Yet another semi-manic Monday

Here's a little of what's happening today...

"Clout" goes celeb-crazy

Air America calls the concept "Pollywood" (the intersection between politics and Hollywood). And now, they're beefing up the weeknight show "Hollywood CLOUT!" with the permanent addition of 10 celebrities to its weekly line-up. According to AAM, "these celebrities, chosen for their depth of knowledge and commitment to political, environmental, social and spiritual issues and their unique perspectives, will add their comments via The Hollywood CLOUT! Hotline or serve as co-hosts with Richard Greene, live on air during the 9-11P ET (6-8P PT) time slot."

Here's the lowdown:

Mondays:

Peter Coyote comments on what the Progressive political community must do in the Age of Obama
Heather Mills comments on lifestyle, health, vegetarian and animal rights issues, and how to fleece aging rock stars... oops, sorry for the editorial content.

Tuesdays:

"Hollywood CLOUT! Think Tank" Executive Director Noah Wyle co-hosts with Richard and discusses the news of the day

DL Hughley and his "DL Minute" bring humor to the issues of the day

Wednesdays:

Billy Baldwin (as opposed to his crazy wingnut brother Steve) co-hosts with Richard and discusses the news of the day

"The L Word" star Mia Kirschner talks about social justice and international issues

Thursdays:

Fran Drescher comments on women and other issues

Bai Ling brings her unique international and spiritual perspectives

Fridays:

James Cromwell adds his sage commentary on politics and lifestyle

A different musical or comedic star joins for "Friday Music Night" or "Friday Comedy Night".

Friday, July 17 - Jon Lovitz
Friday, July 24 - Trumpeter Chris Botti
Friday, July 31 - Alanis Morrissette

So there you have it.

Cullen to launch web show

Lynn Cullen has been a long-time Pittsburgh radio fixture and a moneymaker for WPTT (1360) before it changed formats last year. Her current station, WAMO (860), is set to soon flip to a Catholic format. Now, enter another local station. The Frischling family of Pittsburgh, owners of WLTJ and the Pittsburgh City Paper alt-weekly, has approached Cullen about doing a mid-morning online show.

The show will air live 10-11am and can be downloaded any time after that, starting August 18.

Webb killer gets 20 years

The mentally ill man who killed former Seattle talk-show host Mike Webb with an ax in 2007 was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison.

The sentence of Scott Brian White, 29, was 10 years more than the defense attorney asked for and eight years more than even the prosecutor asked for. The judge considered the plea agreement submitted by the prosecutor, but imposed a stiffer sentence for second-degree murder, downgraded from first due to his mental condition and drug use, suggesting that the murder wasn't premeditated.

After being missing for several months in 2007, Webb's decomposed body was discovered under his house in June of that year. White confessed to killing him soon afterward.

Funny, I remember when they'd lock up the murderers and throw away the key.

New portable HD Radio hits market

The much-beleaguered HD Radio technology has gotten a significant boost, as a new affordable and portable device hits the marketplace.

It's a portable radio capable of receiving HD Radio signals, and it is available at Best Buy stores via their Insignia in-house brand.

The unit is the has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, an armband, and the ability to store 10 pre-set stations. And at $49.95, the price is at least reasonable. Plus, with a device like this, perhaps it wouldn't be unreasonable for radio stations to use them as giveaways.

Sure, HD Radio has a ways to go before it shows any hope of being a factor in the industry. Let's face it, it isn't an iPod. But with devices such as this, it sure does seem like they're going in the right direction.

Webb murder: Suspect confesses

Yesterday, an arrest was made in the Mike Webb murder case. The suspect has now confessed to the slaying.

Police arrested Scott White, 28 on Wednesday night. White was previously described as a "person of interest" in the case, and was apprehended without incident.

Investigators had known about White for several weeks but learned of his location only on Wednesday. Assistant Chief Nick Metz said that during questioning at police headquarters, White admitted to killing Webb and hiding his body in the house he rented. White has not been charged as of yet, but a bail hearing was set for Thursday afternoon.

The decomposed body of the former KIRO radio talk host was found under boxes and a tarp in a 3-foot crawl space at his home on June 28. Day laborers happened upon the body while cleaning the house. Webb had been reported as missing since April 13.

According to the Seattle police missing persons report, Webb had been hanging out with a "shady character," and text messages were received from Webb’s phone for days after his disappearance.

White and Webb had apparently met in November and had lived together for a while. Metz would not discuss a possible motive, whether a weapon was found or other details. Nothing was disclosed in regard to White's criminal history, other details about his background or if he acted alone or with others.

Read more at KIRO-TV.

The summer, so far

As the summer season reaches its peak, it seems that news in the media biz has slumped somewhat. Like last summer, there just isn't a whole heck of a lot going on. At least not a whole lot to write about. Meaning that I've been taking a bit of a break (as it often seems like I'm handcuffed to this crazy thing). Now, I'm not saying that I'm about to ditch LTR and venture off into the sunset, but a little break now and then is never a bad thing, right?

