link to this blog each day, so you have my sympathies.
Here, for the record, is my full 3-minute submission to the “Talk Radio Idol” contest, based on an earlier blog piece here from some weeks ago, and most of which aired this morning on 790am KABC in Los Angeles.
Sorry you didn’t get the vote.
Unfortunately, it seems like you have to hit people on the head with hammers to get on the air. Oh, for the days of reasoned debate and civil conversation….
Good luck on the wildcard spot.
I think maybe you made Danielle’s day!! 🙂
Brad, Becky was right. You absolutely made my day and as soon as I got home I emailed the radio host guy. The website above is for my sorority’s blog ring. If you click on the one that says DanielleBell, that’s mine. I dont know how interesting you’ll find it. Anyway, keep in touch and good luck.
So, in case I’m an idiot and there’s no website where it says "the website above…" here it is again, http://www.xanga.com/groups/group.aspx?id=189831
Off Topic Radio type rant:
Don’t you hate when Fox News calls suicide bombers HOMICIDE bombers. Now that’s a redundant redundancy. A bomber is a person or thing that uses a bomb to kill. Homicide is a type of killing. Killing. Homicide. So in the Bush vernacular Fox calls ’em Killer Killers. Fuck the journalistic need for being descriptive. We’ve got an agenda to push here, people. They blow themselves up in the process. Hence, SUICIDE. Killer Killers indeed.
Now about those idiots who say Nukular…
And they started doing it on the exact same day that Ari Fleischer started doing it during the gaggle.
Funny how Fox works that way, huh?
"Fair and Balanced"
Your 3 minutes was not based on the truth. Bush talked about how bad the economy was before he became president and it was bad. He was criticized by the Dems for "talking down" the economy. I lost $20,000 in my 401k the 3rd quarter of Clinton’s last year, so the economy was in trouble during Clinton’s presidency. Now, the Dems are "talking down" a good economy.
Tax cuts work because the economy is based on consumer spending! Economics 101.
I’m sorry to disappoint you, but if you actually listened to those three minutes, I’m not sure what you’re referring to.
I said (amongst other things) in them that Bush made the claim before the election that folks "deserved some of their money back" because not only was their a surplus, but he even stated during one of the debates (I’ll go find the quote if you actually need it) that he "refused to believe there would be a downturn in the economy." (quoted as best as I recall it…and I believe it’s virtually word for word there).
So, I’m not sure which part you are now suggesting was "not based in truth". Feel free to clarify (having a feeling you won’t, however).
"I lost $20,000 in my 401k the 3rd quarter of Clinton’s last year"
And how much of it have you gained back?
Did you lose your money because of Clinton or because a certain man with the name that rhymes with Gernard Gebbers defrauded and bankrupted your 401k?
My stepdad lost thousands in that certain company and to have you pass the buck to Clinton makes me wanna find you and whip your ass…but I am a real Christian and will turn the other cheek.
Maybe Mr. Gebbers can run the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee from prison.
Maybe he can pay back my family what he stole from them and then pay back everyone else including you. It’s not your fault you work in such a ghastly company.
great job, brad. hope you get the ‘wildcard’ pick.
I have two 401Ks. It was my EDS 401K that took a beating (mainly Vanguard). My Worldcom/MCI 401k is doing great. It is all going up rather quickly. The stock market began to crumble when the US Government went after Microsoft when its shares were $100. In less than a month, it dropped to $50 and every other telecom company dropped with it. That was Clinton’s Administration my friend. I did not put all of my eggs in one basket.
I have two 401Ks. It was my EDS 401K that took a beating (mainly Vanguard). My WorldCom/MCI 401k is doing great. It is all going up rather quickly. The stock market began to crumble when the US Government went after Microsoft when its shares were $100. In less than a month, it dropped to $50 and every other telecom company dropped with it. That was Clinton’s Administration my friend. I did not put all of my eggs in one basket.
Brad,
Congrats on making it on the air, and sorry you didn’t get the vote. Good luck with the wildcard (I emailed them. Hopefully, they won’t where I’m from).
And Jaime- hilarious post as usual. Killer killers…*LOL*
:laugh:
Hi Brad,
Sorry I couldn’t find any other place to contact you. Your video "Anything to Win" is excellent and to the point, but shouldn’t the date be September 1, 2004?
Carol
http://www.bradfriedman.com/Bra...thingToWin.htm
Thanks, Carol. Yes, I noticed the error this morning. Changing that date right now!