LOUISVILLE: The Joe Elliott Show Comes to an End - Not Good, Not Good at all

It looks like Louisville is going for the shock jock from afar with no local ties or connections to save a few bucks and abandon the cause of local journalism as the end of the Joe Elliott Show was announced last week.

Local QUALITY commentary on local, state and national interests has been struck a major blow, and will be replaced by a nationally syndicated show. 

Tell me now you don't miss the Bingham's influence on the quality of journalism with the Courier Journal having closed it's news bureaus throughout the state (not to mention its closer ties to the Curious Journal rather than the Courier Journal as it seems embrace reactionary rather than progressive political positions) and now Clear Channel's (or should I say one channel's) decision to use nationally syndicated programs in lieu of local color, commentary and class.

The legal connection to this story is the loss of the Ask the Lawyers night with Charlie Ricketts, Joe Elliott, and another local attorney often filling in the sound bytes between Charlie and Joe.   Over the last few years, I was honored to be part of the sound bytes and witnessed first hand the high quality of Joe's work.  Charlie wasn't half bad either (wink). 

As for me, I had my moments. I would get home late that night and would discuss the calls and issues with my wife.  Of course, she sandblasted me that one night when my allergies were working overtime and my terse remarks were punctuated with a sniffle or two or three.  Ouch.

Here is the story and a letter to the editor.  When it comes to chains, I am reminded that McDonalds is not the best burger out there, but you knew you could go anywhere in the nation and get a tolerably good and safe piece of meat to eat.   Well, national is fine, and local is good, but neither is so vaunted that it must exist to the exclusion of the other.

Of course, the flip side of disaster is opportunity, and I expect to hear Joe's voice on another station in the future.   I, for one, will not be tuning in on the new guy from afar.

• Elliott laid off from WHAS radio
  Despite being laid off as host of a weeknight radio talk show on WHAS, Joe Elliott will continue as a part-time employee with Clear Channel Communications Inc., which owns the station and about 1,200 others across the nation.
• WHAS' decline
  In the bygone days of local domination of media ownership, the call letters "WHAS" were touted as standing for "We Have A Spirit." I remember the jingle.

Comments

[Dion Le Var]

I love Joe's voice. I would like to see him w/Def Leppard in San Bernardino Co. California, I was late hearing about the concert in 2007. He's HOT. Good like in your dealings. Stop the drinking it's showing.

Luv you, always

Dion (fan) age 45

[L. Staples]

SHAME ON WHAS!

Joe Elliott was the most talented personality at the station. The fact that he had done that show for 14 years made him part of the evening landscape for thousands of Kentuckiana listeners.
While living for a short time in Nashville, I would listen to The Michael Savage Show. I found him to be obnoxious to the point that I quit listening--one day he started railing about one subject or another, and proceeded to tell all of his listeners that we were stupid, ignorant and so on. I vowed after that, that I would never listen again--I certainly didn't need someone on the radio telling me that.
I think he'll wear thin quickly in Louisville, and WHAS will have lost a great LOCAL tallent.

Best to Joe...

[J.Rhoades]

It's always sad to see an era come to an end, yet it could lead to another radio station sponsoring a new and improved version of "Ask the Lawyers." What a great opportunity to start over with a new young hip attorney as the radio personality's co-host!