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The Stephanie Miller Show Debuts On MSNBC
May 1st, 2007 | 14 responses
This is the first 9 minutes of what was essentially a quickly-arranged on-the-air-audition as a Don Imus replacement:
What’s always refreshing about Stephanie Miller is that on her radio show she doesn’t have that perpetually angry, outraged attitude that most talk show hosts (and, alas, many of us bloggers) have. She looks at most things with a sense of bemusement and playfulness, shooting out a ton of jokes. Some work, some don’t but she gets her message across and can score solid laughs. Yes, she is partisan; but she can’t be confused with a rage-filled troll on a weblog…as many talk show hosts on the left and right can.
Here was the intro to her first show:
14 Responses to “The Stephanie Miller Show Debuts On MSNBC”
Since this is the third post in about a week sucking up to Stephanie Miller, I assume their is some hidden agenda.
It sounded like most bad FM radio that I just cannot stand.What was interesting about Imus is that their was not a high pitched female laugh in the morning. This show is the opposite. It is not a replacement for Imus, it is a show that will fill the time slot where the Imus show used to be.
Her staff breaks rule number one of being funny, do not laugh at your own jokes.
SD That is her show, all the temp hosts are fill ins untill they find an Imus replacement. Being a raving Liberal I thought her show mixes a good amount of humor with comentary and she didn’t suck as bad as Smerconish. I have watch Smir as a guest and at that he’s OK. Don’t accuse me of being a partisan, I enjoy Ed Becks show but hate his politics. I watch EB at least 3 times a week, quit watching Billo after the Easter Jihad BS.
Superdestroyer. You’re falling into political and blog cliches. No, I don’t receive a paycheck from Stephanie Miller. Someone CAN express a view that they like someone and it isn’t sucking up to them.
I continue to be amazed at the ability of people to not take posts on face value. FYI, I’m now on a trip driving about 8 to 10 hours a day. I listen to progressive and conservative talk radio all the time. I like hosts who are unpredictable and not just angry partisans of the right and left who sound like they’re members of the DNC or RNC plugging their candidates and trying to keep followers in line by defending theirs and blasting others. It may shock you but when I write that I like her, I actually like her and can listen to her whole show.
I also have said that Michael Savage is one of my favorites to listen to, even thought he was booted off MSNBC for homophobic statements and is very much to the right. I don’t agree with much of his take on things. He is unpredictable on a lot of issues — and anyone who’ll say on the air that he’s truly sick of politics, Democrats, Republicans and talk radio’s predictability and has therefore decided to talk about what makes a really great, authentic Italian meatball keeps me listening. I will listen to his show from beginning to end when I drive because I never know what he’s going to talk about or precisely what he’ll say. KFI’s John and Ken in LA are great; some call them “shock jocks” but they have blasted Bush as much as they have Democrats and you can’t really tell at times how they’re going to approach and issue. So some people in my opinion as someone who travels a great deal and listens to a ton of talk radio on long drives are better BROADCASTERS because they know how to put together a show that moves — one that is not just an extended and predictable political commercial.
I listened to one Air America host last night who was on a San Francisco station as I drove up here to Santa Rosa who was highly predictable. He was as bad and tiresome going on and on about “those filthy Republicans” as Rush and Sean are in talking about Democrats. He was the only talk show on and I kept looking for other things to listen to but he was the only really lively show on at that time.
Miller’s show uses the early morning talk show format with a host and a staff talking and laughing among themselves. Imus and the others have used it for years, Howard Stern uses it — where there is a staff and they do break up at the jokes, acting as a kind of audience, cueing the listeners (much like “canned laughter” does on tv comedies) on stuff that is supposed to be funny.. Miller is one of the few people on the radio who isn’t foaming at the mouth and screaming each day about how the country will vanish if her candidates don’t prevail and the other party gets in or stays in. She may feel that way, but she at least lightens it up a bit.
My other favorites: Ed Schultz, KFI’s Bill Handle, Bernie Ward, and the guy whose website I do not link to on original reports due to how unreliable those reports often are and who I’ve criticized… Matt Drudge (a good radio show on Sundays and unabashedly pro-GOP but not “radio talk show speak”). My agenda is to listen to a radio show that moves well and is not just one long angry political rant from someone promoting a candidate on the left or right (even if the host does have preferences that are evident). I switch off many hosts on the right and left after about 5 minutes. I may soon subscribe to satillite radio so I have a greater selection of radio shows…which I listen to as ENTERTAINMENT and to me a three hour show of someone angrily demonizing another party and doing public relations for members of their party who may be under fire is not entertaining but could put me to sleep at the wheel. It’s a distinction between hosts who seem to view themselves as partisan thought enforcers versus hosts who seem to view their shows more as entertainment product and realize (like I do in my school programs) that a message can be STRONGER if it’s not a lecture and if it doesn’t seem scripted: it should seem more spontaneous and be placed within the context of some entertainment that helps communicate the idea.
