Democracy Has Prevailed.

October 14, 2005

Local Right Wing Pittsburgh Radio 104.7

With nothing better to do this morning (really!) I turned on the radio to the local FM News Talk 104.7.

The station's on-air "talent" includes Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and a pair of local wingnuts, Quinn and Rose. The official website of this dynamic duo is called "The Warroom."

Who is this Jim Quinn guy? I guess he's had a long and storied career in local radio. Here's some old photos for you to peruse. And here's an article from 1970 from the Pittsburgh Press about the wild child himself. While he hated hard drugs, he was in favor of legalizing marijuana. Looks like he was the sort of guy who railed against "the establishment" and then happily cashed its hefty paychecks.

Here's what Chris Potter (of the City Paper) had to say about Jim Quinn more recently (in 2003, to be exact):
As 2003 comes to a close, we at City Paper bid farewell to one of our unlikeliest colleagues: radio “personality” Jim Quinn. You may know Quinn from his weekday morning screeds on WRRK-FM, where he raves about feminists, environmentalists, the United Nations, and so on. But here at work, we know him as the guy who walks around the office with a sidearm strapped to his waist.
Wait-there's more:
Quinn doesn’t even have a book out this Christmas season, but when it comes to groundless rumor-mongering, he can hold his own: Quinn once claimed that physicians of Middle Eastern descent were openly celebrating the Sept. 11 attacks in McKeesport. He based his report on an e-mail from a listener, but despite that ironclad evidence, the story turned out to be utterly groundless. Quinn had to apologize for it later.
And here's Dimitri Vassilaros (of the Trib) had to say in 2002. The article was published right after the two DC-area snipers were arrested and Vassilaros was writing about how some local radio talk-show hosts were presenting the story:
"I think he is an Islamist looney-toon who thinks God wants him to murder anyone who is not a Muslim in return for 72 virgins and a key to the celestial Playboy Club," says Jim Quinn, WRRK (96.9 FM) morning talk host. Quinn says he is not legally mandated to say "alleged," but "I think people understand he is innocent until proven guilty."

Rose Somma Tenant, Quinn's morning show partner, is not as fair and balanced."In my mind, it is obvious he is guilty of many things," she says. "I consider him a criminal right now just based on what he has done. You notice there have been no more shootings now that he has been arrested."
Good thing the police actually caught the right guy. Imagine if they'd made a mistake. I wonder what the warroom would have said about the "looney-tune criminal" then.

On the "speaking before thinking" front, I guess things haven't changed much over there at the warroom. Today, I heard Rose Tennant (the "Rose" of "Quinn and Rose") do an expose of sorts on Time journalist John Cloud. After googling some of the phrases, I found her source matieral. It was this article from the Traditional Values Coalition. She read the web page pretty much verbatim. Good work, Rose. Lotsa digging involved in reciting a right-wing webpage. The TVC piece, by the way, starts like this:
John Cloud, a homosexual activist who writes for Time magazine has recently written the cover story for Time (Oct. 10, 2005) on “The Battle Over Gay Teens.” The article does not reveal that Cloud is a promiscuous homosexual who admits enjoying anonymous sex.
Now I have no idea about John Cloud's personal life, but that's a helluva way to start a "fair and balanced" report, isn't it?

From what I heard this morning, Rose quoted the TVC article and claimed that Cloud compared the Boy Scouts to the KKK. By the way, if they had actually checked the Time article (reprinted via the Unitarian Universalist Association--this is the link the Traditional Values Coalition uses, by the way) they would have seen the extent of Clouds "comparison."
Gay-activist attorneys say the presence of a few gays wouldn't keep Scout officials from maintaining anti-gay views, since the vast majority of scouting activities never involve discussions of sexuality or politics. They say the issue isn't so much a group's right to exclusivity--no one is arguing that the Ku Klux Klan must admit Jews--as it is whether a group like the Boy Scouts, which generally welcomes every boy, can claim that being anti-gay is part of its core values. (As a practical matter, the N.A.A.C.P isn't worried: it has filed a brief against the Scouts.) [emphasis added]
That's it. The "comparison" hinges on each group's right to exclusivity. But the paragraph itself says that that's not really the issue at hand, doesn't it?

But's only talk radio, so "facts" and "truth" are concepts that don't matter much in the Quinn/Rose warroom.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

the first time i saw jim quinn was down at the point way back in the 60's at a free promo thing for the stage version of hair(i'm pretty sure that was event)
he was a chubby, obnoxious cross between a foul mothed hippie and a foul mouthed biker (my appologies to both hippies and bikers for the comparison between them and quinn)
i think he'd be a neo druid or a drag queen if there was enough money in it! rose, on the other hand sort of makes me believe that SHE believes, and THAT is scary!

Anonymous said...

Its amazing to me that liberals have to resort to name calling in order to make themselves feel like they have won or are winning the debate. Libralism has FAILED in every instance ie. France whoes unemployment is about 4 times what ours is. You see, conservatives base their arguements and ideas on facts, librals base their arguments on untruths and conspiracy theories. This is how librals are so Easily defeated in debates. As a conservative, I love liberals. You guys make for great news. Between Howard Deans’ scream and his theory that Bush new about 9/11 and Durbin and Kerry’s comments that compared our troops to terrorists and mass murders, I must say that it is interesting and entertaining watching your party crack up. You have to realize that this is happening!?!? The old Democratic Party would be ashamed of your actions. Now think real hard….. There is no way you can contest any of the things I have said with facts…..so go ahead and call me a right wing bigot to make yourselves feel better.

