Balance isn't everything. Fun comes before fact and the truth can be twisted, after all, we're talking entertainment here, not news. Bonner prides himself on being a moderate and his shows cover a gamut of topics from growth management to women with hairy armpits who shop at the food co-op. Though they may have been extremely articulate and knowledgeable, they bombed with the show biz buzz necessary to get listeners' attention. John McClendon, a professor at Fairhaven College at Western Washington University, gave talk radio a try and found the experience disappointing.
Talk shows tend to pigeon hole everybody.
McClendon hoped to provide a forum for dialogue but instead he saw people categorized as either good or bad and issues discussed in very black and white terms with little subtlety. The idea behind talk shows is to provoke a response and the easiest way to do that is to be contentious. With his even-toned voice and a thoughtful manner that sought to develop commonality, not discord, McClendon left the station after just two months on the air, frustrated at the experience. Intense and passionate, with articulate enthusiasm and aplomb, Kent has his mind made up before he sits down to the microphone. He spends up to four hours preparing for each show, reading The USA Today, The Bellingham Herald, and The Seattle Post Intelligencer, daily.