RADIO HANNIBAL

Trivisonno Must Go, hear my plea WTAM

I make a conscious effort to try and refrain from negative talk here.  If there's one real downside to the blogasphere it's the amount of negative banter that goes into posts and comments regardless of the subject. 

Me, I like to try and look at the good in life and keep a positive attitude.  It's hard enough these days. 

So here I am ready to be negative.  Although, it is to decry the biggest dispenser of negativity in my city of Cleveland.  Mike Trivisonno is his name.  He is the afternoon drive time talk show host on Clear Channel's 50,000 watt flagship station WTAM, 1100AM.

It's a fact, Cleveland is in decline as are other northern cities.  The current economic crisis certainly doesn't help.  In Sunday's Plain Dealer the editors spelled out an agenda we could follow to help Cleveland become the great city it once was. 

Listen to Trivisonno though and you'll hear how it's over for Cleveland.  It's over for this country.  He offers no solutions and, in fact, rallies listeners to share in his doom and gloom image. 

Yes, I could turn him off and do for the most part. But traffic reports and the home of Indians and Cavaliers broadcasts make it hard to avoid his assault on our city. 

There's the old saying "if you are not part of the solution you are part of the problem". Do you hear that Mike?  Then get out of the way.  Give the citizens of this area a chance to make a change and stop your ratings antics. 

Better yet, Clear Channel, in your next round of layoffs, do our city a favor and save yourself some cash.  Fire Mike Trivisonno.  I'm certain you could find a well qualified ratings winner at a lesser salary and a better attitude. 

Prop 8, The Musical

From one of the funnier sites Funny Or Die comes yet another well done video sketch.  This time it's Prop 8, The Musical.  It stars Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Neil Patrick Harris and many more. 
Of course there's a point to the hilarity.  And by my posting this, well, you know where I stand. 
 

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Last Days In The White House

Before President Clinton left the White House in 1999, while enjoying his lame duck status, he made this short film for the White House press staff's traditional state dinner. 

Ron Howard's Call To Action

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Maria Shriver's Poem at Russert Eulogy

Some great moments during Tim's Memorial service which aired live yesterday afternoon.  The three audio drop outs were frustrating though. 
All the speakers from Brokaw to Cuomo to his seventh grade nun teacher were wonderful.  For me the highlights were Tim's brother-in-law playing an intricate acoustic guitar version of Born To Run, the video link eulogy complete with an acoustic performance of Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen and Maria Shriver's little poem.
The Little Ship

I stood watching as the little ship sailed out to sea. The setting sun tinted his white sails with a golden light, and as he disappeared from sight a voice at my side whispered, "He is gone".

But the sea was a narrow one. On the farther shore a little band of friends had gathered to watch and wait in happy expectation. Suddenly they caught sight of the tiny sail and, at the very moment when my companion had whispered, "He is gone" a glad shout went up in joyous welcome, "Here he comes!"

Tim Russert...Go Get 'Em

The news of the passing of Tim Russert on Friday left me stunned.  Certainly he was too young but more importantly his life resonated for me. 
Over the weekend I watched Matt Lauer lead the Saturday Today Show in memory of Tim, watched another tribute Sunday Today show and the special Meet The Press.  This morning I watched his college grad son, Luke, speak with Matt.  Some say NBC was milking it.  Not true.  Here was a man cut down in his prime, as I've said, and an everyman kind of guy that the nation related to in an intimate way. 

I started considering the many striking similarities and things shared between he and myself.  We both grew up on the shores of Lake Erie, albeit in different cities.  Yet, we both championed those cities.

He spent formative years in my city of Cleveland, attending John Carroll University and Cleveland State's Marshall Law School. 
In his first book, Big Russ And Me, he talks of the annual trip his dad, uncle, etc. would make to Cleveland to watch an Indians game.

I read both that book and the follow up companion, Wisdom Of Our Fathers, gleaning valuable life lessons which I've applied to mine.

He was also a devout Catholic.  I, too, came back to the Church after the seeming miracle conception of my son.  A miracle that became even larger to me when he was born on my 40th birthday. And like Tim, our son's are our only children. 

I now have the good fortune of working within a few minute walk of a Catholic church where I'm able to attend noon Mass on most days. Tim and his family will certainly be in my prayers today at Mass.

Lastly, Tim and I shared a huge love of Bruce Springsteen and his music.  While attending John Carroll University he was on the concert committee and was instrumental in bringing Springsteen and the E Street Band to the campus for one of his first shows in Cleveland.  The Boss became part of the Cleveland fabric thanks to WMMS and, as it turns out, with some help from Tim.  In fact, he worked with legendary WMMS DJ, Kid Leo, in helping promote that JCU Springsteen show.

Saturday night in Cardiff, UK before playing Thunder Road Bruce addressed the crowd:
"I'd like to do this tonight for a long time friend of the E Street Band who passed away suddenly.

"Tim Russert was an important unreplacable voice in American journalism. I watched him hold our politicians feet to the fire on many Sunday mornings. He was always a strong voice for honesty and accountability in American government .. but beyond that he was a lovely presence, a good father, husband, and good guy. He was a regular at many E Street Band shows and I'm going to miss looking down and seeing that big smiling face in the crowd.

"We send this out all the way back to the states tonight for his son Luke, his wife Maureen, his dad Big Russ , and all the Russert family.

"Tim , God Bless You, We will miss you..."

For me, Tim will act as a mentor, a barometer, to which I will measure my life's endeavors.      

Sub-Prime Mortgage Crisis Explained

So, are you like me and having difficulty in trying to understand how the sub-prime mortgage crisis happened? 
Well here's an excellent and humorous Power Point presentation that explains it all.  It's in a small zip file.
Sub-Prime Janet and John Version

Obama For President

Well, I've never been one to avoid talking politics or keeping my opinions to myself.  So, now it's official, Radio Hannibal endorses Barack Obama.