Toward the earlier days of KFI’s (640 AM) talk format, the station tended to lean political, even more than it does today. And while it tended to be on the conservative side of things, there was a semblance of balance … morning host Rush Limbaugh countered with afternoon drive’s Tom Leykis.
And in the evening was a little of both combined with a lot of levity in the form of Joe Crummey. I liked the show.
Crummey was a bit of an anomaly on KFI. At first, his show seems to lean liberal, then shifted toward the middle and middle-right. But it was always a fun listen, and I was disappointed when he left the station for KABC (790 AM) — it never seemed quite the same as far as the fun factor went — and eventually, he left for other cities: Phoenix and New York in particular.
While at KFI, he had a certain bit in which he would debate himself — “regular” Joe vs “evil” Joe. Logical and moral Joe vs. illogical and immoral Joe.
When he went to KABC, KFI became the “evil” station.
As of late, Crummey is hosting a conservative podcast, called, of course, Evil Thoughts with Joe Crummey, in which he takes issues of the day and breaks them down using quotes and soundbites from the politicians and supporters involved.
It’s a short program — usually about 15 minutes or so — but quite entertaining especially if you agree with his analysis. If you lean liberal, it is still entertaining, but I would assume you’d disagree with many of his thoughts, but truth be told, he’s hard on Republicans as well as Democrats.
Recent topics have mirrored current events: inflation, shortages, the Supreme Court, abortion, energy and more. Soundbites come from politicians, “The View,” and news programs, interspersed with commentary from Crummey. But it’s not just skin-deep … a recent show on baby formula went into the why of the shortage, not just spinning blame.
In fact, that’s the premise behind most of his shows — having some fun with the soundbites as you learn a little more about the issues in a way that other sources tend to avoid.
Find it at http://joecrummey.com.
Golden Mikes
KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM) and KFI (640 AM) took top honors for radio … as per usual … in the recent Golden Mike awards held in late May.KNX won for Best Radio Newscast Over 15 Minutes, while KFI won for Best Radio Newscast Under 15 minutes.
But wait, you ask, aren’t these the only real news stations in Southern California … wouldn’t they win anyway? Not exactly. The awards cover all of Southern California, so there are stations from San Diego to Santa Barbara that compete.
That’s a lot of stations!
Each year the Radio and Television News Association (RTNA) presents the Golden Mike Awards to radio and television stations, programs, and people involved in the production of quality newscasts, reporting, and features. This year, in addition to the regular awards, the RTNA presented its 2022 Broadcast Legend Award to Jaime Jarrin, longtime Spanish play-by-play broadcaster for the Dodgers. Jarrin is the longest-tenured active announcer in Major League Baseball, and is currently in his 64th (and final) season as the Spanish-language voice of the Dodgers.
Other radio awards locally included:
Best Traffic Report: KNXBest Individual Writing: KOGO’s (600 AM) Remembering the DayBest Long Form Program or Documentary: KFI’sBest Hard News Series Reporting: KPCC’s (89.3 FM) Unpermitted HousingBest Feature News Series Reporting: KCRW’s (89.9 FM) WastedThere are many more, and you can access the full list at rtnasocal.org.