Over the next few days or so, radio audiences in various markets will be introduced to a new voice on their airwaves, as Thom Hartmannprepares to slide into the midday slot on Air America Radio and its affiliates who choose to pick up the show.
Of course, Hartmann, 55, is far from new to the world of radio. Many liberal talk fans, and readers of this blog, are well familiar with him, and Hartmann is already on the air in many markets. His current show has been on the air for four years, long before Air America hit the airwaves.
Hartmann is the host of a weekday show that is becoming one of the biggest success stories in liberal talk. He's also a three-time Project Censored Award winner, bestselling author, international lecturer, teacher, practitioner in alternative medicine and acupuncture, and licensed psychotherapist with a certification in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). His books have covered a wide range of subjects, including politics, business, economics, constitutional law, history, self-help, spirituality, and one of his biggest pet projects, ADHD. In addition, he's written nine novels. He even established a specialized school for children afflicted with the disorder. He's had a private audience with Pope John Paul II, spent a week with the Dalai Lama, and his writings about the environment have even inspired two short web films and an upcoming documentary directed by actor and fan Leonardo DiCaprio.
On the radio, he hosts two three-hour shows every day - a local morning show at KPOJ in Portland and his nationally syndicated show immediately following. In the past, he's stretched out his broadcast day occasionally filling in for Randi Rhodes, giving him, on occasion, a 9-10 hour day behind the microphone.
Does this guy ever sleep?
Well, one has to wonder. Radio is his main job now, but he's still writing books. In the past year, he released Screwed, about the struggles affecting the working class and Walking Your Blues Away, one of several of his self-help books. He is often on the road, combining book signings with remote broadcasts of his radio shows.
Hartmann is no stranger to radio. He started in the industry as a teenager, in 1968. Over the years, he worked as a DJ and program director, and spent seven years as a radio and television news reporter during and immediately after his college years. He also wrote articles and columns for various publications, including the German version of International Business Week, The Christian Science Monitor, and Popular Computing, for which he wrote a monthly column for two years.
Since that wasn't enough to occupy his time, he successfully established seven businesses, one of which was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal. The businesses he started and later sold include an advertising agency, a newsletter/magazine publishing company, an herbal tea manufacturing company, a travel agency, a training seminars company (where he has a client list consisting of all but 30 of the firms listed in the Fortune 500), an electronics design and repair company, and computer peripherals sales business. He is also both a licensed pilot and licensed private detective, though he currently practices neither (lack of time?). He's also a former skydiver.
Why do I feel so inadequate now?
In 2002, Hartmann decided it was time for a return to radio. Seeing the lack of liberal/progressive voices on the airwaves, and way too many conservative flacks, he wrote an article, "Talking Back To Talk Radio" that some credit as one of the inspirations for starting Air America Radio. On March 1, 2003, Hartmann was on the air with his own show, via the now-defunct Detroit-based I.E. America Radio Network, owned by United Auto Workers. As Air America began to gather steam, and I.E. America closed down in anticipation of it, Hartmann was left without a syndicator. Not missing a beat, he began to self-syndicate and held on to his affiliates, including Sirius Left. He even picked up a few more, most notably at WPTT in Pittsburgh. In April 2005, he moved from Vermont to Portland, OR to host a morning show at Clear Channel's highly-rated progressive talker KPOJ.
In September 2005, Air America liked what they saw in Hartmann, who had done occasional fill-ins for their hosts, and established a new separate division to syndicate his show. Hartmann quickly gained in stature with the network, even though his show ran against Al Franken, the network's highest profile host. During the next year, the network's affiliates began picking up the show, and in some cases aired it in place of Franken. On KPTK in Seattle, Hartmann dominated his talk competition, including Rush Limbaugh, in all demographic breakdowns for a year in the Arbitron ratings book. When KQKE in San Francisco dropped Franken and replaced him with Hartmann, ratings increased 25-65% in various demographic breakdowns for the timeslot. On the same station, Hartmann even bested Ed Schultz, who's show immediately follows it, by an even larger margin.
