Lionel Gets No Respect

[Al Johnson]

Air America's "core constituency?" Do you mean the couple of people who have been raising this issue over and over again on some liberal message boards? I could repeatedly post under a couple of screen names on several conservative message boards and push one of my pet issues, but that wouldn't mean that I was speaking for the conservative movement's "core constituency."

And as for "diversity" on Air America, Lionel is Hispanic.

"Lionel" is Michael William LeBron. That sounds like a French surname. Bron is a town in Rhone in France, near Lyon. He may not be Hispanic but some might say Lionel does have a lot of Gaul.

 

[NewsVet]

"Lionel" is Michael William LeBron. That sounds like a French surname. Bron is a town in Rhone in France, near Lyon. He may not be Hispanic but some might say Lionel does have a lot of Gaul.

Lionel is Cuban-American. Lebron is a fairly common Cuban name.

 

[NewsVet]

"Lionel" is Michael William LeBron. That sounds like a French surname. Bron is a town in Rhone in France, near Lyon. He may not be Hispanic but some might say Lionel does have a lot of Gaul.

Lionel is Cuban-American. Lebron is a fairly common Cuban name.

A Google search finds 3820 entries for "Juan Lebron" and 23 entries for "Pierre Lebron."

 

[mls]

"Lionel" is Michael William LeBron. That sounds like a French surname. Bron is a town in Rhone in France, near Lyon. He may not be Hispanic but some might say Lionel does have a lot of Gaul.

Lionel is Cuban-American. Lebron is a fairly common Cuban name.

A Google search finds 3820 entries for "Juan Lebron" and 23 entries for "Pierre Lebron."

Lolita Lebron isn't Cuban, but she was the leader of a Puerto Rican group that shot up the U.S. House of Representatives in 1954, wounding several congressmen. She served 25 years in prison before being pardoned by President Jimmy Carter.

 

[evnlee]

"Lionel" is Michael William LeBron. That sounds like a French surname. Bron is a town in Rhone in France, near Lyon. He may not be Hispanic but some might say Lionel does have a lot of Gaul.

Lionel is Cuban-American. Lebron is a fairly common Cuban name.

my friends in Miami tell me this: to be a true 'cuban american', you need to have 2 cuban parents, or have come over on a raft. If you have one cuban parent, and one other nationality, the cubans in Miami are not going to welcome you in thier community as they would the offspring of 2 cuban parents. You may not be shunned, but there are many that will say you are not 'true cuban'. I know this sounds politically incorrect, but my oldest friend in the world ( who was the son of world famous pianist and asylum seeker, Santos Ojeda ) tells me this is the way it is.

If Lionel has 2 cuban parents and speaks fluent espanol, then AAR can claim some sort of 'diversity', otherwise it's bs.

 

[SG78]

And Lionel is strongly opposed to the Iraq misadventure, against torture, for abortion rights, against the "war on drugs," etc., etc. -- all "liberal" positions. In fact, I find him to be more "liberal" than most mainstream Dems, including Bill and Hillary Clinton. And Lionel may be unpopular with Sam Seder's fans (who don't think Lionel is "young" or "hip" enough), but they're a relatively tiny (although vocal) group.

He does hold those particular views. I listened to him in Tampa through the Clinton years, and he never carried the water of the Democrat party or liberals. He often spoke against high taxes and gun control. Maybe he made a permanent switch to the left, who knows. But he's always prided himself as independent and has always had a cynical nature.

Now, the young and hip thing I don't get. He's never come off as an oldster who doesn't keep up with the times. And he doesn't now.

