Radio Personalities

Is The 25th Amendment a Recipe For a Coup? John Batchelor Imagines this Scenario

Bill Thompson
Photo by Gage Skidmore

On its face the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution seems pretty straightforward. If a president is rendered incapable of carrying out the duties of the office, the vice president takes over – perhaps just temporarily, if the president’s condition is temporary.

But there is a fundamental flaw in the 25th Amendment, says popular radio host and novelist John Batchelor.

More below video:

In his 1994 novel, called Father’s Day, Batchelor imagines what would happen if the 25th Amendment resulted in a constitutional crisis. And in today’s political climate it’s not hard to see how this could happen.

Although this interview is 30 years old it still feels very timely and relevant.

So here now, from 1994, John Batchelor.

John Batchelor will be 77 next month. He is currently heard on Eye On The World on CBS Radio.

TV-radio Fixture Charles Osgood, On How He Practiced His Unique Journalism

Bill Thompson

Most journalists can craft a pretty good straight news story, in that classic inverted pyramid style. All the facts, expertly and objectively told.

But then there are other journalists, those who have a unique talent for taking that same set of facts but putting them into a context and a perspective with such nuance and grace that it almost becomes a whole new story.

One of the great practitioners in that second category was longtime CBS radio and television personality Charles Osgood.

More below video:

His special skill was taking the mundane and turning it into something sparkling, taking some ordinary government pronouncement and turning it into something you would tell your grandchildren about.

Get your copy of Charles Osgood’s book

His daily feature on CBS radio was known as “Tile Osgood File.” In 1991 Osgood published a collection of some of his best work, in a book called, of course, The Osgood Files. That was when I first met him.

So here now, from 1991, Charles Osgood.

Charles Osgood died in 2024. He was 91.

Ed Bliss, Broadcast News Pioneer Recalls Radio’s Infancy

Bill Thompson

Tomorrow, August 20, is National Radio Day, the annual commemoration of the contributions the radio industry has made.

Commercial radio has actually been around for more than 100 years, and, as you might expect, has changed and evolved rather dramatically.

Radio in its infancy was a novelty, and it took years for the medium to begin realizing its full potential as an essential part of American life.

A young boy growing up in the early 20th century was among those we would now call “early adopters” – and he went on to a broadcasting career in which he helped shape what we now know as broadcast 5 news.

Like so many radio journalists of the time, Ed Bliss was a newspaper reporter for several years before landing a job, almost by chance, at CBS radio in 1943.

Get your copy of Ed Bliss’s book

For the next 25 years Bliss wrote for and produced Edward R. Murrow, and later, Walter Cronkite.

After leaving CBS in 1968 Bliss founded the broadcast journalism program at American University.

And in 1991 Bliss wrote a history of broadcast journalism in America, a book called Now The News.

That’s when I have the chance to spend a few minutes with this legend in my chosen profession.

So here now, from 1991, Ed Bliss.

Ed Bliss died in 2002. He was 90.

Barry Farber: The Quintessential Voice of American Talk Radio

Bill Thompson
Photo by David J Field

When you hear the expression “he has the gift of gab,” It might be Barry Farber they’re talking about.

Farber launched his on-air radio career in 1960, And over the next six decades became one of America’s most popular and best known talk show hosts and interviewers.

Get your copy of Barry Farber’s book

A world traveler who spoke several languages Farber seemed to know almost everyone who was anyone It

I spoke with him a few times over the years, including this conversation from 2012 when he put out a book called Cocktails with Molotov.

So here now, from 2012, Barry Farber .

Barry Farber maintained a talk show presence online until the day before his death in 2020. At age 90.

Rock and Roll 101: Cousin Brucie Shares His Insights

Bill Thompson

Over the last few decades, entire libraries full of books have been written about the history of rock and roll.

Where do you even begin? How do you wrap your arms around such an enormous subject? And how do you keep it in proper context of the culture and society?