When Franken announced his departure from radio in January, the choice for a replacement was simple. Hartmann was immediately tapped to slide over to the main network feed. And his ascension to Air America's highest profile timeslot could be a blessing to the beleaguered network, as he has been winning ratings, listeners and accolades. He could possibly become the linchpin for the soon-to-be-restructured network, the show they rebuild the network around.
There are many differences between Franken's show and Hartmann's. While Franken had often leaned on his comedy background (though some say not often enough), kept his guest roster to a small stable of like-minded pundits and personalities, and rarely took listener phone calls, Hartmann draws from his own background, mixing history and encyclopedic knowledge, listener phone calls and guests that often include Vermont's independent Senator Bernie Sanders, experts on various issues, and various pundits from right-wing think tanks, such as the Ayn Rand Institute and the American Heritage Foundation. Hartmann loves to bring on right-wing guests, as he feels they make for more interesting radio content than constantly surrounding himself with people he agrees with. "I'm one of the few progressive hosts who regularly debates conservatives. I do it because it highlights for my listeners the real issues-- the deeper issues beneath the sound bytes-- and helps model for them how to win the water cooler wars," said Hartmann.
He also feels that a radio talk show should be more about personality, presentation, content and entertainment value than just merely being a liberal talk show. "Nobody is ever going to listen to talk radio because they like the format: it's the talent that makes the show," wrote Hartmann in a 2004 article at Common Dreams. In addition, the show is highly educational, but not college lecture-boring. Hartmann feels that talk radio listeners like to be informed and educated, in addition to being entertained.
Hartmann's philosophy for succeeding in talk radio is simple. "If you're good, people will tune in for you, the same as they did for Rush (Limbaugh) back when he was all there was. Just produce a killer show and you'll succeed," he wrote.
LTR, aka B.D. Rafferty, writes about alternative media, with an emphasis on liberal talk radio, at ltradio.blogspot.com. A radio veteran, he started writing his blog in October 2004, as an "aggregator of information," designed to cut through the myths and right-wing spin of a rather misunderstood form of modern media. He lives in Wisconsin with a house full of cats.
I've been lucky to have Tom in Portland, Oregon and am glad the rest of the country will get to enjoy him now too.
He's the smartest, most well-read, most articulate, and perhaps even the most intellectully honest of all the on-air talent at Air America.
I think he would make one of the best Supreme Court Justices of all time, notwithstanding the (totally unimportant) lack of judicial experience or law degree.
He does the one thing, day-in and day-out that we all ought to do more of: HE THINKS. And damn, but he thinks quite well.
Good luck Tom! Give em hell!
Charlie L
Portland, OR
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Charlie L (2 articles, 2 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 586 comments)
on Friday, February 16, 2007 at 2:16:50 PM
Thom Hartmann may have audience with the rich and famous, but he's still a crackpot.
Read his book "The Last Days of Ancient Twilight" (get it from the library, that is). He's really, really weird. Like "One Hundredth Monkey" kind of weird.
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Mike Bendzela (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 18 comments)
on Friday, February 16, 2007 at 2:53:04 PM
It was corroborated by scientists all over the world. That's what science means -- it can be repeated and verified.
So why "weird"?
I find this increasing odd, that when people are confronted with the obvious truth, that they yell "weird." Basically, when Copernicus told people that the Earth was NOT the center of the Universe, they all yelled, "weird!"
Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) in the world, at that time, believed the Earth WAS the center of the Universe.
What else do we believe that simply isn't true??
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Vidya Ishaya (2 articles, 4 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 5 comments)
on Friday, February 16, 2007 at 6:08:34 PM
I've enjoyed Hartmann on the weekends, couldn't understand why they couldn't rerun his show late at night or something. His great qualities are recounting American history including Constutional law and precedent as he delves into today's issues.
But I applaud even more his attempts to engage right wingers in on air debates, and keeps it civil though sometimes you can really sense the tension. This is what the whole country needs to do - have open dialog and be respectful and courteous even in the face of wildly differing beliefs.
One of the greatest shows Thom put on was all about Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz's past in the Nixon days, selling the government on a double-super-top secret missile plan propped up by a not-so-secret propaganda campaign spreading irrational fear to profiteer and rip off Uncle Sam.
