Radiohead

Oh, here we go again.

Just when it appeared that the controversy surrounding Boston talk radio star Jay Severin would finally die down, along comes Bay Stater James Kirchick, assistant editor at the New Republic, to revive it. Kirchick writes, “…Jay Severin makes Mark Levin look like Diane Rehm. So it was with great displeasure that I heard about his return to the airwaves last week after a month long indefinite suspension.”

After recounting some of Severin’s more incendiary comments and past controversies, Kirchick notes that Severin’s apology was “…the sort of insincere expression of regret that politicians and celebrity abusers of the law and/or basic standards of propriety seem to offer on a weekly basis in response to popular outrage over their misbehavior. Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, who has a monthly radio show on WTKK, weighed in on the controversy, saying that while he ‘read and appreciated [Severin’s] apology,’ ‘we have got to figure out a way on this station and in our broader civic life to engage even on difficult issues without demeaning people who differ from us in background or point of view.’ Those are wise words from the Governor. A first step would be to start ignoring Severin and other blowhards, whatever their political leanings.”

If Severin has in fact cleaned up his act, why should his words be ignored in the future? Yes, his remarks were over-the-top, irresponsible, hurtful. But should he be shunned forever?

Kirchick should give the new and improved Severin a try. He just might like what he hears.

A Severin-Scot Summit?

It’s time for Jay Severin and Scot Lehigh to settle things once and for all.

The libertarian Boston talk-radio star and the center-left Boston Globe columnist have been feuding for the last half-decade, with no end in sight. Lehigh, who has strongly criticized Severin for his statements about America’s efforts to stop terrorism and has raised questions about the WTKK-FM broadcaster’s biographical claims, is now involved in a new endeavor known as “Jay Watch.” Lehigh says this is “…an effort to assist WTKK’s putatively penitent p.m. host as he tries to clean up his act” (Severin recently returned to the airwaves after a month-long suspension for using excessive rhetorical force in describing Mexico’s role in the recent swine flu scare.) “…Jay Watch will focus on utterances that debase the dialogue, like Jay’s recent comments about Mexicans. Declarations that this group or that person should be killed also qualify. So, too, do the misogynistic terms that Jay applies to women he disdains. I know that the odds against success are long. Still, elementary civility is worth the effort. So let’s try to help Jay with his resolution to stop polluting our airwaves.”

Lehigh probably shouldn’t waste his time on “Jay Watch.” This initiative will only result in more hostile e-mails in Lehigh’s in-box and a furtherance of the perception that Lehigh and the Globe have an ideological axe to grind with the main promoter of “Extreme Games.” Instead, how about Lehigh and Severin resolving their differences on-air?

A conversation between Severin and Lehigh would not only make for great radio, it would also heal whatever damage both men’s images have suffered in the eyes of their philosophical opponents. Let’s face it: the average Lehigh fan regards Severin as a right-wing reactionary, and the average Severin fan regards Lehigh as a member of the self-righteous elite liberal media. If both men had a civil conversation on WTKK, it might shatter both stereotypes.

Severin would be able to answer the questions Lehigh has raised about his biographical claims and incendiary language. In addition, Lehigh could respond to the constant claims by members of Severin’s hardcore fan base that he would like nothing more than to drive Severin and other non-liberals off the air.

Severin is big on apologies these days. Wouldn’t it be something if he apologized to the man he once characterized as a “pant-load?” Wouldn’t it be fascinating to hear these two rhetorical rivals attempt to find common ground?

“I’ve long been a critic of Severin’s crude, bombastic, xenophobic discourse,” Lehigh wrote last month. “Over the years, I have highlighted a few of his more blatant lies, outrages, and inventions because I thought his listeners should know what a bigot and a fraud he was.” Hearing Severin directly respond to Lehigh’s claims would allow other Severin skeptics to gain new insight into the controversial commentator.

Lehigh would also change a few minds. Lehigh is the E. J. Dionne of the Globe, a clear thinker who can challenge conservatives without furthering the degeneration of discourse. Say what you will about Lehigh’s perspective, but he wasn’t the one who compared climate-change skeptics to Holocaust deniers.

Severin should ask Lehigh to walk over to the WTKK studios and finally put this dispute behind them. Hearing Severin and Lehigh discuss their grievances would be good for ratings, good for radio, good for rationality. Both men have something to contribute to the public square. Neither man should remain the other’s villain.

UPDATE: More from WGBH.

Jay Severin: Back in Business

Great news for Bay State talk-radio fans: WTKK-FM star Jay Severin will return to the airwaves Tuesday, June 2. Severin, who has been with the station for nearly a decade, was indefinitely suspended in late-April for caustic comments about Mexico’s role in the recent swine flu scare.

It is expected that we will hear a kinder, gentler Severin going forward. That’s a good thing: when Severin avoids incendiary rhetoric and focuses on addressing the national scene from a straightforward, conservative/libertarian perspective, he is at his best. Severin never needed to imitate Michael Savage to become the top dog of afternoon-drive talk radio in the Bay State.

It will be quite interesting to hear Severin address the recent controversy over Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose 2001 remarks about diversity and the law were every bit as obnoxious as Severin’s 2009 comments about Mexico and swine flu. Severin must certainly have a new perspective on the need for civility in public debate: while his progressive critics may scoff at this notion, a chastened Severin might have more credibility in his criticisms of Sotomayor than a sarcasm-saturated Severin would.

The only downside to Severin’s return is the likelihood that his temporary replacement, Philadelphia talk star Michael Smerconish, will disappear from the Boston airwaves. Smerconish’s syndicated show was intelligent and well-produced; while he is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea (and his taste in Presidential candidates leaves something to be desired from a conservative perspective), he is a tremendously talented host. Hopefully WTKK will consider keeping his program on their airwaves in some capacity.

UPDATE: More from Randall Bloomquist.

Sever-ance III

Jay Severin–or at least, a modified version thereof–could return to WTKK’s airwaves soon.

According to WGBH-TV’s Greater Boston, Severin–who was indefinitely suspended last month for controversial comments about Mexico’s role in the spread of swine flu–may be brought back under three conditions: a restructuring of his salary (said to be around $1 million annually), a change in the overly sarcastic tone of his show, and an agreement to broadcast the show from WTKK’s Dorchester, Mass. studios, as opposed to his home.

A toned-down Severin will be a better Severin. The “Extreme Games” host had a less acerbic tone during his tenure on WRKO-AM in the late-1990s; he maintained that civil tone in the early weeks of his WTKK tenure, before moving to a rougher, Michael Savage-esque style. For years, this style drew ratings and revenue–but as of late, Severin’s sarcasm hasn’t succeeded.

There have been suggestions that Greater Media, the parent company of WTKK, would like its talk stations to have a less over-the-top style. Not for nothing did WTKK recently run Philadelphia talk-radio star Michael Smerconish in Severin’s slot: Smerconish’s positive, partisan-but-not-excessively-so style is clearly less potentially controversial than Severin’s approach.

A restrained Severin could once again defeat current afternoon-drive talk radio king Howie Carr (of WRKO-AM) in the ratings. Severin was under no real obligation to take the Savage approach: he had enough talent to conquer Carr with a sober, intelligent tone. If Severin does return to the airwaves, he should seize this opportunity to enhance the overall quality of his show.

The talk-radio industry is facing its share of problems– the continued concerns about a possible government effort to pull the plug on the industry, questionable on-air behavior by some of the most successful figures in the business. Severin was forced off the airwaves because he was apparently viewed by management as part of the problem. If he returns to WTKK, he has enough talent to be part of the solution.

UPDATE: More from Randall Bloomquist and the Boston Globe.