Things I Think I Think

A few random things I think. Or think I think.

I think Ed Bremer is to KSER what Walter Cronkite was to CBS. Or what Johnny Carson was to the Tonight Show. He's been at KSER since 1990, which is pretty remarkable when you consider the station didn't actually go on the air until 1991. He was here for the launch and is still going strong every afternoon with Sound Living. Is there any other news anchor on radio or TV in the Northwest who has been at the same station for that long?

I think I'm getting jaded or old...or both. I can remember when watching the political conventions on TV actually had some purpose. You'd find out who was really going to get the nomination and who the VP pick was. Now, what's the point? It's an expensive waste...I think.

I think when a lot of radio and TV stations always talk about "news you can't get anywhere else," they're pretty much full of it. The news most of them are doing you can get a lot of other places.

I think Amy Goodman really does have a lot of news you can't get anywhere else...almost. This week her Democracy Now  show is a full two-hours and has been broadcast live from Tampa, site of the GOP convention (next week, Charlotte & the Dems). And her coverage has been excellent.  She's covering the politics but is including important stories from around the world.  I think she is remarkable.

Juan Gonzalez; Amy Goodman

I think it's pretty alarming what's happening to the newspaper business in this country.  The Seattle P-I is gone. The New Orleans Times-Picayune is now publishing just three days a week. (Who could forget this front page?) And now The Post-Standard in Syracuse, and The Patriot-News in Harrisburg will start publishing just three days a week. Not good...I think.

I think Sleepy John is really not sleepy at all. Listen to the great music on his show, Left of the Dial, Wednesday nights at 7 on KSER. Sounds wide awake to me.

I think most people may not notice, but if you listen to the Takeaway weekday mornings on KSER, there's something new. John Hockenberry is now the solo host. His former co-host Celeste Headlee has decided to work on some other projects.  And the program which originates on the east coast, is live every morning at 6 a.m. on KSER.

I think if you like Celtic music and Nordic music it's hard to beat Tuesday nights on KSER. Tuesday's at 7 p.m. it's Celtic Harvest, followed at 8:30 p.m. by Nordic Roots and Branches. Every week that is some great music.  I think.


I think tickets will go fast when we get a few more details on Amy Goodman's upcoming Everett visit. She's going to be here Saturday afternoon, October 27. We'll let you know sometime in the next week about location and how to get tickets.

I think if two great Saturday shows on KSER, "Frettin Fingers" and "Pull the String" ever merged, we could have a good time coming up with a name for the new show.

I think for starters I should have confessed that I stole, uh, borrowed this theme. "Some things I think I think" was a great weekly column written by one of the world's greatest newspaper guys, the late Phil Musick. Phil was a columnist for the Pittsburgh Press and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  I worked with him at WTAE radio in Pittsburgh in the 90's.

Phil would be happy that someone is reviving one of his trademarks. I think.