Randi Rhodes

For the rock guitarist, see Randy Rhoads

File:Randi.rhodes.jpg

Randi Rhodes, U.S. talk show host syndicated on Air America Radio

Randi Rhodes is an American liberal talk radio personality featured on Air America Radio, where her self-named program, The Randi Rhodes Show, is heard from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

Randi Rhodes was born in Brooklyn, New York. Rhodes served in the United States Air Force and claimed that in 1979 she was voted ‘Most Outstanding Woman’ in the USAF, although the USAF does not have an official 'Most Outstanding Woman' recognition. She has also won the American Women in Radio and Television award for Best Entertainment Programming.[1]

Her radio radio career began in Seminole, Texas, where she also worked as a waitress in a Mexican restaurant to support herself as her radio career developed. As with many radio personalities, Rhodes worked at various radio stations for more than 10 years, moving from market to market throughout the country; she gained national attention soon after the September 11, 2001 attacks inside the United States. Rhodes was particularly critical of President Bush and closely monitored questions surrounding the incidents of the World Trade Center's destruction, the Pentagon crash and related issues. She was and remains highly crtical of rightists, fascists, Neoconservatives, and – Christian, Islamic and Jewish – religious fundamentalists.

In 1994 Rhodes married Jim Robertson, an independent television producer and cameraman. The couple divorced in April 2004 but remain close. Rhodes took the name Robertson when married, but continued – and continues now – to use her professionally known name, Randi Rhodes, on the air, a common practice amonst those in media and in business generally.

In 2004, Rhodes joined the team at Air America Radio, bringing The Randi Rhodes Show to its largest audience to date. Rhodes' show features monologues, guest interviews, comedy, listeners' calls, punctuated with musical interludes mostly of the heavy-metal genre. With her trademark distinctive Brooklyn-Queens accent she takes listeners' calls spanning the political spectrum during which she stridently defends herself and her views; she also is known for growing impatient and angry with callers who make what she considers to be specious or factually unsupported arguments.

While not a journalist, Rhodes is a stickler for some of the basic tenets of journalism such as corroboration, attribution and truthfullness peppering her commentary with citations to a wide array of newspapers, magazines, websites, government documents and electronic media (Radio/Television)reports. She is outspoken and has a clearly defined point of view which she characterizes as liberal, progressive and democratic; she also describes herself as a capitalist.

During February-March 2005 Rhodes was on hiatus during her recovery from hysterectomy surgery, but returned to her regular schedule in late March, 2005.

Report of investigation by U.S. Secret Service

According an uncorroborated report The Drudge Report, the United States Secret Service is reviewing a skit critical of George W. Bush. The comedy presentation contains the sound effect of 'gunshots' which Drudge alleges constitute a threat against the life of the president, others disagree and think it an example of Drudge engaging in unethical scandal mongering and insinuating himself into the public eye for his own self-promotion. The skit was broadcast from the studio in New York City while Rhodes was in a Florida studio and aired during the opening minutes of her show on April 25, 2005. The skit featured an announcer staying: "A spoiled child (Drudge's allegation is that the spoiled child is George W. Bush) is telling us our Social Security isn't safe anymore, so he is going to fix it for us. Well, here's your answer, you ungrateful whelp: (audio sound effect of 4 gunshots being fired). Just try it, you little bastard. [audio of gun being cocked). Randi Rhodes has apologized for that skit Wednesday, April 27, 2005, admitting it was "an attempt at humor ... bad joke." Rhodes further stated "It was a bit. It was bad. I apologize a thousand times." Rhodes said she thought the skit was in poor taste. She went on to say incident is an opportunity to call upon the mainstream media to pay more attention to the questionable journalism habits of her right-wing counterparts.

Air America itself has denied there are any federal probes. According to president of programming Jon Sinton, "We are not under investigation from the Secret Service." He future stated "We regret that a produced comedy bit that was in bad taste slipped through our normal vetting process. We do acknowledge that it was an internal error and internal discipline will be enforced."

As reported by UPI, The Secret Service intially said it was investigating to see if the broadcast constituted a threat to President Bush, but later issued a statement saying they would be taking no further action. [2]

References:

Air American skit broadcast during Rhodes show may be heard here
Report by Drudge is found here
Rhodes's official website with her response to Drudge
Applicable case law — U.S. Supreme Court WATTS v. UNITED STATES, 394 U.S. 705 (1969)
Air American Radio official web site

External links

Pro-Rhodes

Anti-Rhodes