Photo from LTR
Listeners of The Randi Rhodes Show finally got an answer--though not many details--to "where's Randi?" After almost two weeks off the air, Nova M Radio began broadcasting The Nancy Skinner Show in place of Randi. Gone are her bumper music, her scripted bits, the name of the show, and even her message board.
We Randi fans have gone through this before, of course, with nearly identical circumstances. But when she left Air America Radio, she had the Nova M gig lined up in less than a week. All was explained, and everybody felt better. This time, there might not be a comfortable place to land, and fans of the show have nowhere to go.
For her part, Nancy Skinner managed to avoid the entire subject. She sounds like she's going to say something about the absence of Randi, and the presence of Nancy, but she ends up gibbering about something else. Usually her many and varied appearances on FOX "News." So, whatever talents Nancy might have, she's no Randi. And she gives FOX credibility that it doesn't deserve.
So, I'll have to do something else with my Noon - 3:00 pm listening time. There's that Kuby guy, and Big Ed Schultz, but I don't think either will do. I wish Sam Seder was still on. Or Rachel Maddow. And Thom Hartmann is leaving next? Maybe I just need to switch to music.
I'd leave you with an excerpt, but all of the news I can find on the subject is the same repeated postings of Randi's comment, and Anita Drobny's comment. So, I'll spare you that at least.
No, Nancy isn't Randi. She's not bad, she's diffent. No two hosts are clones of each other. If you'd give her half a chance you might even get to like her over time. Now that it appears to be her show, she can actually prepare ahead of time, start getting more guests and making it her own. She's had her own show before and actually has quite a following in the markets she aired on in the past. Give it a month or so.
ReplyDeleteAnd Randi will land on her feet, I'm sure. I'd hate for them to be in the same time slot because I like them both, but we'll see what happens.
I contacted the Nova M buisiness office today to inquire about Randi Rhodes and was told that she was NO Longer Affiliated with Nova M Radio. I said to Mr. G. Y. of Nova M "That was too bad" And promptly canceled my founders club membership.
ReplyDeleteI like Mike Malloy very much however I feel that Nova M was under pressure from Clear Channel to renegotiate Randi Rhodes contract to take over Randi's sole control over her show content. We need to support progressive talk but we can not continue to allow the corporate media to control the content of progressive talk.
We had better start supporting the progressives out there and stop corporations from controlling the truth!
Randi Rhodes is the #1 progressive Talker in the country because no one owns her! Call your progressive radio stations and demand they have Randi Rhodes on their station.
Calling progressive stations sounds like a good idea. . .if your town has one. Las Vegas doesn't have one. I've been streaming Randi from KTLK out of LA. But I guess calling them couldn't hurt!
ReplyDeleteActually... this is captfoster2 --> can be seen at MMfA.org as well...
ReplyDeleteThis is very upsetting about Randi Rhodes. All this does is feed more fodder to the right-wing blowhards among us to claim that progressive talk does not work, when of course the reality is that corporate dominance over the truth is powerful.
As for NovaM... I'm still a fan of Mike Malloy and will continue to listen...
I do hope that Randi will be back and soon!
Let's have Randi Rhodes back on progressive radio. She's our best Fox Blocker. Randi's Almost Always Right = R.O.A.R.!
ReplyDeleteI was a fan but am sick of the drama always surrounding Randi.
ReplyDeleteI'm in partial agreement, Beth. This is far from the first time we fans have had to endure prolonged--and poorly explained--absences from Randi. But it does look like the drama was more on the side of Nova M, if they are indeed now out of business. I wonder if Nancy Skinner is getting paid?
ReplyDeleteNancy Skinner is a scab as far as I am concerned. She shilled for the Drobneys who lied about the situation. I find her repulsive.
ReplyDeleteAt first I was surprised (and somewhat disheartened) to hear that Randi was no longer in the Denver market. However, after two weeks of listening to Nancy, I'm sold. It's refreshing to have a host that doesn't interrupt, condescend, or belittle their callers. I loved Randi for a while, but the longer I listened, the more she reminded me of Rush or Hannity. Civility on the radio is refreshing, and it's progressive.
ReplyDeleteIt's not fair to compare Randi to Limbaugh or Hannity. Randi doesn't actively and purposefully lie to her audience. She doesn't skew every story to make it the Republicans' fault. And she's got at least 50 IQ points over Hannity. . .and that's being kind.
