Fresh off losing their almost-half-century sinecure as the Minnesota Twins' flagship station, WCCO adds Eleanor Mondale to their lineup.

Mondale - the daughter of former vice president Walter Mondale, who back in 1989 was sort of the Paris Hilton of the Twin Cities media scene - should keep the farmers in Motley thoroughly scandalized:

"Here is a gal with worldly experience who is connected to the entertainment world, political and corporate business leaders," said station General Manager Mary Niemeyer, "We could make a ton of money auctioning off her Rolodex."

The jokes practically write themselves:

• WCCO will probably need that money.
• Listening to the auction might be more interesting than Mondale's show itself.

The article continues:

The daughter of former Vice President Walter Mondale was more modest. "I'm not going to come in and start saying, 'Here's my dad and here's my dad's friend,' " she said (former President Jimmy Carter was a guest during her recent audition). "Susie and I are equal partners; we have an amazing opportunity to create our own new show."

She's not going to say "Here's my dad and here's his friend" - because she's got the Strib, which has carried the water for the various Mondale clan members for decades.

Program director Wendy Paulson said the chemistry between Mondale and Jones "was so amazing that Eleanor seemed the obvious choice."

Submitted for your approval: Anyone who keeps Al Malmberg on the air is unqualified to judge "amazing chemistry".

At least Mondale has one< thing to talk about that's worth listening to:

That statement wouldn't have been as easy to make at this time last year. Mondale was found to have two cancerous brain tumors and told that she only had six months to live. Her one option was surgery, but there was a good chance she would end up partially paralyzed. However, with the same verve that has made her a broadcasting standout, Mondale said she told her doctors, "Come on, I'm at the Mayo Clinic and you're all telling me I'm going to die? What are my other options?"

She chose a treatment of chemotherapy and radiation. By October, one tumor had vanished and the other was dismissed as nonthreatening.

"It was truly a miracle," she said. "Even the doctors were shocked."

I'll have to polish up my Eleanor Mondale impression.

It's strictly a verbal impression.

Posted by Mitch at August 21, 2006 06:21 AM | TrackBack