Have a take. Don't suck.

I love talk radio. I've loved it for years. While at work or while driving, I prefer to listen to talk radio instead of music because I've heard most music already. But talk radio is never old (unless it is a "Best of" show, but those are few and far between). The newness of talk radio stimulates my brain. Even if I'm passively listening, at least the back ground noise is something different, which rarely happens while listening to music on the radio or my iPod.

Over the years, I've listened to numerous radio talk shows. Here are some of my favorites:

POLITICAL

Rush Limbaugh: Rush introduced me to the core principles of the conservative movement. While I'm a Ditto-head 90% of the time, his shtick grows tiresome, especially when he focuses more on the personalities of Washington and less on the consequences of policies. Currently, I only get to hear the first hour of his show, but when Rush is on, his is the best at what he does. He is the Godfather of talk radio.

Mike Rosen: I currently listen to 1-2 hours of Rosen's radio show, while at work, via podcasts. Mike is my favorite political talk show host. I love his reasoned, rational, and pragmatic approach to politics. He consistently features interesting guests and he actually debates callers who disagree with him, without falling into any of the fallacies other hosts find themselves using.

Jon Caldera: I love Jon's on air personality, as well as his libertarian philosophy. I would often listen to him on 850 KOA late at night, when I was driving home from Pueblo after spending an evening with my wife (before she was my wife). Luckily, Jon occasionally fills in for Mike Rosen, which is a treat for me, since I've not yet been able to subscribe to his podcasts.

Tom Becka: One of the few local personalities I've grown to enjoy in my time in Omaha, Tom, too, is a small L libertarian, whose wacky personality is a nice change to hear on my drive home from work each day. While I only usually spend a half hour listening to his show, it is his opening monologue that I get to hear, and it is usually spot on.

SPORTS

Dan Patrick: I thoroughly enjoy Dan's sense of humor about the sports world that he covers. He never seems to full of himself. I also enjoy his interactions with the rest of his crew, his "Danettes". I subscribe to his podcasts, so I get to hear his entire three hour show at work, without commercials.

Jim Rome: In addition to being a Ditto-head, I'm also a Clone. I probably enjoy Jim's style of broadcasting more than his insights into the sporting world. Jim opens his show with this demand of his callers (and, in a small way, his listeners in general)-- "Have a take. Don't suck." He takes very few callers, and when he does take a caller, he will boot them off the show if their opinion, or "take", sucks. By setting the bar so high, he keeps the riff-raff on the sidelines where they belong. I also enjoy the emails and texts that Jim receives from his listeners, especially the ones that are "signed" by someone else and make a call back to previous episodes or sound bites. The guy is innovative and unique.

The Fusion (Myers & Hartman's 4th hour of broadcast fused with Petros & Money's 1st hour)
I love the interaction between these four broadcasters. I especially love Petros and Money. Their young, in-your-face attitude balances nicely with Myers and Hartman's old school style of sports talk radio. If I'm not listening to Becka on my drive home, I'm listening to these guys.

Steve Czaban: I spend my weekday mornings getting ready for work listening to Steve and his crew layout the sports happenings that I may have missed the night before. I enjoy his different segments, especially the "90s Rejoin" where his producer plays a musical hit from the 90s and Steve tries to guess the title and artist. Because he does a morning show, he also gives a rundown of what will be on tv that night, which is a handy reminder of what is to come that day.

MISCELLANEOUS

The Bob and Tom Show: these guys are my favorite "morning zoo" style of talk radio. As callers often tell the crew, these guys ROCK! I currently subscribe to their podcasts, which is nice, compared to only being able to catch an hour or two of their show when I listened on the radio when they were on 98.1 KKFM in Southern Colorado. I love the groups personalities, especially Chick McGee. He is my hero. I also love the constant stream of comedian guests they have on the show. I was introduced to most of my favorite comedians through them (Daniel Tosh, Brian Regan, Greg Hahn, Jim Gaffigan, Mike Birbiglia, the list goes on and on). I don't believe I've ever made it through their show without laughing. Whether the group is riffing on news of the day, or interveiwing a notable figure, or letting a comedian tell a few jokes, my side is usually left in stiches. Their four hour show keeps me laughing/snickering/snorking though my afternoon at work, for which I am thankful.

Tom Martino: The Troubleshooter, as he refers to himself, is a consumer advocate, and I love how he helps people who are having troubles with the law, with businesses, or with their government. He has taught me many things, especially the importance of good customer service when running a business. Great guy who does great work.

CarTalk: This hour long call-in show deals with car troubles, and, not being much of a mechanical person, I enjoy their wit and wisdom regarding automobiles. The only downside to the show is that it is only an hour long show, once a week, so it doesn't fill much time at work. But, they are a nice change of pace when I do give them a listen.


Just like my musical interests, variety is the spice of my talk radio listening life.