Available Happiness

Michael Medved was just speaking to a gay caller who recently got married to his partner. Medved ended the call by stating "Well, I wish you every happiness available to you." Wow, I thought, that is a great, well-qualified wish to extend to gay people. I'm going to keep that one in my back pocket. When you say this, just make sure you pronounce the word happiness distinctly.

Columbus Ohio Salem Station is *LIVE*

Great news! Now Kathleen can't complain they don't have a good conservative talk station in Columbus.

Salem Communications is adding another NewsTalk radio station to its stable of talk stations around the country beginning 11/1. 98.9 FM The Answer is now born in Columbus, Ohio — the 34th largest market, with the LMA of WJKR-FM (Adult Hits/Hot AC) Jack-FM) from Radio One Licenses. The new talker will be the 25th NewsTalk radio station owned by Salem.

“Salem has enjoyed a fantastic relationship with the Columbus community. We’re excited to deepen our connection in this market with our acquisition of a strong FM signal where listeners can be informed by our faculty of nationally syndicated hosts,” said Dave Santrella, President of Salem’s Radio division.

“I can’t think of a better time to launch a NewsTalk station than right now, in Ohio the biggest of all battleground states,” said Tom Heyl, General Manager for Columbus. “Columbus is ready for a contemporary NewsTalk radio station relevant to today’s culture.”

“This will be the 5th ‘Answer’ station we have launched at Salem, along with New York, Los Angeles, Riverside and Dallas,” said Phil Boyce Salem’s VP/Director, Spoken Word Format. “Salem continues to be a leader in the NewsTalk format, and this new station will be the first FM NewsTalk station in the company fold. The Answer imaging voiced by legendary Lonnie Perkins will sound great coming out of an FM speaker.”

The station will feature the Salem staple lineup of Bill Bennett’s Morning In America 6-9am, Mike Gallagher 9am to Noon, Dennis Prager Noon to 3pm, Michael Medved 3pm to 6pm, Hugh Hewitt 6 to 9pm, Dial Global’s Dennis Miller 9pm to midnight with Compass Media’s Lars Larson Midnight to 3am.

And it's on the FM dial. Who'd have thunk it? "No static at all."

I am the 98%

...who don't care about immigration and who view the issue as a big distraction. Excerpt:

Actually, no major poll of the last year—no, not one of them—showed robust public interest in immigration. This month, CBS News asked respondents to name “the most important problem facing this country today.” Less than 2 percent came up with “illegal immigration,” while a dozen other concerns, led by “the economy and jobs,” of course, finished higher on the list. Over the summer, surveys from Bloomberg and Fox News found 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively, who identified immigration as a priority, with gas prices, the war in Afghanistan, health care, the deficit, education, and even nebulous concerns like “partisan politics” and “moral values” more frequently mentioned by the public.