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BrauBlog

KTLK's Jason Lewis going national

By David Brauer | Published Wed, Feb 18 2009 7:40 pm

"Radio Free Minnesota" is becoming "Radio Free America."

KTLK-FM host Jason Lewis announced on Wednesday's show that he'll be taking his anti-tax crusades and RINO hunts national. To accommodate syndication, "Minnesota's Mr. Right" will shift his show from 4-7 p.m. to 5-8 p.m. KTLK will add an hour of Sean Hannity from 4-5 p.m.

Jason Lewis

Lewis' syndicator is Premier Radio Networks, home of right-wing yakkers Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Dr. Laura, as well as sportsters Bob Costas and Jim Rome.

A big storyline here: As financially desperate radio stations dump costlier homegrown programming, many local hosts lose, but the few who plug holes nationally win. (For example, Jon Grayson, whose St. Louis-based overnight show recently supplanted Al Malmberg on WCCO-AM.) It looks like Premier lacks a host in Lewis' new timeslot — 6-9 p.m. on the east coast, but squarely in evening drivetime elsewhere, where local stations tend to retain local talent.

While I couldn't disagree more with Jason's politics, on a purely professional level, he has a good radio shtick and a wagon-circling appeal for righties nationally in the Age of Obama. (He was also a lot of fun to spar with when we were both at AM1500 a dozen years ago, but definitely has his irresponsible moments.)

That said, I'm told his show hasn't killed 'em in the local ratings, which makes his ascension more interesting. Still, as an employee of behemoth Clear Channel, Lewis has some helpful corporate muscle and some compelling economies of scale.

Update: Just to fully connect the dots, Premier Radio Networks is a subsidiary of Clear Channel. With Lewis' hiring, Premier has 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Eastern covered: Beck (9 a.m.-noon), Rush (noon-3 p.m.), Hannity (3 p.m.-6 p.m.), Lewis (6-9 p.m.) So a local right-wing station can run its morning drive show, then flip the keys to Clear Channel/Premier for the next 12 hours.

I should've also mentioned that Lewis is Rush's regular fill-in, which has helped build Jason's national platform and now keeps Limbaugh's bench player in-house.

Finally, I'll check on this, but Premier probably picked up some or all of Lewis' contract. That saves KTLK some much-needed bucks but makes national considerations the priority.

Media | Wed, Feb 18 2009 7:40 pm | 10 Comments

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10 Comments: Hide/Show Comments

(#1) On February 18, 2009, Kelly Wing says:

Hey Brauer!

I am disappointed with this piece. I began readin Minnpost because it seemed to have a more middle-of-the-road approach to Minnesota news, but your comments and tone clearly indicate otherwise. I once recommended you to others; now I will rescind that act and no longer log on to you. Can't we Conservatives ever get a fair shake. Good-bye MinnPost.

(#2) On February 19, 2009, John Jordan says:

You are exactly right, Kelly. The owner of this joint told me personally this wouldn't be a left wing pub. Instead, it's nothing but lefties including this guy, Eric Black, Doug Grow, etc. etc. It's become the place for displaced Star Tribune lefty rejects to come and continue to attack anything right of the new messiah. Such a waste of potential, IMO.

(#3) On February 19, 2009, Thomas Swift says:

http://looktruenorth.com

I can scarcely believe what I'm about to do, but I wish Kelly and John would re-evaluate their disappointment.

John, as you pointed out, Minnpost is largely staffed with ex-Star Tribune reporters and administrators. If you have noticed that the Strib has toned down it's liberal fervor of late, it's because all the lefty's are here. How could you not know that MinnPost would pick up where the old Star & Sickle left off?

That being said, I think it is very important for the thoughtful conservative to know, and understand what the Democrat daily talking points are. If we are going to persuade others that liberalism is as counter productive as we know it to be, we have to have the facts at hand to counter their mendacity.

MinnPost is by far the most readable leftist publication on the internet. Although the bias is unmistakable, the underlying message it is attempting to foist upon the pubic is normally not lost in brain freezing psyco-babble, and that is hard to find in the Sorosphere.

But they also have to make money, and to do that they need to provide the huge portion of the left's base that consists of the less intelligent with a bit of red meat. That's where Brauer comes in, Kelly.

