Mike Seigel’s self destruction

[Anti-wingnut]

Was anybody else listening the afternoon when Mike Seigel let crazy guest Chuck Pillon and a disgruntled utilities employee lead him down the rabbit hole about a gay cabal running things in Seattle? I was listening in the car, then got home and watched the radio as the train wreck continued.

I think Seigel was removed from the air the next day

'Hate Radio' Forces Rice To Confront Rumors Records Don't Support Former Seattle City Worker's Story That Mayor Shot During Homosexual Act With Aide

Seattle Mayor Norm Rice, a leading Democratic contender for governor, plans a news conference Monday to confront "hate radio" rumors that he engaged in homosexual acts with an aide. Rice, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and a friend of President and Mrs. Clinton, wrote...

www.spokesman.com

Kvi Radio Fires Talk Host Mike Siegel | The Seattle Times

 

[Gregg.]

I once worked at a radio station with Mike Siegel. An unusual fellow, to say the least!

And let's remember, after Art Bell did one of his "retirements" from Coast to Coast AM, Siegel was the full time host of the popular overnight show for a while. I believe Bell returned, ousting Siegel, before quitting again. And that's when George Noory got the gig, which he has held for just over 20 years now.

 

[Anti-wingnut]

I remember when I was first aware of Siegel on KVI around 1987. He was really bombastic and liked to repeat his credentials over and over. I think he went to KING where John Hintenberger, Rick Miller, Jim Altoff and others were. Then back to KVI when KING talk ended until his implosion.

I believe he had some second rate jobs at small stations until Coast to Coast, then back to obscurity.

As someone who actually heard the implosion broadcast, obscurity was too good for him.

Here’s his pal Chuck

The Last Days of Iron Mountain? | Renton Reporter

After battling King County government for decades, Charles Pillon may have finally lost the fight over his illegal 10-acre junkyard.

www.rentonreporter.com

 

[boombox4]

Siegel was an activist talk host, with East Coast ways, and he was a self-described "advocate", and he was obviously on the air in a relatively laid back, reserved city like Seattle. He was bound to make waves probably.

Hosts like KING's Altoff were more "Seattle", really. Not so in your face with opinions. And then when KVI hit the ratings, after Siegel was gone, the hosts who were more activist, like Carlson and Kirby Wilbur, exhibited less bombast and were more politically connected in their form of advocacy -- Wilbur, for example, arranging for all the fans to show up at Hillary Clinton's speech at Westlake and drown her out.

Of course, the city has changed since the 1990's, as has the politics, with it being 70+% blue.

Last time I heard Mike Siegel he was on KOHI, St. Helens, OR 1600.

 

[Kelly A]

If you take the controversial aspect of what Mike said decades ago and fast-forwarded to today, especially when it comes to slandering or personal attacks against local politicians, he would have been applauded not fired.

 

[Bongwater]

First, KVI was still Oldies in 1987. Sure it wasn't 1997?

I remember Mike Siegel. A real piece of work. He just pulled anything out of the air and see what stuck. The gay folks aren't much of a target-who were they hurting?

If you take the controversial aspect of what Mike said decades ago and fast-forwarded to today, especially when it comes to slandering or personal attacks against local politicians, he would have been applauded not fired.

In the last few decades, the radio industry has become more accommodating to LGBTQ people, women and minorities. I don't think they went through all that just to blow it up, no matter what some host or the audience thinks.

 

[Anti-wingnut]

I remember when Siegel and his bombast appeared on the Seattle airwaves, had to have been fall of 87 into 1988. If it wasn’t KVI, who could it have been?

I do remember him going to KING in 1991.

 

[Syfy]

First, KVI was still Oldies in 1987. Sure it wasn't 1997?

I remember Mike Siegel. A real piece of work. He just pulled anything out of the air and see what stuck. The gay folks aren't much of a target-who were they hurting?

In the last few decades, the radio industry has become more accommodating to LGBTQ people, women and minorities. I don't think they went through all that just to blow it up, no matter what some host or the audience thinks.

I wonder how many lgbt people even remotely listen to or care about conservative talk radio..... look at how that community reacted when Rush Lmbaugh died celebrating his death openly why should talk radio accommodate or show that community any type of courtesy whatsoever. and you must not listen to Glenn Beck much if you think this that talk radio has become so called accepting or accommodating of that community......

 

[Kelly A]

I wonder how many lgbt people even remotely listen to or care about conservative talk radio..... look at how that community reacted when Rush Lmbaugh died celebrating his death openly why should talk radio accommodate or show that community any type of courtesy whatsoever. and you must not listen to Glenn Beck much if you think this that talk radio has become so called accepting or accommodating of that community......