Perhaps few people are as well qualified to do that as Bruce Morrow, otherwise known to millions of radio listeners as cousin Brucie.

When I sat down with him a few years ago, we talked about the music, the culture, the society, and the careers that he helped shape.

So here now from 2009 Cousin Brucie, Bruce Morrow.

Bruce Morrow is 86 now.

You may also like these episodes:


Graham Nash

Wolfman Jack

Buy Books / Media from Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, Now I’ve Heard Everything earns from qualifying purchases.

Bob Edwards

Bill Thompson
Photo by Jared and Corin

This Sunday is National Radio Day, the annual commemoration of the contributions the radio industry has made.

Today, a look back at an interview I did about one of the legends of radio. And the person I interviewed was, and is, a stalwart figure in modern day radio.

For a dozen years the pioneering radio sports broadcaster Red Barber called in every Friday to NPR’s Morning Edition show, for an unscripted 4 minute talk with host Bob Edwards.

Listeners loved those segments. Even those listeners who seem to have little or no knowledge of baseball.

But Barber died in 1992.The following year, Bob Edwards wrote a memoir of those memorable conversations, a book he called Fridays With Red. And that’s when I met him.

So here now, from 1993, Bob Edwards

Bob Edwards, who is 76 now, left NPR in 2004. He currently hosts a podcast produced by AARP.

You may also like these episodes:

Garrison Keillor
Wolfman Jack

Buy Books / Media from Amazon

Garrison Keillor

Bill Thompson
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Today, August 20th, is National radio day. Every year on this day, we recognize the contribution that this hundred-year-old medium has provided four generations.

For four decades, one of the most popular radio personalities in America was Garrison Keillor, Creator and host of public radio’s Prairie Home Companion. That live musical variety show was a Saturday evening fixture in millions of homes.

The Minnesota-born Keillor brought his Midwest sensibilities, and sense of humor, to the ongoing stories of Lake Wobegon.

In 2003, Keillor wrote a novel. So here now, from 2003, Garrison Keillor..

Garrison Keillor celebrated his 79th birthday last week.

You may also like these episodes:
Wolfman Jack Larry King

Dan Bongino

Bill Thompson

A new nationally syndicated radio talk show is debuting this week.

Photo: Gage Skidmore

Its host is conservative commentator Dan Bongino, who was, for several years, a Secret Service agent who’s assignments included the presidentia protective l detail.

After unsuccessful bids for US Senate and the US House, bongino turned to writing books .. and radio.

I met him in the fall of 2013, after he wrote a book called Life Inside the Bubble.

So here now, from 2013, Dan bongino.

“The Dan Bongino Show,” debuting today, is heard from noon to 3 Eastern Time.

Charles Osgood

Bill Thompson
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

A few days ago on Now I’ve Heard Everything, I featured an interview that I had done many years ago with one of my broadcasting Heroes, the late Larry King.

Today, another one: longtime CBS radio and TV news personality Charles Osgood.

Osgood grew up in Depression-era, World War ii-era Baltimore. And in 2004, he wrote a memoir recalling those years, called Defending Baltimore Against Enemy Attack.

So here now, from 2004, Charles Osgood:

Charles Osgood celebrating his 88th birthday last month. Today he lives in the New York City area.

Larry King

Bill Thompson

I listened to Larry King on the radio long before I first met him, in 1988. That was actually the first of several interviews I did with King, who passed away the other day at age 87.

Larry King was a legend in radio and television. Whether you like them or not, you had to acknowledge he had Broad and deep influence in broadcasting.

Larry did tens of thousands of interviews over the years, often with VIPs and celebrities who would talk to no one else.

And even though I was still in the “minor leagues” while Larry was a major league all-star, he treated me like we were equal colleagues. That’s one of the things I liked best about him.

So here now, from 1988, Larry King:

---------------------------------------------------

You may also lik these episodes:
Art Linkletter