Alex Bennet on Sirius, anybody else think he's a jerkwad?

[leftupnorth]

This is my second original post and I am so mad at that jerkoff I had to post something. I'm calling him tomorrow.

I have been listening to Alex since he came on Sirius, today he just pissed me off. he keeps insisting that he is entertaining, but i find him boring. He is uninformed, interrupts callers, lazy, and contradictory. I read the internet for about an hour each night and read the newspaper every morning and I know more than Alex and his whole staff combined.

Anybody else got a problem with him?

[bryant69]

1. I don't know who you are talking about

What is this Alex Bennet?

What sort of program is it?

Why does this require a "general" discussion?

Does "general" discussion mean only generals are allowed to discuss?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Zen Democrat]

2. I haven't heard Alex Bennett for years ....

But in the 60's he hosted a nighttime talk show in Houston on a Top 40 AM station --- after a stint as DJ "James Bond" with British accent to boot.

Back in the day, Bennett was very passionate for civil rights and human rights ... and nobody else in Houston was doing that. The guy would not put up with bigots.

So, he a jerk, now? Unbridled ego can do terrible things to people ... sigh.

[leftupnorth]

6. he's on Sirius

From 9-12 on 143. I think you are correct, it is unbridled ego. Sirius should really get rid of him, he's terrible.

I heard he was excellent back in the day in NYC, San Fran, etc. but now he's just some ornery old cuss, too old to handle his job. No offense to any of you more "mature" among us, but i don't see any of you trying to do a three hour radio show everyday that requires your undivided attention and hours of research.

I'm switching to XM. AAR isn't the greatest, but at least they are informed and provide some form of information. Sirius sucks!

[cascadiance]

18. He's a little early for me to listen to him regularly now...

I used to listen to him a lot when he was on the Live105 morning show in San Francisco back when it was the primo Modern Rock station on the west coast. He was great in those days.

Don't know if he's changed his shtick recently. He always is a bit cantankerous in his attitude. I suspect that he might be reflect some "muzzled" frustration at feeling "second fiddle" to Howard Stern now, that he's probably told he can't say on the air. In the days of Live105 he didn't hide his disdain for Stern at all, who was eventually brought in to replace his show on Live105 when it started to go downhill into more obscurity in the radio landscape. Probably doesn't like getting pushed down the radar by Stern again now at Sirius.

As far as Sirius Left goes though, I cancelled about a week ago or so. I tried to switch to a monthly plan when my yearly plan renewed a month ago, but found out just before cancelling that they'd rebilled me for the yearly plan instead. The fact that they did this as well as their *do nothing* approach towards doing anything new for progressive listeners just was the final straw. I wanted to give them a shot, as I initially blamed XM and Air America more for their exclusionary deal that they pushed the cost of their benefits onto us loyal Sirius listeners. However, Sirius hasn't stepped up to the bar and properly prioritized getting a replacement strategy for Air America deployed, and I think they now have had enough time to do so and don't deserve any more excuses to be made for them.

They could at least minimally move Hartmann to his live slot in the morning, but without that, it just shows that they have no concept of trying to keep the progressive listener pleased, even when they had a potential lock on us earlier.

Tore off my dog window sticker last night as well.

I'm also finding that I can listen to Stephanie Miller more completely and earlier by downloading her podcasts in the morning before going to work than waiting until later in the evening for Sirius to air her show. Listening to her right now on my Ipod as I speak.

[StaggerLee]

3. I went to one of his radio shows in S.F. in 1990

Just out of the service I was hoteled up downtown and went to his show about 6am. Met Judy Tenuda that day as she was one of his guests.
He was pretty funny back then but I don't think he was that well informed. He just likes to hear himself talk methinks.

I wasn't aware he was still around.

[biscotti]

4. I do not like

him a all. I have tried to listen to him many times.

[Terran]

5. This is the same Alex Bennett

who used to be on TV and radio is SF aeons ago? Man, he was both boring and offensive back then; one can only imagine him now.

[leftupnorth]

7. Same one

At least i think so, he's in his early 60's so that would make sense.

[redacted]

8. a friend of mine who is a radio producer, dealt with him prof for a while

and thinks he is a complete $%#$##!!