I've listened to Franken from the beginning and always appreciated his show, kept fresh by his guests and co hosts while his sometimes plodding delivery might have might have brought a few complaints. (Hartmann's promo spots advertise his will be a "no boring zone", possibly reflecting this). I will miss his halariously poignant Mark Luther bit where he asks his school buddy, now a dittohead, to answer for Rush Limbaugh's idiotic comments in the light of research showing Rush misremembered the facts. Week after week, that lovable jerk never learns!
One thing for sure, Al's heart was always in the right place, he loves our troops, wants to fix things and will make a great senator.
Thom is a radio pro and is very quick on his feet, and I hope will have a lot of right wing guests and callers because I think Air America is otherwise too non-inclusive in the way they treat the duped public...
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Gustav Wynn (40 articles, 30 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 175 comments)
on Friday, February 16, 2007 at 3:36:30 PM
I got the Hartmann habit when he was on a Sacramento station that I could listen to only when in that area. Fortunately that is frequently enough to recognise a gem , and he is definitely that.
By the by that biography left out his work with a childrens shelter in Vermont, a true renaissance man.
It is his in depth knowledge of the thoughts, words and deeds of the founding fathers, especially Madison and Jefferson that really sets Hartmann apart from the crowd. As he spins the quoted statements of these folks and compares them to the actions and statements of Bush we can see plainly how this administration is subverting the wishes of our nations first leaders, and see it clearly.
He also invites some of the most far right folks to elucidate their ideas and ideals on his show and debates them with class and dignity. Check him out if you can.
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ardee D. (6 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 2386 comments)
on Friday, February 16, 2007 at 7:26:56 PM
Genuine substance will always trump disingenuous spin.
Thom will end up with an audience that makes Limbaugh's look like an under-attended tea and OxyContin party for self-absorbed extreme right wingers.
As America wakes up and puts down the nefarious neocon movement, so will go the likes of its wholly corrupt broadcast boot lickers like Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, and every other far-right media fool who has tried to push their destructive agenda.
Thom Hartmann is the real deal, as millions more are about to learn, and payback is gonna be a bitch for the cons.
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John Perry (31 articles, 33 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 81 comments)
on Saturday, February 17, 2007 at 9:50:56 AM
I am so happy the non-streamers will be able to hear the articulate, passionate, terrific Thom Hartmann. I've been a Thom fan since he subbed for Randi Rhodes on AAR in its early days, choosing then to stream him sometimes and then all the time over Al Franken. Thom offers more. He effuses spirit and information in an optimistic way that spurs one to action. A member of my local independent Democratic club, I've recently joined the regular one. (I'm sure they wonder what I'm up to, but, hey, I've been trying to make nice.) Get active, get involved, "Tag, you're it!" That's one of Thom's mantras. (Or should I say prime directives?)
Thom talks about his family -- his wife Louise and kids -- as well as his cat Higgens (love that), and spars in a friendly fashion with libertarians and rightists. He teaches us in a gentle way to "win the water cooler wars". He rarely loses his cool with people who would drive me nuts, if I let them, but Thom points to a better world where people with differing opinions can actually civilly discuss things, and I and his others listeners have grown hearing these discussions and following his example.
Thom is also not afraid to show a spiritual side. He's proof that folks on the left can be in touch with the divine, that the right don't own God (by whatever name you call the Cosmic One). Don't worry, he doesn't over play this aspect -- it is just part of him. He glows. (I met him in person, and he really does -- I posted some pictures taken in Brooklyn when he was filming the BookTV show on his book Screwed at Vox Pop-- see the Vox Pop set at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kateannenyc/). He's very real and I am so pleased that Air America will be bringing Thom Hartmann and his message of real peace and true justice, with his vision for a more equitable and fair America to more people.
We can change the world and Thom Hartmann will help us do it. I trust the Greens will enjoy Thom, too. New York politico Mark Green, who subbed so wonderfully for David Bender on AAR, can learn more about how to be a radio host by listening to Thom. With Thom playing a more central part, with the Green family at Air America, and with the Dems in charge of the House and Senate, things are really looking up. Yes, for all the Bush-neocon-Republican outrages and the Dem's timidity, we are blessed and let's focus on our blessings and create more. Amen.
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Kate Anne (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments)
on Saturday, February 17, 2007 at 4:13:00 PM
