Implausible Deniability

Jerry Springer tries to claim he's only a little bit pregnant not really that much of an Air America personality.

Brian Maloney transcribes a call between Springer and a caller that apparently snuck past Air America's screeners:

Okay, uh, honestly. Uh, on some of the stations around the country, I’m on Air America. On some of the stations around the country, I’m not on Air America. So, uh, I, you know, I can’t answer that because the truth is I don’t know. Once I find something out about it, I’m willing to address it. I’m not dodging it all. Uh, but, you know, again, most of the people listening to me are not listening to me on Air America, so I can’t deal with that…

I'd figured that Springer had a chance to succeed with FrankenNet; I'd figured that he had at least some daily broadcasting chops. I haven't heard the show yet, but if Maloney is correct (read the post), I missed a key point; doing TV, even crazy TV, is very, very different than live talk radio. (Just as it's very different than doing public radio, as a lot of FrankenNet's people are starting to figure out). Springer's been able in his TV career to just sit back and let shows "spontaneously" erupt into spasms of mayhem, with plenty of help from the TV editing process. You don't get that break on talk radio.

Oops.

The funny part, of course (again, read Brian's piece) is the way the kinder, gentler, duller radio Springer is crabwalking away from Air America...

Posted by Mitch at October 3, 2005 12:49 PM | TrackBack