[librechik]

9. if that's liberal we are in trouble

he's tired and cynical, that's all. Everything is an inside joke nobody else gets or some kind of put down.

I am not a fan of Lynn Samuels either (my god, the voice!) though the Turks aren't bad and Stephanie Miller is great. Ed Schultz is predictable, but he has great guests.

Sigh.

[leftupnorth]

11. I agree about

The young Turks. Ed is ok, but the Turks are the only reason i haven't cancelled my Sirius subscription yet. I'm just waiting for it to run out and i will not renew, unless of course they change their attitude toward GOOD left programming. Lynn is ok, but you have to get used to her. She's an old 60's slut from way back, i can imagine all the stories she has to tell.

[ramapo]

10. He was great long ago

I used to listen to him in NY during the early '70s. He was funny, inspiring, well-informed, etc. He was on WMCA before the station got religion. So was Bob Grant. There was true diversity of opinion and I thought it made for great talk radio.

I've heard Alex a couple of times during the last couple of years and was very disappointed with what he'd been up to. Not that I should've been surprised. Nobody from that era really lived up to the dream.

[DancingBear]

12. He was very progressive long ago

I think he was friends with folks like Paul Krassner, Abie Hoffman, and the like back in the 60's/70's.

Today, he was taking calls from folks who were unhappy with Sirius Left, and wanted to know why they couldn't start a second progressive channel. Everyone wanted to know the deal about the Korean station, but he had no answers save to say they (Sirius) must have thought it was filling a need.

His response was a) costs money, and b) we have a great line-up right now.

I used to have Sirius in both cars and at home. I have already replaced one car and the house with XM, and will change out the other car as soon as I can.

Sirius has gone downhill in a hurry - very sad. Their "new" channel offerings (effective 9/29) are even worse - Christian rock, the Cosmopolitan channel, etc.

I will not miss them in the least.

[leftupnorth]

13. The "costs too much money" defense is pathetic

They spent how many hundreds of millions on Stern and they couldn't spend a few hundred thousand dollars to bring on another channel of liberal talk.

I'm callin that cocksucker tomorrow and tellin him where to stuff it.

[Maat]

14. I cancelled my Sirius month-to-month because of him.

I'm the one who has to drive 40 minutes each way; I wanted satellite radio. I got Sirius just before they started broadcasting Air America. When they stopped broadcasting, I gave them months to do something. I was loyal. I wrote them many emails.

I cannot stand him. I strongly disagree with his tirade about there being a difference between leftists and liberals. It is just meaningless blather. And the guy who also talks on the program comes off like a rightwinger. When Alex put Cindy Sheehan down, that was it, for me. I agree: he is wholly uninformed, in my humble opinion. I just couldn't take it anymore.

I found a great deal on an XM MyFi (total: $215, rather than the typical $299+). I started my XM service a couple of weeks ago. See www.abesofmaine.com .

I cancelled Sirius yesterday. I stated that since they didn't have Air America, I would be cancelling. They asked if I was familiar with Sirius Left. I stated that, yes, I was. It was unsatisfactory, particularly because of Bennett.

I'm probably in the minority here; but I like Springer, because he has a law degree, and is very articulate in making an argument; he keeps focused on the issue-at-hand.

Anyway, that's my story.

[still_one]

15. I agree, I left Sirius for XM when AAR moved

[Maat]

16. Guess they just didn't want us Sirius progressives around ..

I was very loyal ... until it became obvious through emails that they were going to stick with the hosts they had on Sirius Left (and add no more).

This last two weeks (with XM) have been bliss.

I wish I could mimic the 'I don't care' attitude of the young whippersnapper that answered the phone at Sirius when I cancelled. She said, 'Have you ever heard Sirius Left.' I told her I was a 47-year-old mom and progressive, and was well aware of what progressive talk they had. And that was why I paid monthly for satellite radio. I told her Sirius Left was NOT satisfactorily. She cancelled my account, without further comment.

[Fight_n_back]

17. He's still around?

He left Bay Area Radio when Stern got syndicated here and everyone figured out Bennet was a plagirist.

Plus he wrecked Bob Rubin's career.