Tag: Up Close Far Out with Michael Harrison

Michael Harrison’s video interview program on the TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel, in conversation with figures from media, entertainment, and public life. Launched in 2024 as the video successor to his pioneering audio podcast, it absorbed The Michael Harrison Interview in 2025.

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Legendary Vocal Coach Norma Garbo Guests on Harrison Podcast

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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Norma Garbo – the renowned New York City-based vocal coach who has mentored some of the biggest stars in show business from Taylor Swift to Tommy James – is this week’s guest on the TALKERS MEDIA video podcast, “Up Close Far Out with Michael Harrison.”

Throughout her remarkable, decades-spanning career, in addition to coaching, she has performed onstage or recorded in the studio alongside music icons such as Billy Joel, Jimmy Cliff, Patty Austin, Gloria Gaynor, Melba Moore, Laura Branigan, Eddie Kendricks, Valerie Simpson, Luther Vandross, and more.

She is also a pioneer in the development of voice feminization for transgender clients.

Garbo discusses vocal techniques and advice for both singers and media talkers to improve their audio presence, describing the human body as a “musical instrument.”  You can learn more about Norma Garbo at the websites vocalcoachgarbo.com and feminizingthevoice.com.

To link to the podcast, please click here.

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Former CBS Radio Head Dan Mason Guests on TALKERS Podcast – Discusses New Memoir, Colorful Career, Biz Philosophy, and the State of Radio

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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Dan Mason, former president / CEO of CBS Radio, is this week’s special guest on the TALKERS video podcast, “Up Close Far Out.”

Podcast host Michael Harrison and Mason engage in a robust conversation about radio prompted by the release of Mason’s new book, FEARLESS: The Life and Times of a Media Maverick.  All profits generated by the sale of the memoir are being donated to the Broadcasters Foundation of America – the non-profit organization that helps those in need in the radio and television industries that Mason serves as chairman emeritus.

Mason is one of the most influential radio broadcasters of the modern era.  As head of CBS Radio from 2007 to 2015, he oversaw all aspects relating to the company’s portfolio of 117 stations across 26 markets, including all the top 10. In a prior stint at CBS Radio, he held the presidency from 1995 to 2002.  In addition to his roles at CBS, he advised and managed a number of other major broadcast organizations including serving as president of Westinghouse’s Group W Radio in the early 1990s

In 2016, Mason was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame and, in 2022, into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame. He was a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Broadcasters, which presented him with the 2012 National Radio Award for outstanding leadership within the radio industry.  Michael Harrison states, “Dan Mason was one of the major leaders who guided radio from the analog to the digital era.”

To view this conversation in its entirety, please click here.

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Conservative Talk Media Star Larry O’ Connor Interviewed on Harrison Podcast

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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Cumulus Media’s WMAL-FM, Washington, DC morning show mainstay Larry O’ Connor is this week’s guest on the TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel video podcast, “Up Close Far Out.” The episode, hosted by radio industry icon Michael Harrison, dives into the details surrounding the just-announced expansion of O’Connor’s DC-based 6:00 am to 9:00 am ET daily “O’ Connor and Company” to now being carried on the Salem Radio Network and Salem News Network’s 140-plus affiliates. Harrison also probes O’Connor’s position on a wide variety of political and social issues making for a fascinating discussion about the brave new world into which our society is rapidly transitioning. To experience the video in its entirety, please click HERE.

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Dr. Asa Andrew Guests on TALKERS MEDIA YouTube Channel Podcast

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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Asa Andrew, M.D. Is this week’s guest on the TALKERS MEDIA YouTube Channel podcast “Up Close Far Out.” Program host Michael Harrison engages “Doctor Asa” in a conversation spanning hot topics from health care and personal motivation to multi-platform branding and the idiosyncratic world of professional wrestling. Asa Andrew is often referred to as “America’s Health Coach.”  He’s a syndicated radio and television talk show personality specializing in leading edge health and medical information.  Beyond that, he is a dynamic communicator, motivational philosopher, author, columnist, podcaster, documentary producer, and colorful figure in the world of professional wrestling where he serves as medical director and ringside physician for the TNA. TALKERS magazine currently ranks Doctor Asa number 31 on its prestigious annual Heavy Hundred list of the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America. Don’t miss this! See the complete interview here.

