A personal request

My friends Jack Tomczak and Benjamin Kruse host a Twin Cities nightly talk radio show called The Late Debate, which can be heard every Sunday thru Thursday evening from 10 pm to Midnight CT.

In the 12-1/2 months they've been airing their program, Jack and Ben have built an equally informative, entertaining and irreverent program which has increased in listenership/viewership/itunes downloads month over month. In addition to the hosts' witty banter back and forth, Jack and Ben have built up a lengthy and power-packed guest list (242 different guests in the first year). Whether it's celebrities (like Adam Baldwin and Donna D'Errico), local politicians (MN House Speaker Kurt Zellers, MN Senators Michelle Benson & Mike Jungbauer, just to name a few) or everyday grassroots political activists, The Late Debate has something for everyone. Who could forget the night of April 1st when the guys stunned their listeners when four progressive/liberal Democrats were allowed to take the reins of the program for the entire two hours?

But with any radio program, there are inevitably a few detractors. A certain listener with a political (and later, personal) axe to grind decided to file an FCC complaint when Jack spoke of an attempted encounter with said listener at his public workplace. While the actual complaint didn't fall under the purview or jurisdiction of the FCC, the station which carries The Late Debate on the actual airwaves, FM 95.9 WLKX, has chosen to suspend Jack for an indefinite period of time. While this seems to me an unfair meting out of a punishment, Jack will abide by the decision without incident.

A wise man once said that out of every adversity lies a seed of equal or greater benefit! With The Late Debate's ever expanding fan base, the natural transition for the show is to go a little more mainstream. With that in mind, I make an appeal to my fellow LD fans and conservative talk radio enthusiasts alike to contact Program Director Andrew Lee at Clear Channel.The current lineup on News Talk AM 1130 would be a perfect fit for The Late Debate, and we need to show Mr. Lee how their station would receive an infusion of new and enthusiastic listeners willing to tune in late nights.

Andrew Lee can be reached at: AndrewLee@ClearChannel.com

Thanks for your support!

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