I've been keeping busy, doing stuff such as learning how to outdo Maaco on the car with house paint and a roller and how to build a sideways bicycle. Oh, the fun of summer!

In today's fun-filled episode of LTR, I felt it would be a good idea to bring you all up to date on various goings-on across the land.

First off, a breaking news story in the Mike Webb case. KIRO-TV reports that police have arrested a suspect in the murder of the Seattle talk radio host. Scott White, 28, was previously described as a "person of interest" in the case. Police said he was arrested without incident last night. White was allegedly one of the last people to see Webb alive.

Speaking of Seattle, the city's Town Hall was the location last Saturday night for a big standing room only shindig featuring some of the biggest names in liberal talk. Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Mike Malloy, and the Young Turks (Ben Mankiewicz, and Cenk Uygur) were all there at the event, and there weren't even any fights. Just kidding. The event was sponsored by local libtalker KPTK (1090). If you missed it (and I'm sure many of you did), you can catch podcasts of the event at KPTK's website.

Elsewhere, Bob and the gang at Air America Place have been quite busy. As of earlier this week, they are now hosting free archives of just about every single show ever broadcast on Air America Radio. That means you can hear what Randi Rhodes was talking about three years ago. Or listen to long-forgotten shows like "Unfiltered" or "So What Else Is News" with Marty Kaplan, or even old favorites like "Morning Sedition" and Jerry Springer. In short, Air America Premium carries newer shows done in the past month. After that, they go to Air America Place. The shows in the deep archives are free, but if you plan on going on a wild downloading spree, consider flipping them a few bucks, since bandwidth can get a bit expensive. This is all donation-driven, so keep that in mind or it will be gone. You can start exploring the vast Air America archives here.

As stated before, the bandwidth for podcasting costs money. Some sites, such as White Rose Society, rely on donations. Some have sponsor-supported underwriting to cover expenses. Others do it for free (such as Clear Channel and CBS-owned radio stations, which offer a generous amount of podcasts). And others, such as Air America, Nova M and Stephanie Miller, have to charge money in some cases to offset bandwidth costs. Add to the latter Ed Schultz. Podcasts and audio highlights from Schultz' show are from here on out available only to subscribers. The price tag? A mere $5.95 per month. Now, I've never been a fan of charging for podcasts and audio archives, but I do realize that this stuff costs money. One idea would be to offer lower quality files, which take up less space and use less bandwidth. Sure, Mike Malloy's show sounds great at near soundboard quality 128k. But 64k would do the job nearly as well, and use up less space. Nova M does offer a 24k version of the show, which gets the job done and can fit easier on an iPod Nano. Another solution would be the underwriting method, where a sponsor helps to pay for it, in exchange for a commercial at the beginning and/or end. Emmis does this with Jonathan Brandmeier's morning show clips from WLUP in Chicago, and I think it works well. And this way, the audio clips can reach many more ears.

Sadly, ESPN Radio's best on-air host, Dan Patrick, is leaving both the radio and TV sides of the network after a total of 18 years. He currently holds down a three hour afternoon show on the radio end, and still hosts the afternoon version of TV's SportsCenter. Patrick felt that his efforts as of late have not been up to his personal standards, and he's been feeling a bit burned out. He also wants to spend more time with his children. He won't be replacing Bob Barker on The Price Is Right, as had been rumored. In fact, he's signed a new deal with a company called The Content Factory, which will produce various multimedia projects featuring Patrick, including a radio show. The first person to be offered Patrick's ESPN Radio gig was old friend and frequent co-host Keith Olbermann. Olbermann, citing his busy schedule with his main gig, MSNBC's Countdown, declined. He may however resurface on the radio, in the same role as before on Patrick's new show. Patrick's final ESPN Radio show and SportsCenter appearance will be August 17. No word on when his new one will begin. In the meantime, Patrick will still be hawking sub sandwiches.

Speaking of Olbermann, he'll be moderating the AFL-CIO's Democratic Presidential Forum on August 7. Congrats!

Back in May, former Air America Radio VP John Manzo was hired by upstart rival Nova M Radio to be their Chief Operating Officer (COO). And now, he has moved up the corporate food chain to the CEO position. "What took you so long?" quipped Manzo. "Seriously though, what I viewed as a plucky company with exciting potential just a month ago has quickly been shaped into a well-focused organization with a fresh, incredibly sound business strategy going forward." Manzo will continue to oversee all aspects of programming, sales, operations, affiliate relations and web strategy for the Nova M Radio Network and its flagship Phoenix affiliate, KPHX. In addition to Nova M and Air America, Manzo is a 20-year veteran of Saga, Jacor and Clear Channel.

