Article by Patrick Lee
Talk Radio – June 1994 – Colorado Central Magazine
Patrick: “KVRH Talk Show, thanks for calling.”
Caller: “Pahtraik, ah don’t thaink it’s raht, no, them Rebublicans sayin’ what they said.”
Patrick: “What’d they say?”
Caller: “Well, you know, about what that guy said before. No, it ain’t raht.”
Patrick: “No, no, no, he said the U.S. is a republic, and not a democracy.”
Caller: “Well, it ain’t raht tham Rebublicans puttin’ down the Democrats.”
Patrick: “Have you ever heard of Rosann Rosanna Danna?”
Caller: “Yeah, she’s the one that had all them kids. You know I told my husband about her, and…”
Patrick: “No, no, Rosann Rosanna Danna was the character on TV that always misunderstood the meaning of words and phrases.”
Caller: “Yeauh, she’s the one I told my husband about that was doin’ all them thaings with them kids that…”
Patrick off phone: “Augh!”
Then there was the caller who said she was not a Homo sapiens. She refused to believe she was an animal.
So it goes — small market radio. If it’s not Joyce, it’s Constitution Betty, Two-Bullet Bob, Gonzo, or Curtis. I love ’em all.
A diversified bunch of callers keeps the show moving. I’ve had people ask me why the same people call all of the time, and of course the answer is — because you don’t. New and fresh perspectives do filter in now and then, and I know the audience likes it.
Being the host of a Talk Show is fun sometimes, and sad too. You get to interact with folks on whimsical topics, but you also come eardrum to eardrum with anger and hurt. I’ve always admired the peaceful tact in dealing with folks, but honestly, sometimes you can hear their blood pressure rising, and I always hope they don’t kick their dog after they get off the phone.
Enthusiasm, yes. Blind antagonism, no. It’s counterproductive to good discourse.
I must admit, I’m a little devil’s advocate, though. It’s needed sometimes to open the gates and get the juices flowing. I know I really tick off the smokers. Don’t mean to. It’s just that those damn nicotine-dispensing companies have hooked and slowly killed too many friends and family, and I’d like to see and hear them admit the truth about it. Whew, don’t get me started. Stinky old nasty things.
Pot has come up several times, and I still can’t believe the number of folks who lump it in with dangerous drugs like coke, heroin, PCP, etc. Our prisons are releasing murderers and rapists because they are overcrowded, but they spend an inordinate amount of time chasing the pot heads.
Make no mistake, I do not advocate the use of marijuana except by a physician’s suggestion:, nor do I do it any more. It’s just that cannabis is a much maligned plant that would lend its properties to the good of mankind. See “Toward A Sane National Drug Policy,” by Ethan Nadelman and Jann Wenner, Rolling Stone special issue, May 5, 1994.
Opinionated? Me? Of course I am. I’ve got to be to keep up with you, right?
I mean, we all have an opinion, and the Talk Show is the place to vent. No taboos. I like that. Some people get all defensive, and say, “They shouldn’t talk about that.”
But hey, living in America means I can, and having a boss like Bill Murphy who fights for our right for free speech just makes it shine. My thanks to Mark Roman and Joann Gleason for helping with the KVRH Talk Show. It couldn’t work without them. And you, too.
As you may have guessed, Patrick Lee hosts the daily talk show on KVRH in Salida. He’s also the news director.