ReplyDeleteI'm a very conservative gent in the northwest. For years my only source of news was Limbaugh and Fox News.
ReplyDeleteShortly after realizing that the Bush administration and neo-con-gress (including the dems) were raping and pillaging our nation almost as if there wouldn't be a tomorrow as we know it and obliterating our constitution, I stumbled across Randi's radio show.
Talk about a breath of fresh air. Yes, I despised and continue to despise every liberal aspect of Randi but she was my most reliable news source I've had for the last few years and I deeply respect her for that. Many times early on I'd go off to google some of Randi's claims for verification and sure enough every one of them were true.
Randi has more guts to tell it like it is than perhaps anybody in mass media that I'm aware of. Right about now the nation could use about 10,000 Randi's.
Hopefully, she'll be right back in the saddle again.
I wish her well and I'll keep turning the dial hoping to find her.
-John
RANDI WAS GOOD ON POLITICS. USUALLY EXCELLENT ON FACTS, BUT AWFUL IN HER FREQUENTLY ERRATIC AND WILDLY HOSTILE BEHAVIOR TOWARD CALLERS. SHE WAS TOTALLY EGOCENTRIC AND FANCIED HERSELF A COMIC ENTERTAINER. SHE CONSTANTLY WASTED VALUABLE TIME DOING HER SHTICK WITH THAT SYCOPHANTIC SIDE-KICK OF HERS. PURE TORTURE. THE MACHINE GUN, BUGS BUNNY LAUGH WAS HIDEOUS TOO. UNLISTENABLE AFTER A FEW MINUTES. SKINNER IS EVEN WORSE. SHE IS ALL AM RADIO POP CULTURE NOISE MACHINE ALL THE TIME WITH NEXT TO NO SUBSTANCE. A FOX NEWS HOB KNOBBER. I HATE HER THEME MUSIC TOO. WHY CAN'T THEY BRING BACK SAM SEDER? HE WAS SO DAMNED GOOD! NOT A MINUTE OF WASTED TIME WITH HIM!
ReplyDeleteWell, see now? Mr./Mrs. 8:33 Anonymous, YOU have the same qualities you're assailing Randi with! Your all-capitals SHOUT, while you make a mixed bag of good and bad points. You yourself sound "erratic and wildly hostile" right here in this post. Who is Randi's sycophantic side-kick? She rarely had anyone approaching the level of co-host.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I agree with your assessment of Sam Seder and Nancy Skinner. Love him, not wild about her. But your view of "wasted time" is odd. Sam had comical bits, and goofy segments much like Randi. My favorite thing about Sam is his "sneak attacks" on conservatives, taking them apart live on the air.
I think Anonymous at 5:35 said it perfectly regarding civility. With the Obama White House comes a new age of civility, and Nancy personifies that. Civility and at least an attempt at bipartisanship, which we can't have without listening and talking to the other side. As for 8:33's comment about Nancy's theme song, I love it! I've missed hearing it ever since she left the air to run for office.
ReplyDeleteCan't say I'm sorry Randi is gone from NovaM. WHile she was generally accurate and truthful in her rants, her caustic and rude manner of handling her guests was a big turnoff for me. I quit listening to her a long time ago except for an ocassional chance encounter. I haven't heard her replacement so can't say anything about her but I , too, would have liked to have had Sam Seder on the network.
ReplyDeleteI miss Randi's unusually observant comments on military, veteran, and war issues (and truckers), because Randi, unlike most of the other radio talk show hosts - has actually served in the military (and as a trucker) herself - which made her unusually valuable in knocking down the right-wing lies about those subjects by what were, in effect, conservative draft-dodgers like Limbaugh and Cheney.
ReplyDeleteWhile I appreciate Randis' intelligence, I never appreciated how much she reminded me of Rush or O'reilly when she talked over people or cut them off or effectively insulted them just for disagreeing. Rudeness and intolerance is unpleasant when it's on the left or the right, especially when trying to claim the high ground. So far I enjoy hearing Nancy. Very civil and informative. Same reason I always enjoy Rachel Maddow
ReplyDeleteTo James:
ReplyDeleteTaking digs at fellow posters is sad evidence of the state of our society in that this cannibalistic mentality has seeped beyond the mainstream, and into the progressive sphere.. We shouldn't have to resort to personal attacks and gratuitous snipes at those we disagree with in order to make ourselves feel whole. I am the anonymous you addressed,, and I sometimes type in all-caps because of laziness. It is just easier to type that way. Hardly a matter of shouting. Making observations about people's good and bad qualities is thoughtful and intelligent, rather than wildly erratic too.