Brauer is deliberately confrontational, but in accommodating his muse, he also provides some of the best comedic moments to be found here.

Don't make more of the joke than there is.

(#4) On February 19, 2009, dan buechler says:

A pox on all three of you, you three are scared of the truth. You probably don't have the mega funding that the american experiment group does or other right wing groups but you employ the same tactics. Throw a smokescreen tell a lie(s)repeat it over and over endlessly until people start sometimes believing your lies.
Example in 1990 administration dept. secretary watkins commissioned a study of the 1983 "Nation at risk" report to be done by Sandia laboratories one of the top research communities in the world (I've visited there). This study had metrics (charts, tables and graphs) and analysis. They found steady or slightly improving trends. The post Reagan/Bush administration buried the report.
You never read or hear about this top report ever. This has been one of the biggest failings of the left community of writers.
David research this or pass it on. I could use a hat tip!

(#5) On February 19, 2009, William Wallace says:

http://blog.coincidencetheories.com

It's part of a vast right wing conspiracy to have radio stations make a profit...oh, how terrible!
[/sarcasm]

How is air America doing?

(#6) On February 19, 2009, dan buechler says:

If it makes you 3 stooges feel better I don't like air america either. Its idiotic, its far better to read the Wall Street Journal.

(#7) On February 19, 2009, Fred Stiening says:

Some people have the idea that Sean Hannity became a national talk show figure because of Premiere/Clear Channel. Up until July 2008, Hannity was syndicated by Disney owned ABC Radio, not Clear Channel/Premiere.

Following the sale of ABC Radio to Citadel Broadcasting, Hannity was allowed in his contract to leave ABC after a year if he wished. The final deal negotiated is an unusual partnership where Citadel syndicates Hannity on the ABC stations and Premiere does so on the Clear Channel stations (and other stations Premiere might find)

Few thoughtful people would describe Disney as a right-wing politically motivated company. Nor would they lump in Bob Costas as a "right wing yakker" (or Stevey Harvey or Tom Joyner or Jesse Jackson, who are syndicated by Premiere). If it wasn't for Clear Channel, there would never have been an Air America or NovaM. Demonzing Clear Channel as part of a right wing conspiracy just shows a lack of knowledge about the radio business.

Glenn Beck is spelled with two n's.

(#8) On February 20, 2009, Tony Spadafora says:

Looks like AM1500 is giving Malmberg a shot at the 8:00 - 11:00 pm slot.

Too bad... he's the most rude, obnoxious, and pretentious radio host I've ever come across.

He actually said on air after he cut my recent call short that he regretted his WCCO weekend fill-in having me on his show over 3 years ago to talk about MN stadium issues.

Long time to carry such a grudge, Malmberg.

Fortunately, I don't listen to AM1500 between 8:00 and 11:00 pm.

(#9) On February 20, 2009, Author David Brauer says:

http://www.minnpost.com/braublog

Fred -

Thanks for the spelling correction.

The story states that Costas (and Rome) were not right-wingers, but sports guys.

It also didn't state that Premier itself was right-wing. Merely that they have many right-wingers in their stable; with Lewis' addition, they have a 12-hour bloc for local stations.

(#10) On February 20, 2009, Eric Ferguson says:

http://www.ravensblog.net

I wish I was amazed at the first three comments, but it's the usual stuff. Conservatives don't want to hear things they disagree with, just their opinions repeated back to them. Conservatives claim they have the facts while living in a fact-free environment. Conservatism has again brought the country to calamity, yet you know liberalism to be counter-productive? Were you born two weeks ago?

By the way Thomas, if there a Democratic (not Democrat-- learn your grammar) talking points, please present them. Democrats don't spend their days in lock step like Republicans.

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David Brauer authors Braublog and is MinnPost's local media reporter. He's covered media and politics as a writer and editor since 1983 for City Pages, the Southwest/Downtown Journal, KFAN and KSTP-AM, Mpls.St.Paul, Minnesota Monthly, Law & Politics, the Business Journal, KARE11 and national outlets. Follow him on Twitter. Email: dbrauer [at] minnpost [dot] com.

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