Vintage Cable News/Talk Video Documents Early Hannity Performance
A fascinating example of early cable news/talk television history has been posted today (9/22) on the TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel series “Up Close Far Out with Michael Harrison.” The episode presents key segments from a vintage program that served as one of the forerunners of modern cable news/talk television. This particular installment preserves what was likely the first documented appearance of Sean Hannity hosting a national network cable television program. The series, titled “Talk Live,” ran for several years in the mid-1990s on CNBC. It covered news and politics, as well as a wider scope of popular culture including arts & entertainment. Not only did it feature an array of guest panelists, but it also showcased a variety of guest hosts. Several of them were drawn from the ranks of radio. Talk radio was the hot new thing in the exploding world of interactive post-fairness doctrine media at the time and television executives were trying to identify hosting candidates from radio to make the transition from audio to video. This particular installment was spearheaded by media impresario Roger Ailes, who went on to form the FOX News Channel. It originally ran 31 years ago, on October 15, 1994, and holds particular interest for students and fans of talk media history. Hannity was, at the time, a rising star as a local host on WGST in Atlanta and was most likely being scouted by Ailes for consideration as a TV host for his forthcoming projects. The episode also featured a noteworthy panel booked by then-CNBC producer Vicky Pomerance that included the late radio talk show legend Bob Grant, then of WABC, New York; international talk media mainstay Victoria Jones, then of WWRC, Washington, DC (currently executive director of PR firm, the DC Radio Company); and TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison. Their conversation delivers fascinating retrospective insight into the issues surrounding the burgeoning talk radio medium, circa the mid-1990s, such as the Fairness Doctrine, as well as the growing rift between liberals and conservatives, and the public’s growing disillusionment with the legacy media and political establishment. Looking back at the video, Harrison states, “Watching his performance more than three decades ago, it was evident that Sean was a natural for the medium – displaying remarkable looks, poise, knowledge and glibness that would serve him well as he went on to become a top-rated, long-running superstar at FOX News Channel and one of the most successful radio talk show hosts of all time.” Check out the video by clicking here.
personalities, programmers and operators who contributed with greatness to the radio industry and have since passed away. The 2023 class includes: talk radio personality Bob Grant, Saga Communications chief Ed Christian, and talk personality Long John Nebel. Radio Hall of Fame co-chair Kraig T. Kitchin comments, “It’s heartfelt recognition to see these individuals and their career contributions to the radio industry recognized with this induction. They’ve made a forever impact on the audiences and businesses they interacted with and for that, we’re grateful.” 
Radio, and KGFJ Radio among others, joins such former recipients of the award as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’ Reilly, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, Bob Grant, Thom Hartmann, Alan Colmes, Joe Madison, Karen Hunter, Al Franken, Brian Lamb, Norm Pattiz, Ian Freeman and others dating back to the origins of TALKERS in the late 1980s. Some two years ago, Smiley’s media company acquired an AM radio station in Los Angeles, the former hip hop legend KDAY, and transformed it into a new station and format – KBLA Talk 1580 – where he’s assembled an outstanding on-air staff, including himself, with the 
passionate mission of, as he puts it, “unapologetically serving people of color and who are politically progressive.” In making the announcement of this year’s recipient, TALKERS founder Michael Harrison states, “This is our longest-running and most-important award. Mr. Smiley has risen to the enormous talk radio challenge of providing underserved African Americans and progressives with a major commercial platform in the nation’s second largest market with a worldwide reach. In today’s political environment and struggling AM radio industry, it doesn’t get any more ‘First Amendment’ than that.” Tavis Smiley was presented the award by Harrison at TALKERS 2023 on Friday, June 2 at Hofstra University on Long Island. 
and KGFJ Radio among others, joins such former recipient of the award as Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O’ Reilly, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, Bob Grant, Thom Hartmann, Alan Colmes, Joe Madison, Karen Hunter, Al Franken, Brian Lamb, Norm Pattiz, Ian Freeman and others dating back to the origins of TALKERS in the late 1980s. Some 21 months ago, Smiley’s media company acquired an AM radio station in Los Angeles, the former hip hop legend KDAY, and transformed it into a new station and format – KBLA Talk 1580 – where he’s assembled an outstanding on-air staff, including himself, with the passionate mission of, as he puts it, “unapologetically serving people of color and who are politically progressive.” In making the announcement of this year’s recipient, TALKERS founder Michael Harrison states, “This is our longest-running and most-important award. Mr. Smiley has risen to the enormous talk radio challenge of providing underserved African Americans and progressives with a major commercial platform in the nation’s second largest market with a worldwide reach. In today’s political environment and struggling AM radio industry, it doesn’t get any more ‘First Amendment’ than that.” Tavis Smiley will be presented the award at the forthcoming TALKERS 2023 convention on Friday, June 2 at Hofstra University on Long Island where he will be one of 60 talk media luminaries scheduled to speak. For more information about TALKERS 2023, see the story below.