Sam Seder is a TALENTED comic, which compliments his political acumen. I enjoyed most of everything he did. Randi would have been excellent, had she stuck to doing reality checks for fact deprived America. Any serious misgivings I have toward her stems from my frustration at her self sabotaging behavior. She does possess an important voice (despite that machine gun laugh.) I just hope (in vain) that she squanders alot less of it in her next incarnation.
Lastly, I wish more people knew about an amazing radio talent on the internet. He is Guy James, of theguyjamesshow.com. Unfortunately, he may be off air soon for lack of funding. But his shows are archived at the White Rose Society. It can be accessed by clicking the archive link on his website.
Well, ALL CAPS are generally regarded in this type of forum as shouting. And my "digs" at you were certainly no more egregious than yours were toward Randi Rhodes. Sorry if you found my response somehow cannibalistic. I was being snarky, but not trying to be mean. I even agreed with you at the end!
ReplyDeleteJames:
ReplyDeleteI am glad that there is some common ground between us, but I have to say that it is not egregious to call Randi Rhodes out for booby-trapping her radio show with inarticulate and unentertaining ramblings about her personal life, obnoxiously futile and protracted attempts at humor, and inexplicable aggression and unfairness directed at her callers. Especially when she could be making an invaluable contribution to the national dialogue with her ability to educate and enlighten us politically. To me, it is genuinely egregious to value AM radio style stardom over and above the common good.
I miss Randi. I really enjoyed her show. It was refreshing to hear a strong intelligent woman with an opinion. She was always herself, warts and all and you can tell that she put her heart and soul into every show. I really valued the insight that she provided into the political system. I hope that she finds a new home. Women are always expected to be just one way, polite, mild mannered and caring. We aren't all like that. I liked that she had the courage to be her imperfect self.
ReplyDeletekk:
ReplyDeleteI am a woman myself, and I don't expect women to be one way, and without warts But in my opinion, she unessasarily alienated many progressive minded people, along with many who could have been persuaded to rethink their politics. Having said that, I know that there are still great numbers of people across the political spectrum who benefited from her show. And given the dominance of corporatist parrots out there in radioland, I would rather see her somewhere, as opposed to nowhere despite being unable to tolerate much of her personally.
I don't miss Randi. She was a self-centered drama queen who acted like everyone else got credit for her not-so-original ideas, and she always insulted her callers. There was more real information found on Rachel (sorry to see her go) Maddow, Ed Schultz and Tom Hartmann.
ReplyDeleteI loved Randi when she was on locally in Florida. I live in Maryland but I streamed her on the web. When she went national, she got mean. And the longer she was on, the meaner she got, to the point that I can't stand her for more than 15 minutes at a stretch now.
ReplyDeleteAs for the entire Air America/NovaM/2ndBaseRadio thing, I can't help but observe that the one common denominator among all the pathetic screwups is a guy named Drobny. I mean, who names a radio network after an Eastern European Jewish shtetl? Is that how he viewed his network?
I've been a regular listener of Randi's for almost five years, and do not understand what people mean when they say she's "mean."
ReplyDeleteRandi is always ready with a hearty laugh, even in the middle of a rant, if she find's something funny. I've heard her escalate to shouting, if a caller is fillibustering, and refuses to hear her point. Many times, she comments "can he hear me?" when the caller just keeps talking. Yes, she can stomp on callers, but only rarely does it seem unjustified.
But where is the meanness? Do you mean her comments about Hillary? That wasn't even on the radio. She's mean toward Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh, but there is NOTHING wrong with that!
I think Randi's honking voice (which I've grown to love) is translating to some people as meanness, but I just don't see it.
Ok, Its been a month and here I am looking for news about Randi. I just miss her show. She knew so much about current events, really prepared and I'm just not getting that from her 'replacement'. I miss her more than I expected to.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I miss her too. My talk radio addiction may have been broken with her departure, as I'm just not as engaged by it anymore. That might be a good thing!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, this is the longest thread EVER for my blog, so thanks to Randi for that. And, yes, I'm aware that I have a superfluous apostrophe in my last reply. I just hate that.