And finally, speaking of Nova M Radio, since news has been traveling slow as of late, LTR failed to notice that nighttime host Mike Malloy celebrated his 65th birthday on July 1. One gift he received was what he referred to as "geezer slippers." Happy belated birthday, Mike.

Webb's body identified, talk host was murdered

Updating yesterday's tragic story, local authorities have identified a badly decomposed body found at Mike Webb's house to be that of the former Seattle liberal talk radio host himself.

Webb's sister, Marian Bagni said Seattle police informed her of the identification earlier in the day, and the The King County medical examiner's office says the death was a homicide.

The cause of death has been listed as "multiple sharp force injuries." The medical examiner stated that Webb died of blunt trauma and multiple stab wounds.

The body was found Thursday by a day laborer, hired by Webb's landlord, cleaning out Webb's Queen Anne rental home. After he moved boxes from a crawlspace, the worker saw the outline of a body under a tarp in the 3-foot crawlspace, and immediately called police.

Webb was last seen on April 13th and had been reported missing.

The webmaster of Webb's site has stated that he will keep it up until further notice, as he feels that is what he'd want. And friend and fellow radio personality John McMullen did an online tribute Friday for Webb, a two hour show that will repeat around the clock until Saturday afternoon and will be available at other times. You can find that at GAYBC Radio.

Further reading:

blatherWatch - A blog run by Webb antagonist Michael Hood, which has been covering the whole Webb ordeal very heavily.

Former talk-show host Webb led a life full of passion, problems (Seattle Times)

Mike Webb's official website

Body found at home of Mike Webb

Seattle police are investigating "badly decomposed" human remains found Thursday at the Queen Anne home of former radio talk show host Mike Webb.

Webb, 52, was last seen April 13, according to a missing-person report filed in May. His 10-year stint as a late-night talk show host came to an end in December 2005 when he was fired by KIRO-AM/710 after being charged with insurance fraud.

Seattle police crime scene investigators and homicide detectives were combing the house Webb had rented for 14 years in the 2500 block of Third Avenue West.

Assistant Chief Nick Metz, head of the department's investigations division, said a property manager discovered the body Thursday afternoon.

Calling the remains "badly decomposed," Metz said investigators had yet to determine the gender, age or the cause of death.

"We are treating this death as suspicious," Metz said.

Investigators were trying to determine whether the body had been moved to the house, Metz said. Several people -- including missing-person investigators and Webb's family -- had been to the house in the months since the liberal radio host vanished.

Officers last examined the home within the past two weeks, police spokesman Jeff Kappel said. It was unclear whether officers entered the home at that time.

Metz declined to divulge details about where the body was found. But he did say that, when those details are publicized, the reasons why the body was not located earlier will be clear.

More:

Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle Times
KOMO-TV
KIRO-TV
KING-TV
blatherWatch

developing...

Mike Webb is missing

A bit of old news to some, but nonetheless still ongoing.

Seattle liberal talk show host Mike Webb, formerly of KIRO and most recently doing a webcast version of his show, has been missing for almost two months. April 13 is the last time he had done a webcast, posted a blog entry and had spoken to anyone in his family. According to blatherWatch, a Seattle media blog that often writes about Webb, nobody seems to know his whereabouts. blatherWatch and Webb's family report that his house had been ransacked, but his car and other personal effects were left behind. The car, parked on the street, has since been impounded by police.

The last anyone had heard from him was allegedly April 30, when the local Department of Corrections had received a check-in call from him. Webb was convicted in February for making a fraudulent insurance claim after an automobile accident the previous June, when his Lexus was struck by an uninsured driver. Webb was fired from KIRO in December 2005 following his indictment on the charges.

Webb, 51, has been suffering a decline in mental and physical health for the past couple of years, according to sources. He even suffered a breakdown in court last September (resulting in a mistrial), had filed for bankruptcy protection and had reportedly even contemplated suicide.

A San Francisco native, Webb got his start in radio in the late 1960s, as a teenager, at KMPX, the groundbreaking progressive rock FM station programmed by legendary disc jockey Tom Donahue. He moved on to other San Francisco stations, doing mostly on-the-street reporting and interviews, with his most memorable story being the murders of San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone by deranged ex-City Supervisor Dan White. Webb, working for KGO radio at the time, also covered the riots that ensued when White received a mere seven year sentence for the double murder, by reason of insanity (junk food made him crazy). Later, Webb worked as an on-air personality at other San Francisco stations before moving to Seattle in the early 1980s. He entered talk radio at KIRO in 1996. Webb is also known for his activism work, particularly against hate crime. Webb runs a voice-over business as well.

Anyone having information about Webb, or those who have seen him are encouraged to contact Seattle Police Detective Tina Drain at (206) 684-5582. Seattle police are treating this as a missing persons case.

You can read more about Webb at blatherWatch.