Let’s be honest for a moment – it should come as no surprise that, even as I take a very kind head nod from the City Weekly for my two and half years of Left of the Dial, it gets canceled. I wonder if they’re hiring?
The excuse from management is that I “don’t fit into the new Corporate Mission Statement” but I’d argue that I never really did fit into the old corporate mission statement. Whatever.
I worked Left of the Dial for the last two years with little more intent than to be informative, researched, progressive and highly opinionated. I’m pretty sure I pulled it off. I even think, from time to time, that I was even entertaining.
One hour a week was just never enough to make a great show. I think it was pretty good, but not great. I tried my best to target bad behavior in every deserving direction; from Killpack and Garn to Matheson, and from Bohner and Bush to Pelosi and Reid. I’m pretty sure that Shurtleff, Clark, Matheson, Miller and the rest of the goofy gang will be happy that I’m gone, but, in all honesty, I’m a little sad about it.
So, thanks to those of you who listened in and called – regardless of party affiliation. Thanks to KSL for goofing around and letting me play on the air for a few years – they may have pretended that I didn’t exist, they may not have treated me the way they treated the rest of the on air folks, but, you know what? They gave a progressive liberal an hour of their air every week. That was something.
It doesn’t end here, though. I have a few tricks and a few plans up my sleeve. I’ll have more info next week, but, for the time being, keep watching this space as we plow through yet another election cycle – and now I don’t have the corporate mother hen telling me what I can and can’t talk about.
Talk to you soon.
Go get ’em Jeff… we Yanks are rooting for ya!!!
I’m not happy at all. I’m not like you Jeff. Even with our differences I still want you to succeed. I may suck at the Internets, but my life isn’t elevated when sucky things happen to you.
Wow, Rob, I think the tone of your comment shows you might be a little duplicitous. Take ten minutes and think about the emails you had sent last year. It was all pretty obvious when they were the most critical for my not having Granato on as a guest. I didn’t have him on because his campaign manager told me never to call him again when I called him a back stabbing liar (hint: you’re his campaign manager).
And we wonder why we get our asses handed to us in this state. When you two ladies are through posturing maybe you can get to work changing Utah’s political landscape. Sorry you got booted Jeff. Consider it a compliment. This state thrives on intolerance. We should at the very least be tolerant of each other.
I have to disagree that a juvenile pie-fight like Rob and I are having is why we get our asses handed to us. There are so many other reasons.
Democrats in this state should still adopt Reagan’s 11th commandment.
I think the timing of this announcement is fitting. On Saturday I was driving in my car, and I checked KSL radio to see what was on. For the first time ever, I happened upon “Left of the Dial”, and I determined that it’s time for me to remove FM 1270 from my presets if an LDS Church-owned station has now provided its own soapbox for the loud, obnoxious, unprincipled voices of progressives who are swiftly destroying our country, one perversion at a time.
Maybe I’ll reconsider keeping KSL now that they’ve apparently seen the light regarding the promotion of people set on the moral decay of society.
Fair enough, Richard – but that’s kind of the point. When what you hear on the radio and what you see on TV and what you read in the paper makes you comfortable, you’ve pretty much given up growth, learning and being an active member of the American experience. It’s stunting and a little sad.
On the other hand, I’ll be buying all my kids’ sports gear at Big5 and the Sports Chalet from now on.
Thanks.
“Maybe I’ll reconsider keeping KSL now that they’ve apparently seen the light regarding the promotion of people set on the moral decay of society.”
Yes, Clearly supporting universal health care, equal rights for all without regard to race, sex, or religion are unchristian values. Clearly the bible was wrong and Jesus turned away the poor for being laz about liberals, and clearly turned away the blind due to their pre existing condition.
Right now the Democrats are the party fighting against the moral decay of society, caring for the poor and the sick is the best way to fight “moral decay”.
Just recently 29people where murdered in west Virginia in a mine explosion, by method of the mine company’s CEO actively preventing the maintenance of mine safety and now will get off the hook entirely because of the republican’s assault on workers rights.
Now that you’ve got some time on your hands, Claudia Wright’s campaign sure could use some help standing up the the dirty money Matheson has been throwing around the party lately. With your help she could win.
Sorry, Tim. I respect the hell out of Claudia and the movement, but I’ve got a family to feed and I’m currently making only about 15% of what I need to that. Getting a job in Utah, especially when you’re a guy like me – is a little rough. I’d love to come hang out sometime.
Jeff,
I think Rob was being sincere. The two of you make better friends than rivals, especially for your causes. Both of you are gifted communicators and respected icons. Both of you are people that I consider friends and look up to. I think that the only winner of friction between the two of you is the establishment.
Just sayin’.
“informative, researched, progressive and highly opinionated. I’m pretty sure I pulled it off. I even think, from time to time, that I was even entertaining.”
Informative? Sure. Researched? Yes. Progressive and highly opinionated? That’s a given. But entertaining? Not for a second.
Gotta be honest with you, Jeff, you’re much more entertaining to read than to listen to. Though I disagree with you on everything but Star Trek and U2, I find your blog highly entertaining. The radio show was sorely lacking in the entertainment department. Your Nightside appearances were a bit better, but they were pretty blah too.
It ain’t for everybody. Your blog audience and the radio audience, I think, are two very different crowds, which might explain why the humor and tone didn’t translate well to people who happened to be listening to KSL on Saturday.
Kudos to KSL for even giving you a shot.
‘Kudos to KSL for even giving (Jeff) a shot?’ Are you serious?
KSL gave a progressive voice (and a damn fine one) one whole hour a week while spinning the hate breed (Hannity, Limbaugh, etc) incessantly and we’re supposed to recognize that as an achievement?
It is this lack of diversity on the airwaves that has stymied the political discourse in Utah and continues to give rise to xenophobic and homophobic politicians like Chris Butters and Jason Chaffetz. KSL breeds intolerance while spoon-feeding a gullible and morally bankrupt listening audience their daily dose of misinformation. ‘Journalism’ at its worst.
However, as you mention in your post it’s ‘entertainment’ that you are looking for. I suggest attending the next Tea Party rally or the Utah County GOP Convention.
Kudos to Jeff for getting booted. You can rest assured that you were doing something right.
Shawn, not that your comment merits any response, but let me clarify a few things.
You wrote that I claimed to turn to talk radio for entertainment. That is false. Either you didn’t read my comment thoroughly or you didn’t properly connect it to Jeff’s original post. He wrote, “I even think, from time to time, that I was even entertaining.”
It was a comment made, I assumed, to elicit a response. He hopes he was entertaining. I responded by saying he was not. Don’t put words in my mouth.
Second, I find it amusing that the Left only classifies Right-leaning talk as “hate speech” or “hate breed.” As if it’s all peace, love, and lollipops when progressives get their hands on a mic. On KSL, Jeff was just as brash, caustic, and condescending as you perceive Sean Hannity to be (for the record, I find neither of them entertaining).
Regarding inclusiveness, I suppose you don’t criticize outlets like CNN, MSNBC, or NPR for their lopsided political views. And I guess you had no problem with Air America for not giving a Rightie an hour a week.
There is no diversity on the airwaves because the market simply doesn’t demand progressive talk. Believe me, if ClearChannel thought anybody would listen to progressive talk, they’d have no qualms about airing it all day long. The only way progressive talk flies is if it’s government subsidized, a fact I find hilarious.
John Stewart says it best. “FOX News: The Lupas of News”!
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-april-20-2010/bernie-goldberg-fires-back