Wow, run-on sentence.

I'd never heard of any LGBTQ folks openly celebrating Rush Limbaugh's death, so I Googled it. The closest thing I could find was an article in USA Today titled: Limbaugh's Painful Legacy: My dad listened to Rush Limbaugh attack gay people like me, and echoed his contempt
It amounted to an editorial about how right-wing radio, Rush Limbaugh was the focus in this opinion piece, driving a wedge between family members that included LGBTQ. I didn't see anything that would be considered a "celebration" or "celebrating".

What I did find was frequent examples where LGBTQ folks are verbally demonized or dehumanized, by Republican politicians and right-wing talk radio hosts in an effort to gin up a cause against their fellow citizens for political gain. I attribute that battle being waged to the evangelical voter leanings against a minority group less likely to fight back publicly.

 

[ksradiogeek]

I wonder how many lgbt people even remotely listen to or care about conservative talk radio..... look at how that community reacted when Rush Lmbaugh died celebrating his death openly why should talk radio accommodate or show that community any type of courtesy whatsoever. and you must not listen to Glenn Beck much if you think this that talk radio has become so called accepting or accommodating of that community......

Wow…that’s a stretch.

 

[Delete My Account]

Typically in our polarized times, one person who can be identified with a group or party says something rude or abrasive on social media and suddenly they're the spokesperson for the whole group and represent the attitude of everyone like them. -rolls eyes-

I suppose by that rationale, Jesse Kelly and Dan Bongino speak for all conservatives when they hint at armed uprisings and revolutionary behaviors on their X feeds.

 

[fybush]

We are drifting away from radio discussion here.

 

[boombox4]

I don't recall Mike Siegel every slandering gay or LGBTQ people on his show. He was more into policy. And he was against Seattle's mayor Norman Rice. I remember that.

 

[Anti-wingnut]

He harped that Norm Rice was gay and running Seattle with a “gay mafia”. That’s some slandering

 

[boombox4]

He harped that Norm Rice was gay and running Seattle with a “gay mafia”. That’s some slandering

I never heard him say that, or the use of those terms about Rice, but I'll take your word on it. I remember him saying something about Rice that I think might have got him fired. I wasn't listening to him that day. I didn't listen to him much after he first year or so after he got into town.

EDIT: did some research. Found this Sea Times story on it to refresh my memory about the reason Siegel got fired.... 1996 was almost 30 years ago.

Kvi Radio Fires Talk Host Mike Siegel | The Seattle Times

 

[Anti-wingnut]

Here’s another account:

In Washington State, a Candidate Strikes Back at Talk Radio (Published 1996)

www.nytimes.com

 

[Kelly A]

I never heard him say that, or the use of those terms about Rice, but I'll take your word on it. I remember him saying something about Rice that I think might have got him fired. I wasn't listening to him that day. I didn't listen to him much after he first year or so after he got into town.

EDIT: did some research. Found this Sea Times story on it to refresh my memory about the reason Siegel got fired.... 1996 was almost 30 years ago.

Kvi Radio Fires Talk Host Mike Siegel | The Seattle Times

It's been a while for sure, but I do recall Mike accusing the Mayor of being gay was reportedly the last straw. The mayor's office had been up in arms demanding an apology from the station, and Siegal refused to back down. So, in order to placate the City without having to make an apology, Mike got shown the 7th floor Tower Building elevator door for the last time.

 

[Kelly A]

I suppose by that rationale, Jesse Kelly and Dan Bongino speak for all conservatives when they hint at armed uprisings and revolutionary behaviors on their X feeds.

I don't see anywhere here that made such a claim. That said; I think you'd probably agree that the public culture war attacks against LGBTQ citizens was
started and propagated by right wing talk radio hosts? Maybe not all, but certainly some of the more popular hosts.

 

[Delete My Account]

My point was, if one was holding the "community" to blame for something one random Twitter user said, it would have to be applied equally to one's own side. One person making nasty remarks about Limbaugh doesn't speak for all LGBT individuals any more than Kelly and Bongino's tweets speak for Republicans writ large.

 

[TexasTom]

I wonder how many lgbt people even remotely listen to or care about conservative talk radio..... look at how that community reacted when Rush Lmbaugh died celebrating his death openly why should talk radio accommodate or show that community any type of courtesy whatsoever. and you must not listen to Glenn Beck much if you think this that talk radio has become so called accepting or accommodating of that community......

If gay people did so, it is because Rush Limbaugh earned that contempt in the way that he repeatedly mocked gay people on the air, including ridiculing gay men who died of AIDS in the early days of his program. When you give out hate, that is what you tend to get back -- and Limbaugh gave out a lot of hate.