 

[multiplex]

I don't care who's hip and who's not, and although I generally opt to hear radio pros, everyone who is a pro today was an amateur or had no experience at one time.
What bothers me about Lionel is that he doesn't seem as informed as Thomm Hartmann, Randi Rhodes or Sam Seder. He's a surface talk show host who, annoyingly, feels that rambling on about Britney Spears is interesting to someone who wants to hear political talk shows. I, for one, listen to Air America to get _away_ from drivel about overhyped and dull celebs.
When I've heard him on his late-night show, I could only stand a few minutes' worth, but I've tried to be fair and give him a chance on AA.
Unfortunately, the best of AA's recent additions were fil-ins, (and one of the worst, was, too.)
I can't recall their names, although I knew them, but an African-American filled in for the Young Turks a few weeks ago and he was enjoyable. And the first of the two morning show hosts, who apparently had little or no radio experience but high ambitions, was quite well-informed and kept things interesting. The second was equally dull.
To me, picking up Lionel is comparable to Jerry Springer. The move may draw attention to AA for a short time, but neither Springer or Lionel hold my interest long, despite their best efforts.
Lionel isn't what AA needs, but rather what it doesn't. Although Stephanie Miller is certainly entertaining, she also owes a debt of gratitude to Jerry Springer, who didn't clear many markets, especially AM drive on the West Coast. Lionel will help Miller, too. Too bad, I did enjoy AA's mornings recently, as well as the first show with Chuck D. and Liz.

 

[FilmCritic3K]

I don't care who's hip and who's not, and although I generally opt to hear radio pros, everyone who is a pro today was an amateur or had no experience at one time.
What bothers me about Lionel is that he doesn't seem as informed as Thomm Hartmann, Randi Rhodes or Sam Seder. He's a surface talk show host who, annoyingly, feels that rambling on about Britney Spears is interesting to someone who wants to hear political talk shows. I, for one, listen to Air America to get _away_ from drivel about overhyped and dull celebs.
When I've heard him on his late-night show, I could only stand a few minutes' worth, but I've tried to be fair and give him a chance on AA.
Unfortunately, the best of AA's recent additions were fil-ins, (and one of the worst, was, too.)
I can't recall their names, although I knew them, but an African-American filled in for the Young Turks a few weeks ago and he was enjoyable. And the first of the two morning show hosts, who apparently had little or no radio experience but high ambitions, was quite well-informed and kept things interesting. The second was equally dull.
To me, picking up Lionel is comparable to Jerry Springer. The move may draw attention to AA for a short time, but neither Springer or Lionel hold my interest long, despite their best efforts.
Lionel isn't what AA needs, but rather what it doesn't. Although Stephanie Miller is certainly entertaining, she also owes a debt of gratitude to Jerry Springer, who didn't clear many markets, especially AM drive on the West Coast. Lionel will help Miller, too. Too bad, I did enjoy AA's mornings recently, as well as the first show with Chuck D. and Liz.

Two words: Morning Sedition - THE BEST morning show I've ever heard.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morning_Sedition

Mark Riley and Marc Maron made a really great team and it was a show I'd never miss. I really hope Maron gets a radio show soon. I miss hearing him every weekday.

 

[Al Johnson]

Two words: Morning Sedition - THE BEST morning show I've ever heard.

Mark Riley and Marc Maron made a really great team and it was a show I'd never miss. I really hope Maron gets a radio show soon. I miss hearing him every weekday.

Sorry, you can't have heard much morning radio then.

I hope you do better as a film critic.

When I studied criticism, they told us the critic has to tell the reader the standards used in his criticism. To say something is great is fine for a fan but not for a self-described critic.

 

[NewsVet]

e]

If Lionel has 2 cuban parents and speaks fluent espanol, then AAR can claim some sort of 'diversity', otherwise it's bs.

I don't know if Lionel's mother is Cuban, but Lionel does speak fluent Spanish, with a Cuban (not French) accent.

 

[dampier]

Air America's "core constituency?" Do you mean the couple of people who have been raising this issue over and over again on some liberal message boards? I could repeatedly post under a couple of screen names on several conservative message boards and push one of my pet issues, but that wouldn't mean that I was speaking for the conservative movement's "core constituency."

And as for "diversity" on Air America, Lionel is Hispanic.