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WPHT, Philly Star Dom Giordano Guests on TALKERS Media Channel’s “Up Close Far Out”

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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Don’t miss this deep-dive analysis of the “dumbing down of America” as WPHT, Philadelphia midday host (12:00 noon – 3:00 pm) Dom Giordano joins Michael Harrison as this week’s guest on the YouTube TALKERS Media Channel’s “Up Close Far Out.” Recognized as one of the most important radio talk show hosts in America for almost four decades,img Giordano is a political commentator, social generalist and seasoned expert on education. He is a former Pennsylvania-based schoolteacher whose keen insights, innovative ideas, and communication skills were discovered by talk radio in Philadelphia in 1987 when, after serving as a dependable “go-to” source on education, he became a fulltime host on WWDB-FM. In 2000, he moved over to powerhouse WPHT 1210 am in Philly where he has been broadcasting ever since. In addition to his enduring radio presence, Giordano hosts several podcasts including the groundbreaking “Old School, New School, Next School” which takes a critical-but-constructive view of America’s education crisis and is must-listening for parents who care about their kids and the future of America. Get ready for a no-holds-barred view of such hot topics as school choice, the tyranny of social media, the distraction of smart phones, short term attention spans, bullying, the threat of guns and violence, responsible parenting, media complacency, and a whole lot more. View the conversation in its entirety here.

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TALKERS EXCLUSIVE: Talk-Show-Host-Turned-City-Councilor Frank Morano Shares Insider’s View of WABC and the Intense NYC Mayoral Race

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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As November 4 approaches, the 2025 New York City mayoral race and talk radio powerhouse WABC are entangled in a political drama worthy of several books and a movie, not to mention big time radio ratings! Key players include Curtis Sliwa, John Catsimatidis, Andrew Cuomo, Sid Rosenberg, and of course, Zohran Mamdani.

Bringing it all to life is former WABC rising talk show star Frank Morano, who is this week’s guest on “Up Close Far Out” hosted by Michael Harrison on the TALKERS MEDIA YouTube Channel.

Morano recently walked away from his “The Other Side of Midnight” show to compete in and win a special election for the seat vacated by a retiring city councilor from his home district #51 on the South Shore of Staten Island. Morano is now running for reelection to his own full term in the NYC election. Harrison predicts that his political future is bright.

In this candid conversation, Morano focuses on the mayoral election, personalities, and struggles in what Harrison describes as “improvisational theater set at the intersection of politics and talk radio.”  Morano also discusses how talk radio prepared him for his new political mission.

To connect to the conversation between Frank Morano and Michael Harrison, please click here.   

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Dr. Murray Sabrin Interviewed on TALKERS MEDIA YouTube Channel

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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Noted “public intellectual,” Dr. Murray Sabrin is this week’s guest on the TALKERS MEDIA YouTube Channel series “Up Close Far Out with Michael Harrison.” Sabrin, a prolific author, Substack columnist and public speaker, has been one of the most sought-after guests in news/talk media for the past three decades. He’s one of America’s most visible experts on libertarianism and free market economics – ideologies that have strong followings within the influential arena of talk radio. Sabrin is emeritus professor of finance at Ramapo College of New Jersey, associated scholar at the Mises Institute, and a former Libertarian Party standard bearer in the Garden State. He is the founder of a grassroots movement, “Make Americans Financially Independent (MAFI)” – a counterpoint to the present tendency toward runaway, unconstitutional government spending that has led the U.S. to take on trillions of dollars in stifling debt. Harrison probes the present-day nuances of libertarianism and questions its practicality in 21st century America. Among numerous provocative questions, he asks: Where does President Donald Trump fit along the spectrum of libertarian thought? Are Americans – in general – intelligent, altruistic, and educated enough to take on the societal responsibilities of a true libertarian society? To view this timely video in its entirety, please click here.