Wow -- this seems crazy -- I'm also looking for any news. I have given up all radio. I am waiting to find Randi again. Has there even been a sighting? Is she still in Florida? NY? DC? Is she hoping to continue on radio? Or, checking out cable? (remember that call last month with a woman who predicted tv?)
ReplyDeleteI kept turning the radio dial every day and checking to see if Randi was back. I have been listening to her show for several years and always missed her when she was on vacation or out sick. Now I can't even turn the radio on because I miss her so much. Would some kind of petition started online and signed by all her fans help bring her back?
ReplyDeleteKTLK in L.A. has a promo saying something like: When Randi starts talking again, we'll be listening (or broadcasting). That makes it sound as though something may be in the works. Who knows. I love her, too, but am getting a bit tired of the comings and goings as others have stated.
ReplyDeleteI side with those who are not disappointed to see Randi Rhodes gone, because of the periodic nastiness, lack of civility, and weird rants others have highlighted by others. Then again, I long ago stopped listening to Stephanie Miller as well, because of what I saw as her habit of mocking and putting down even other progressive individuals and groups whose positions on particular issues she did not like. So maybe its just me.
ReplyDeleteIf you "progressive" folks want news tune in to C-Span and C-span II to see our know it all senators and reps systematically destroy this country.
ReplyDeleteThere are times when Rush is overbearing, but he can educate on political positions better than anyone. The president must think so or he would not personally be going after him. (It will only make Rush stronger)
I liked to hear Randi occasionally for comic relief and to hear how deranged some liberals have become. What a sorry lot you have on the radio. Mike Molloy is a disgrace to humanity and should be taken off air.
Good night and good luck. You libs are going to need it in the next few years.
Making Rush stronger is kind of the point. He was--if you remember back to the early 90s--once considered to be on the fringe, the "far-right." He still is, but perceptions have shifted. Rush and his contemporaries have assumed the front-and-center Republican mantle.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is, the 25% or so who belive "Rush is right!" were never going anywhere anyway. The GOP already had them. But 75% or so don't want to be aligned with Limbaugh's crowd.
So, good luck to you too.
As for liberal radio, it IS a mess, but mostly because they let Rush and the rest game the system for far too long, and got into it too late. Liberal radio as a genre is less than 5 years old, and had an uphill battle when they started. Don't worry though, the whole "Hush Rush" Fairness Doctrine thingy is a myth from the right.
Oh, I truly miss Randi. No one has the drive to do exceptional research as she does. So quick and witty. Yes, she has a well deserved ego that sometimes got in the way. So, she's not perfect (imagine that?). Our country deserves the best in talk show hosts. During her respite she will renew herself, ground her spirit and come back better than ever. This I do believe.
ReplyDeleteHere in Randy's home town west palm beach, WJNO radio was her place...when she left all we have now is Glen Beck. Rush and Sean H....I quit listening...wiped the station out of my pre set....Randy come back soon.
ReplyDeleteI like Randi Rhodes but I have really been getting used to Nancy Skinner and I think she is a great talk show host.
ReplyDeleteI believe there is room for both of them. Although, I much prefer Randi. Where is she?
ReplyDeleteI am having an increasingly difficult time adapting to Nancy Skinner. The content of her show is mediocre, her relentless laughing is off putting. I feel that the listeners are being asked to tread water until Randi's ship docks and we can reboard. I am hoping for the endurance this will take!
ReplyDeleteNancy's most annoying trait (aside from the relentless hawking of FOX "News") is that she teases a subject endlessly before actually saying something about it.
ReplyDeleteIn a 8-minute segment, she takes 6 minutes winding her way to actually talking about it. Then she takes a call 30 seconds before a break, and has to hold the caller over.
Yes, that Fox thing is annoying. I find myself mentally checking out when she starts. Her programs seem light weight, non-informative or substantive. At least with at a Rhodes rant we were entertained with humor. I want to hear what she thinks of the most current events. P-L-E-A-S-E Randi, light somewhere.
ReplyDeleteSkinner absolutely sucks. She is awful. She is week, not quick and a FOX tool.
ReplyDeleteI knew she was a corporate shill after the 1st week of listening.....Last week she insulted Janeane Garafalo and Keith Olbermann. Today it's Rachel Maddow. I wish someone could really expose her--she's been put in Randi's time slot to undermine progressives and President Obama.
ReplyDelete