Comments on "The John Batchelor Show"?

April 9, 2006 12:25 PM

Has anyone out there heard "The John Batchelor Show" on the radio, and if so can they characterize it in terms of content and quality?

I'm rereading a book of his from the 80's called "American Falls", (a Civil War era spy novel, essentially, though I don't think that capsule description does it justice), and I did a Google search to see what he's been up to in the 10 years since I last read a review of a new work of his.

It turns out that he's been hosting a talk radio show out of NYC devoted to current international affairs, or " offering insightful commentary on such issues as the war on terrorism, the presidency, the national and global economies, and defending our civilization" as the copy on his web site states.

Looking into this a little more deeply, I see that his show is broadcast on conventional radio only on the east and west coasts, which doesn't do me much good in Chicago, but he is also on XM Satellite radio.

I'm wondering if anyone out there is familiar with his show and can attest to its quality and content. Though I'm personally a little left of center, I'm not so much interested in left vs. right ideological leanings as I am a high "light" reading on the "light - heat" continuum. Put another way, I'd rather listen to NPR than Fox News, but I'd probably also rather listen to William F. Buckley than Al Franken, and I'm wondering how his show would fare in those terms.

If you are familiar with this show, do you think it is worthwhile listening, and if so, why?

posted by hwestiii to media & arts (1 comment total)

He's a tool. The show was a smarmy middle of the road republican lovefest, less odious than far right stuff, but no less ignorant. He has a fondness for a small group of "expert" friends, and a really overdramatic sense of politics that becomes grating after about ten minutes. I thought it was long off the air. It was too highbrow for the Rush/Sean crowd, and too stupid for anyone with a brain, though it was a relief compared to some of what gets broadcast from the right.
posted by fourcheesemac at 1:32 PM on April 9, 2006