Friday, December 29, 2006

NonStop Radio Project Goes Online!

Hello Stephanie,
Here's another great web site that is put together by Aldous Tyler, one the good fighters from Madison, Wisconsin. It's just up and promises to grow into a real movement. Check it out:
http://www.NonStopRadio.com/
Cheers,
Faye in Tulsa, OK

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Steph Gets Press in Rochester

"Sometimes in life, you end up using everything you are and you've become. It kind of just falls together, even though you don't plan it that way."
Stephanie Miller, City article, Dec. 27, 2006

ADDED NOTE: Perhaps the best news is found at the end of this article, apparently CNN has talked with Steph about launching her own TV show. Read on...

From City - Rochester's Alternative Newsweekly
DECEMBER 27, 2006
Left Laughing: Stephanie Miller Moves from Sister Sleaze to Progressive Radio Queen
BY RON NETSKY

Stephanie Miller's ambitions were not political. She wanted to be a comedian like her idol, Carol Burnett. And after majoring in theater at the University of Southern California, she landed her first professional radio gig. In the mid-1980s, Rochesterians got to know her as Sister Sleaze, sidekick to Brother Wease....

The Stephanie Miller Show, which airs locally (weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon) on News Talk 950 WROC AM, is arguably the most creative talk show on the air. Miller and her sidekicks improvise their way through political and social criticism with sound effects, guest appearances by Washington luminaries (channeled by impressionist Jim Ward), and an unrelentingly wicked satirical bite. It's a fast-moving, irreverent good time. And Miller has definitely not left all elements of Sister Sleaze behind....

"I think my dad and Goldwater would be appalled at what's become of their party," says Miller. "Goldwater was pro-gay-rights and pro-choice. He talked about the undue influence of the religious right. And that was back in the 1980's."...

When the family members get together, they often argue about what their father would think of current issues. Miller says her two sisters, who have always been Republicans, have become disgusted with the party. They both voted for Kerry. Her brother, who remains a Republican, has grown apolitical....

"I hired her as soon as I heard her tape," says Wease (Alan Levin), whose show remains popular today. "She's very manic, very bright, very funny and creative." When friends asked Wease, "how come you give that girl so much mike?" he had a simple answer: "Because she's phenomenal. Don't try and compete; let people fly. I let her fly, and we had a ball." ...

Between her stint as Sister Sleaze and her current persona, Miller held a variety of jobs, from playing small roles in films to co-hosting "Equal Time" with Bay Buchanan on CNBC. With her current show, she seems to have finally found her niche.

"Sometimes in life, you end up using everything you are and you've become," she says. "It kind of just falls together, even though you don't plan it that way."...

"They say it's theater of the mind," she says. "Radio is the most creatively free medium. That's why I enjoy it more than television. Television tends to be over-produced and over-prepared. It's not as authentic as radio."

Depending on how much she has prepared the previous day, Miller wakes up at 3 or 4 a.m. and arrives at the station at 5. She goes on live on KTLK in Los Angeles at 6 a.m.

No small part of her show's success is due to her two well-chosen cohorts, the extraordinary impressionist (and sometime conspiracy theorist) Ward and producer-sidekick Chris Lavoie. They are not only radio partners, but they are also among Miller's best friends off the air.

"They are genuinely funny," says Miller. "Jim Ward says something at least once a day that literally makes me fall out of my chair. Most of it's off the cuff, so you don't see it coming."...

Miller points out that her show, which is syndicated by Jones Radio Networks, is not part of Air America....

By contrast, Miller has long conversations with her adversaries...

On air, Miller is self-deprecating, joking frequently about her appearance and her love life, or lack thereof....

It may say something about the absurdity of our time, but people increasingly are turning to comedians for political commentary. The success of "The Daily Show," "The Colbert Report" and "Real Time with Bill Maher"has not gone unnoticed by serious news stations. CNN recently called Miller to talk to her about doing a television show.

If she does, she will join comedians like Colbert, Maher, and Jon Stewart, who, in addition to being funny, are among the most astute political commentators in the media.