Check any of the Air America message forums or liberal blogs... it's attack attack attack when it comes to Lionel. And I think the only major reason for it is that he is blamed for replacing Seder.

Lionel has as much Latino blood in him as I do. His real name is Michael William LeBron. His family is more European than Latino. He comes from Florida, which is why you'll hear a lot of Spanish from him, and just because his theme comes from the Gypsy Kings doesn't mean he does.

 

[Al Johnson]

Had M. LeBron been smart, he'd have realized when the diversity and affirmative action push started in broadcasting that he should affect a Spanish sounding name, like Jerry Rivers did.

Like Miguel Guillermo del Bronce
Or Miquel de Leon.

 

[NewsVet]

Had M. LeBron been smart, he'd have realized when the diversity and affirmative action push started in broadcasting that he should affect a Spanish sounding name, like Jerry Rivers did.

Miguel Lebron would have done, since Lebron is an Hispanic name.

As for Rivera, you're repeating an untrue urban legend.

See: http://www.snopes.com/media/celebrity/geraldo.asp

 

[NewsVet]

Check any of the Air America message forums or liberal blogs... it's attack attack attack when it comes to Lionel. And I think the only major reason for it is that he is blamed for replacing Seder.

The Internet campaign by Seder fans is similar to the Internet campaign by Ron Paul fans, who flooded the online polls after the last Republican debate:

CNSNews.com) - If unscientific online polls were a determining factor, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas would easily be a top tier candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. But they aren't -- and he isn't.

Despite coming in first place in a post-debate poll on MSNBC and in other online surveys, Paul hovers around two percent or less in surveys conducted by Gallup, Harris, Zogby and other leading polling firms.

(snip)
"Ron Paul has more passionate supporters who are more likely to send in text messages and emails into the polls," [Paul spokesman Jesse] Benton told Cybercast News Service. "That may skew it, but we're not going to apologize that our supporters are more passionate than Rudy Giuliani's supporters."

 

[Gnarlodious]

I had an internet listen to Lionel for the first time and I confess he was horrendous. A high, nervous voice and complete lack of coherent point-building. If AAR lets this guy continue for any length of time it will be a serious mistake.

Then again, many stations have AM locals in that slot.

 

[raydioaydio]

When Lionel was put on my station on overnights, I'd hear his last hour while getting ready for my morning show. He replaced a best of Randi Rhodes hour, and it pissed me off. I couldn't stand him... for a week or two. Then he grew on me.

Got the same reaction from a listener who complained after his new AA slot. Took her a while, but now gets him. I just hope people will give him a chance to get him!

As for Mark Riley, he may be a nice guy, but he's painful to listen to! During the Morning Sedition days, he was a good straight man, but Marc Maron did all the creative work. And it was a wonderful morning show. I always wondered why they kept Riley going from 5-6AM... and now can't understand that they put him on over David Bender!

 

[NewsVet]

I had an internet listen to Lionel for the first time and I confess he was horrendous. A high, nervous voice and complete lack of coherent point-building. If AAR lets this guy continue for any length of time it will be a serious mistake.

There's a reason why Lionel was on 92 stations when he was on the WOR Network and Seder was on 16. I don't like Lionel much, but I like Seder even less -- all those uuhhs and aahhs are a big turnoff (pun intended). And Seder has a "high," strained voice, which I find more objectionable than Lionel's.

 

[Radio_Realist]

Miguel Lebron would have done, since Lebron is an Hispanic name.

Does that mean that a guy named John Rogers could change his name to Juan Rodriguez and instantly qualify himself for a job under the Hispanic quota?

 

[willcail]

Ms. Miller owns her timeslot for progressive talk. She is beating The Laura Ingraham Show is some markets. The best libtakers are the following

Stephanie Miller
Ed Schultz
Bill Press
Lionel
Rachel Maddow

Plus Stephanie Miller is the number one show on KJLL The Jolt in Tucson AZ. Beating out "Dr." Luara, Tammy Bruce. Plus it doesn't feature Mancow or Bill-O andymore.