Dan Rodricks, the best newspaper columnist in Maryland, takes over the WYPR (88.1 FM) microphone on Monday, replacing Marc Steiner, the best talk-show host in Maryland, in the highly competitive noon-2 p.m. time slot.
This is a high-stakes move for Baltimore’s Public Radio station, which hopes to boost lagging ratings. WYPR’s recent firing of Marc Steiner, popular host of the mid-day show, raised a storm of protest that has yet to settle. Many of Marc Steiner’s ferociously loyal listeners likely will boycott Monday’s show. Dan Rodricks has a legion of his own fans, but will they follow Dan from newsprint to airwaves?
Mid-day talk show listeners have a lot to choose from in Maryland, making Dan Rodricks’ entry an uncertain venture.
Clarence M. Mitchell IV holds forth in that time slot on WBAL (1090 AM). A former Maryland state senator, C4 has the voice and the persona for talk radio. Mitchell and Rodricks shared the noon hour on WBAL for a short time, but C4 soon went solo. C4 is more thoughtful and even-handed than some of WBAL’s voices, but his perspective as an insider-Democrat with Republican leanings plays well with WBAL listeners. Rodricks’ more liberal views are better suited to Public Radio.
Ed Norris has a following from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on WHFS (105.7 FM). His bio (from the station’s Web site): “Police Commissioner, ex-convict, political kingmaker, radio host, television star, husband, father, man.” Well, ex-police commissioner, and ex-convict, true enough. But political kingmaker? Television star? Norris is definitely a colorful character.
Neither Clarence Mitchell or Ed Norris is in the same league with Kojo Nnamdi, the supremely talented and knowledgeable host on WAMU (88.5 FM) in Washington from noon to 2 p.m. My guess is that some of Marc Steiner’s listeners have migrated to Kojo and his frequent sidekick, D.C. news commentator Jonetta Rose Barras.
Into this fray comes Dan Rodricks, possibly the nicest guy in the Baltimore Sun newsroom, and a hard-working and hard-hitting columnist. Like Marc Steiner, Dan has a genuine empathy for the poor and disadvantaged. In recent years he has written extensively about the hardships facing released inmates returning to society, trying to go straight and get a job.
Rodricks has tried radio and television on and off for years. Columnists who are witty and incisive in print sometimes disappoint on radio. On the other hand, Walter Cronkite was a newspaperman first.
I won’t be surprised if Dan Rodricks settles in at WYPR, although the show will have rough edges at the start. Rodricks will be among friends. A number of former Sun reporters are at the station. Fraser Smith is the senior news analyst. And other Sun alums followed former Sun editor Bill Marimow to National Public Radio, where he was managing editor for a while before becoming editor of the Philadelphia Enquirer.
The local media scene is a whirlwind of change. Rodricks’ new gig at WYPR raises the question: How long will he be able to hold down two demanding full-time jobs? Two hours on the radio sounds easy. But to beat the competition, and meet the very high standards set by Marc Steiner, Rodricks will have to put in many hours of off-air planning and preparation. The loss of his column would leave a big hole at The Sun. Speaking of which, Maryland on My Mind’s next post will take a look at that overpriced 75-cent newspaper.
Meanwhile, you can keep up with Marc Steiner (still the best talk-show host in Maryland) on his blog, and follow his projects at The Center for Emerging Media. Links to both can be found on the Blogroll to the right. – Bernie Hayden
1 Comment
February 24, 2008 at 2:27 pm
You write that to beat the competition, and meet the very high standards set by Marc Steiner, Rodricks will have to put in many hours of off-air planning and preparation – if this be the case then so be it, the loss of his column will no doubt be missed but at the end of the day this is about him and what he wants to do. An interesting subject you raised.