I enjoyed her and her show- usually left-wing radio is just as bad as right-wing radio-too much meaningless namecalling and obscenity, but hers was a breath of fresh air. BTW, she is already getting hate e-mail, which shows intolerance abounds on both sides. As far as I know Miller and Olbermann are the only lefties hosting their own cable shows on politics. On the other side we have O’Reilly, Beck, Hannity, Tucker and Scarborough (though at least Joe is a thinking conservative who does present all points of view). Who am I missing? Well the rest of the Fox lineup.
I must admit I don’t have time to listen to her shows, but my mom is a huge fan. From what few snippets I’ve seen and heard she seems to be a good juxtaposition to the Beck and BillO. I hope she gets the slot.
KR – What is your take on Beck. Many “moonbats” foamed at the mouth when “Libral” CNN put on a token conservative. While his politics is right conservative, he uses humor and self deprication to lighten it up. Miller was hilarious at that today with her “female perspiration problem”. Did Limpbaugh laugh at himself over ED and teenage hookers?
I was, and still am a huge Imus fan. Stehpanie Miller was not funny. I was embarassed watching the show, which I could only watch for a few minutes at a time. Sad to say I am no longer a fan of MSNBC. I do feel thier ratinge will go down if they contunue to air, silly 8th gradish humor type shows. I felt I knew what was going on in the world after listening to Imus, including getting udates on all different sports.
Stephanie Miller is great! Funny, smart, and a nice person to boot. Have listened to her and the mooks for over year. Fun to see her on msnbc. To the person who finds her not funny, what was funny about Imus’s show? You don’t like eigth grade humor? so did you not like Imus’s impersonators, i.e Hulk, Brian Wilson, etc. and what about Bernies Irish rant with the fed ex hat on? What is that? High brow? And the cutting, racial slurs from Bernie topped Imus many times. And his impersonations of Mayor Nagin? That you find funny? And how was Imus any more informing than Stephanie. I also watched Imus for over two years in the early morning, my husband likes him, and I don’t see where he provided any more worldly opinion/platform than Stephanie. And stephanie isn’t all about fun anyway. Besides, you only watched a few minutes so I guess you didn’t watch in its entirety. She makes excellent points. Especially love her RightWing World! I would agree the sports was a missed element as I liked Chris very much!
Rudi-Beck uses humor to sneak in support for conservative policies. For a while he was a die-hard Bush supporter, which made me nauseated, so I’ve turned him off. Plus he periodically says idiotic things like comparing the tactics used by Gore to combat global warming denial to the way Hitler exterminated the Jews. He softened it up a bit, but the wingnuts probably didn’t hear the nuances.
I have no problem with traditional conservatives like Joe Scarborough or Pat Buchanan, because at least they are rational- not the nutty neocon variety. They don’t denigrate or stoop to repeating and rationalizing talking points.
I have watched Imus for over 7 years, I guess I just miss him. Im a creature of habit and he was part of my daily routine. Besides, the reason they fired him was a hypocritical one and i’m upset about that also. Steph is to hyper for my taste, it’s like she is trying to hard to be funny. I don’t think she will get the same caliber of guest on the show as Imus did, the senators, congressmen, authors and other political pundits.
I really never got Imus- He seems like a relic of our not so distant past that we’d like to forget about. He’s the embarrassing Uncle at Thanksgiving who always says the rude things that the rest of the family cringes at. Once I heard him dressing down Mike Barnicle like he was his lawn boy, instead of a well-respected journalist-not my kind of humor.
Imus was part of my husband’s routine also but he really enjoys Stephanie’s show too. She does have congressmen and women, senators, authors, pundits etc on her radio show and had some this week on msnbc, albeit it won’t be far right republican guests nor Fox’s nightly opinion show hosts, though she was on hannity’s (and poor Colmes who never gets to talk much) show. I think a suspension would have been fair for Imus, I don’t think he should have been fired either. Never liked Bernie much though. I think Imus has good heart, I think Bernie is a hard cold hearted person. I was hoping Feingold would be a guest caller as he has been on Stephanie’s radio show often but no such luck, I think he was busy with the push on the Iraq funding legislation and dealing with. working on response to the inevitable veto from the “commander guy”
Stephanie Miller and the Mooks are funny, quick and usually right (correct). She is rarely if ever, mean spirited. She also gets some great guests and doesn’t have any problem befriending the likes of Sean Hannity. Because “Momma” talks so fast, it is easier to get everything she says on TV than radio because you can watch her mouth and body movements. The only thing about her taking this show slot is, unfortunately, I’m at work during this time but I do manage to hear most of her radio show.
Shelbar, If you really want to be embarrassed by someone, try Rush. Doesn’t know fact from fiction, has no sense of humor and he’s mean. I can’t take much of him.
Imus, I can’t comment, as stated previously, wrong time slot.
She just doesn’t want to take it anymore! If she wants this, I’m rooting for her.
I guess I’m not a moderate voice becaue I cant listen to to Rush. I have a tendancy to listen to people I agree with. I have never been much of a newshound but since 911 tht is all I can focus on. I was even motivated to become active with moveon.org for the last presidential election.
I agree with Stephanie but Im not used to that fast paced break neck humor. Out of my comfort zone after listening to Imus for so many years.
Hope Imus wins his lawsuit