New Haven's Monday Morning Surprise

Now that the “stealth flip” of WAVZ in New Haven from lib talk to sports has been completed, local media in New Haven is starting to pick up on the story.

In today’s issue of the New Haven Register there is an article by Joe Amarante, the TV and Radio Editor, which reports that several people were surprised when they turned on their radios Monday and heard Dan Patrick talking about the Super Bowl rather than Al Franken doing his swan song.

Predictedly, there was the perfunctory comment from the Clear Channel manager using the “B” word. Do these guys all read off the same script? Here’s what Jerry Kristafer said about the flip.

"It’s business, that’s what we’re here for. ESPN is a brand everyone recognizes. It’s a branding thing. You just have to say those four letters and people know what to expect."

Two “B” words. "Business" and "Branding". Can anyone think of a third ending with a "t".

I wonder whether Kristafer has a degree in marketing or business administration from nearby Yale University.

What the Register writer failed to report is that there might be a problem because Kristafer, is also the morning host on CC’s other New Haven talker, WELI. That station maintains a full time line-up of right wing bloviaters led by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. Possibly a good reporter would have noticed that there was a conflict of interest when "air talent" also serves as a company spokesman.

The Register Article also quotes a lib talk fan who was disappointed with the flip.

Marianne Breeding, who has listened to Air America for a few years, wrote a letter to New Haven paper which stated, "I ... had been a fan of Al Franken’s show and wanted to tune in to his last show on Feb. 14, now I won’t be able to. Last night I was going through the stations and heard about three with Michael Savage, there are numerous Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham, but no progressive programming."

Kristafer also got in a little self promotion before announcing the flip with blurb on the WAZV website. He told the lib talk fans in New Haven that they were “invited to tune in to [the right wing talker] 960WELI for local New Haven news, traffic, weather, & sports... plus local information & coverage of events in your community on the Morning Show with Jerry Kristafer, weekdays from 5:30-9 a.m.”

Jerry Kristafer -- today’s worst person in the world!