I don’t even know WHERE the KCAL is

I’ve received some requests to explain exactly what happened in the HTLA/PGP schism of 2010. Keeping in mind I don’t have any real inside information, here is my best interpretation…

Brian Whitman did a show (#5) with a couple members of The Single Life TM where the main topic was – When did Sam Phillips start going crazy? (I listened to show #5 and it wasn’t anything that hasn’t been said before.)

Sam complained to Jack Sullivan.

Jack Sullivan pulled show #5 and prevented the release of show #6.

Jack Sullivan suspended Brian Whitman from HTLA.

Randy Wang and Jack Sullivan had creative differences about the future of HTLA.

Randy Wang decided to leave HTLA, bringing with him his own show - Pretty Good Podcast – as well as the Brian Whitman Podcast, the Crysta and Corona podcast, the PotCast, and (now) the Dangerous Dick Podcast.

HTLA went on hiatus for a couple weeks, relaunching Monday with a whole run of shows about drinking, drugs, and sex.

So that’s about it.

Team PGP!

Is it just me?

Or does the new lineup on HotTalkLA seem completely unappealing?

Hungover radio? Porn star pals? Eh…

I think perhaps this “station” just isn’t for me. (By the way, what are we calling these podcasting empires? I guess Internet radio station is OK, but there should be something better, right?)

Maybe I’m too old or too conservative or too nerdy or too sober or too…something. But – hey – if this station is attracting new listeners to talk radio, then I guess I’m for it.

P.S. to Jack Sullivan – Email me. You need a copy editor. STAT.

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Happy Thanksgiving to all the I Heart Talk Radio readers! You guys are major studs and I’m thankful for you.

I am also thankful for…

Wayne Resnick for being a guitar god and a great talk show host. And for working every holiday so losers like me have something to listen to at 5:00am.

Randy Wang for starting the podcast revolution.

Adam Carolla for the radio methadone.

Frosty, Heidi and Frank for everything. You guys are the best.

Kathleen McGowan for writing the most interesting book I read this year.

Nigel Lythgoe for So You Think You Can Dance (don’t laugh, it really is a tremendous show)

J.K. Rowling and Alan Rickman for Severus Snape.

Trader Joe’s for sparkling mineral water.

and

Clay Aiken for his version of O Holy Night.

Sexiest Man Alive – Talk Radio Edition

OK, so People magazine’s sexiest man alive for 2009 is Johnny Depp. Again. Yes, of course he’s hot and radically talented and he seems like a nice person. Fair enough.

But it got me thinking… Who is the sexiest man of talk radio this year?

Should be an easy decision. Radio guys are practically never nerdy, fat, bald, misogynistic, loud mouths with bad attitudes and drug problems.

Oh, wait. This may be harder than I thought.

Let’s see…

Bill Handel – Yeah, we’ll just cross him off right away.

John and/or Ken – No, thanks.

Randy Wang – Gag. (Just kidding, Randy. You’re just too young to be the sexiest man alive. And I may have heard way too many details about your personal life.)

Frank Kramer – Drugs.

Frosty Stilwell – Obviously not.

Malibu Dan – See Frank Kramer.

Luke Burbank – A strong possibility. Maybe next year.

Mr. KABC – Prior to Talk Radio One, he probably would have won. But he’s out. And he knows why – powder blue Crocs.

Plus he’s all vasovagal-ly.

Brian Whitman – A good contender, but seeing as how he’s not actually in talk radio at the moment, I think he’s disqualified.

I guess that just leaves one person…

The Sexiest Man Alive in Talk Radio is Timmy Conway, Jr., maaan.

Look at you, maaan. You’re a major stud.

I said it.

The Frosty Stilwell Challenge

After nearly 20 years of listening to talk radio, I’ve come to one conclusion. I rarely have anything in common with these people. I don’t drink or do drugs or watch American Idol. I don’t spend $10,000 on rims or pergolas or iTunes downloads. I’m not a lesbian and I don’t have a gay husband. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Recently on The Pretty Good Podcast, Randy and Gina made a TV pact. Randy would watch Gina’s favorite shows – Mad Men and Six Feet Under; Gina would watch Randy’s favorite show – Lost.

Now I love the PGP and I love Gina but, true to form, I have very little in common with her in the way of TV/entertainment. I do enjoy a good street fair, but I don’t think Canadians are funny, I’m not at all interested in cat videos on YouTube, I think 30 Rock is incredibly boring, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE British TV shows.

So when I heard about the PGP TV pact, I got nervous. I hadn’t seen Mad Men yet, but it had been in my Netflix queue for several weeks and the first DVD had just arrived. I really wanted to like it. But how can I like Mad Men if Gina likes it?

It turns out I do love it!

The lesson to be learned here is this. Some things just transcend our differences and bring us together as people. And if those things involve chain smoking, adultery, racism, sexual harassment, and Brylcreem, so be it.

I have to go outside now and wait for the mailman.

Fish don’t fry in the kitchen

Congratulations to Randy and Gina and all those major studs at Hot Talk LA!