|
December 22, 2008 TheDesperateBlogger.com
Radio Next for Former Senator, ‘Law & Order’ Star
Fred Dalton Thompson, the former U.S. Senator and Republican Presidential Candidate who has also starred in movies and television, is making the jump to daytime radio.
Westwood One Radio Networks President Gary Schonfeld, looking as proud as a peacock that had just swallowed a dozen Styrofoam pellets, called Thompson, “a perfect fit for radio,” adding, “His unique set of qualifications will make him a huge hit with both listeners and advertisers.”
The two-hour daily talk show, tentatively titled ‘Midday Siesta with Tio Freddie’ will air live from Noon - 2pm, Monday - Friday beginning March 2nd. It will fill the time slot being vacated by Bill O’Reilly’s wildly popular ‘They’re All a Bunch of Liberal Jerks’, which will sign-off after a successful six-year run on February 27th. According to a statement issued by Westwood One, the show will feature Thompson sharing “his views on politics, topical issues, pop culture and water cooler stories”, as well as guest interviews and listener calls.
“I know this is merely a stepping-stone for Fred, but I hope he’ll stick around for a while,” Mr. Schonfeld told the freelance journalist who was lured to the scheduled press conference by free coffee and donuts, “It’s so obvious that he’s on his way to bigger and better things, we’re just honored that he’s chosen Westwood One as a stop along the way.” The radio executive-turned-groupie continued, “The writing is on the wall. The question isn’t if greater accomplishments await, it’s how soon can we expect them.”
Pueblo, Colorado based media consultant Meegan Toomey, co-founder of Travers & Toomey LLC, concurs. “Just look at Senator Thompson’s body of work in mass media and entertainment,” she explains, “Then, look at the momentum of his career. The man’s gone from Hollywood movies to prime time television and now daytime talk-radio with the momentum of a runaway freight train going downhill. What’s going to stop him? Nothing. I predict within 4-6 years we’ll be talking about Fred Thompson as the biggest thing to hit Vaudeville since the Crash of ‘29.”
|