"Comedians tend to be truth-tellers," says Miller. "For a time now, we just seem to have the facts on our side. We're at a point where all the good comedy targets are on the right."

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Power to the People!!!

ADDED NOTE: While this is great news for Madison, the fight is beginning anew in Columbus, Ohio, where the owners of radio station WTPG (1230 AM) are planning to flip the station's format and make a decidedly right turn in its programming - let's do in Columbus what the folks did in Madison. I live in Tulsa, OK, but am willing to do whatever I can to help out. Just let me know. We don't have much time. Buddy, Dave, Paul - I know you all are out there, can you help out? Here's the fabulous person who led the fight in Madison - Valerie Walasek (keira066@hotmail.com). Contact her or me here at this blog if you can lend a hand. Thanks mucho!

Station's Format to Turn Right
http://www.dispatch.com/features-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/23/20061223-B6-02.html
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Tim Feran
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Liberal listeners in central Ohio will lose their only radio voice next month when WTPG (1230 AM) drops its format of "progressive talk" and makes a hard right turn.

Out: Al Franken, Stephanie Miller, Ed Schultz and Randi Rhodes. In: Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham and a mix of sports and consumer shows featuring Jim Rome and Dave Ramsey.

The station will change its call letters to WYTS on Monday; the new format will begin at 9 a.m. Jan. 9.



Clear Channel Keeps Air America Station In Madison
http://cbs5.com/entertainment/entertainment_story_355220844.html
Dec 21, 2006 10:01 pm US/Pacific
(AP) MADISON, Wis.

After a backlash from this liberal city, Clear Channel Radio is keeping its Air America affiliate on the air instead of switching the progressive talk format to sports on Jan. 1.

Citing the overwhelming negative reaction to the planned change, the nation's largest radio station operator said it would keep The Mic 92.1 FM on the air as a progressive talk station. The planned change to Fox Sports Radio, announced three days after the Nov. 7 election, had sparked outrage in Madison, a city long known for its liberal activism. Clear Channel said the station, WXXM-FM, had struggled to attract advertisers despite high ratings and a sports format would be more profitable.

But thousands of people protested the end of their favorite station through e-mails, phone calls and a petition delivered to station officials this week. A rally last week drew 500 people, and politicians such as Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., denounced the decision. The two-year-old station is among the most popular affiliates of Air America, which launched two years ago as an alternative to conservative talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh. It is now undergoing a reorganization after filing for bankruptcy protection in October.

In addition to Air America personalities like Al Franken, WXXM features local shows that focused on progressive causes from city politics to animal rights. "We are overwhelmed by the recent outpouring of support for our progressive talk format from the public, some of our community leaders and some dedicated local advertisers," said Jeff Tyler, Clear Channel's market manager in Madison. "We deeply appreciate the local business leaders who are pledging their advertising support. They are playing an enormous role in helping to keep progressive talk on the air in our community."

Tyler planned to announce the decision on the airwaves Friday morning. He said Clear Channel had to end an agreement with Fox Sports Radio to make the deal possible. The announcement came just as the opponents of the change appeared to give up, staging a mock funeral procession from the Capitol to Clear Channel's local offices Wednesday to mourn the death of the station.

Valerie Walasek, a 28-year-old listener who organized the protests, said she had shifted her focus to other options, such as trying to buy a new station. She was shocked by the company's last-minute change of heart. "It's evidence that as people stand up and demand what they want and demand they are going to take back the airwaves, somebody will listen," she said. "Maybe Clear Channel just came to their senses because it never made sense for them to get rid of it. They were making money."

Tyler said he hoped to improve the quality of the local shows and was encouraged that Air America would do the same for its programming when it emerges from bankruptcy. The radio network said this week that it is close to a sealing a deal with an undisclosed buyer. "We're here to make it work. We're going to put all of our resources into it," he said. "People have spoken out in Madison and said, `This is a great radio station and we support it.' We encourage them to prove it." San Antonio, Texas-based Clear Channel Communications Inc., owns nearly 1,200 radio stations.

(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)