Anonymous said...

Quinn is a ratings hack, same as Springer & Coulter. Get a rise, get ratings, get more on his next contract. STOP believing anything the qwack has to say, it's all just to rile you up no matter what side you're on.

Conservatism is doomed to fail. Life is a journey forward, and those clinging to the past are left behind. No one said it's an easy ride, but it's one we have to take.

"There is no security in nature, it does not exist. Life is either a daring journey, or it is nothing at all."

Conservatives are more prone to attack what they don't understand, than to embrace it and forge a new future alongside the ever evolving human condition.

Quote on THAT, Mr. Quinn.

Anonymous said...

You obviously didn't do your homework. Jim was a raving liberal back in the day. Then he had a little run in with a feminist who open his eyes on the way of their world. He started seeing things more clearly and now is proud to spout and support his conservative ideas. And in my opionion does it quite well. They have never claimed to be "fair and balanced". If you had listened a little more to Rose speaking about
the KKK and the Boy Scouts you would have heard her credit the article from which she was reading.
Just like a liberal. Shoot you mouth off without having the facts.

Anonymous said...

Conservativism is doomed to fail? AHAHHA you guys are indenial..

Liberal talk shows fail. COnservative ones thrive. 8 milion listen to michael savage.

So anything you say is just a waste of time, being that I dont think you have 8 million on your side.

All you do is post things about conservatives because you know they are succesful, and you cant take that they are right, and you blog and say stuff to your liberal friends and think you are doing something.

Anonymous said...

Go Quinn and Rose love the show. Proves what these munches have to say LOL. Great job keep up the good work. Talk radio is what this country needs so teh real story gets out. It funny everytime I talk to a solider who has been in Iraq or somewhere else they tell a different stony than teh main strem media.

Anonymous said...

First off, I would consider myself a conservative. While I'm not a big Quinn and Rose fan...I find Quinn rather obnoxious myself...I defend their right to present their perspective on politics. They, and others in the news-talk radio world DO provide a much needed balance to some of the equally obnoxious left-side of the aisle pundits which seem to dominate the mainstream media outlets. Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity irritate me many times as well with their tone, but, again, they provide another view; even if you do not agree with them, at least it may provoke a serious examination of the issues, their background and some alternative ideas on solutions. The main reason I myself listen to talk radio is Glenn Beck, someone who is much more interested in books and people who can inform him and his listening audience, even-handed in his approach to issues in general, and certainly down-to-earth, an Everyman.

Anonymous said...

Long time liberal beliefs...
*The tree feels better after you've given it a hug
*Meat is murder
*High taxes are good for society
*The more government in peoples lives, the better
*Becoming a professional protester is admirable
*Redistribution of wealth (A Marxist principle) is noble
*Strong defense & Intelligence, what for?
*Experimentation with drugs & sexual behavior is open minded and educational
*Gay marrige exists
*Appeasment & dialogue with tyrants & dictators works (just ask Jimmy Carter & Bill Clinton)
...and the lunacy from the left goes on and on and on.
"Liberalism is a mental disorder"

Anonymous said...

get a real life and stop quoteing from that garbage rag the pittsburgh city paper do some real reporting of your own

Anonymous said...

"The definition of Liberalism - is standing on your heard and telling the world it's upside down". quote-Jim Quinn 104.7FM WPGB - Pittsburgh and Channel 165 on XM Radio. Love the show! (warroom.com)

Anonymous said...

the definition of conservative is to CON people to SERVE them.

American Socrates said...

Quinn and Rose are not conservatives. They are neoconservatives. Their only belief is in Deception and Personal Greed with a pseudo- religious bigotry front. That is the Ideology of Neoconservativism. They are the epitome of why the Republicans lost their way. No longer are Republicans the party of practical Libertarians who want freedom, personal responsibility and limited government. Instead Republicans have become a party Corporate Elitists with their bigoted, mindless masses being played by the shills of talk radio Neocons like Quinn and Rose, Rush, Hannity, etc. The Deceptacons (Neocons) have stabbed America in the Back. It is time for the Libertarian party to take over from these whiney pathetic losers.

David said...

Liberalism is actually SOCIALISM AND COMMUNISM.. You libs who support Obama are gonna wake up one day soon and see that our country is GONE, because Obama and his ilk have turned into a 3rd world socialist utopia..

Conservatives believe that we should be self sufficient and FREE to own land that the government cant take, keep and bear arms that the government cant ban, and FREEDOM to LIVE in LIBERTY and JUSTICE, without liberal politicians taxing us out the ass and worrying more about getting reelected and staying in power than actually solving problems..

I say the answer is Term Limits.. you heard me ONE and DONE.. For everyone.. Reps, Senators, Pres., all of them.. that way they can't keep power grabbing their way into term after term of REPUBLIC killing BS that they continually propogate. Get a REAL job after your 6 years in office.. PERIOD..

DM