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Vintage Cable News/Talk Video Documents Early Hannity Performance

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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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.

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Sean Hannity Guests on Harrison Video Show

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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Talk media superstar Sean Hannity guests on the new installment of “Up Close Far Out with Michael Harrison.” Hannity is the long-running, reigning champion of both news/talk radio and cable news television. He’s seen nightly on the FOX News Channel and heard daily on more than 750 radio stations via Premiere Networks. Hannity has been expanding his platforms to include a special new premium channel titled FOX Nation and is stretching the subjects he discusses well beyond the realm of politics, for which he has become famous, including history, show business, sports, and even stand-up comedy. Harrison, publisher of the broadcasting trade journal TALKERS, engages Hannity in a candid conversation about his life and career – as well as the launch of a new four-part FOX Nation program he hosts titled, “Wanted Dead or Alive,” about famous outlaws and bank robbers of the early 20th century.

To watch the program in its entirety, please click here.

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Michael Harrison Interviews C. Crane CEO Jessica Crotty About the Future of the AM/FM Receiver and Radio-Oriented Devices

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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In its latest post (7/2), “Up Close Far Out” – a YouTube video series hosted by TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison – takes a deep dive into the rapidly evolving world of radio, examining the state of the radio device itself – the actual appliance – from the perspective of those on the front line of its development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution.

What is the state of the gizmos we call “radios” in the early decades of the digital era?

Is radio an obsolete technology on its last legs or is the device going through an exciting evolution in terms of its technology, content and broader societal purpose going forward into a brave new world?

What is the difference between “radio” and the broader term “audio?”

What impact does the prospect of ongoing tariff wars have upon the domestic radio manufacturing industry?  And what exactly does it take to move back and develop a new product such as a modern radio in the USA?

Harrison’s guest, Jessica Crotty, is an important player in that industry. She is the CEO of a small, but highly influential, Northern California-based company – C. Crane – that for more than three decades has specialized in manufacturing, aggregating, distributing and marketing radios and radio-oriented devices for the platform’s most ardent fans.

The company’s focus on radio literally began as a “mom & pop” operation by draftsman, designer and electronics engineer Bob Crane, his wife Sue, and Grandma Faye who ran the fledgling business at the kitchen table of their home north of the “Redwoods Curtain.”

Since selling their first AM antenna, C. Crane has grown into a nationally respected “boutique” electronics company. They have developed several outstanding radios to serve radio listeners who prefer information, talk radio and audio tuned for voice clarity. After several near 7.0 earthquakes, in 1992 they added radio and light products that would become essentials during an emergency event anywhere in the country.

Jessica Crotty launched her professional career with C. Crane almost three decades ago working her way through the ranks from customer service all the way up to being CEO and a company principal.

Crotty and Harrison engage in a candid, information-packed conversation exploring the evolving technical and cultural intersection between radio’s glorious past, underrated present, and potentially impactful, but somewhat ambiguous, future. If you are interested in radio as a broadcaster or a fan, you do not want to miss this interview.

To view the video in its entirety, please click here.

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Decorated Navy Seal Robert J. O’ Neill is this Week’s Guest on Harrison Video

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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The highly decorated Navy Seal who fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011, Robert J. O’Neill, is this week’s guest on the TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel video, “Up Close Far Out with Michael Harrison.” He is one of the most highly decorated combat veterans of our time having served at SEAL Team Two, SEAL Team Four and eight years at the legendary SEAL Team Six. Taking part in and leading over 400 combat missions, O’Neill operated in the Balkans, Liberia, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. During his remarkable career, Robert J. O’Neill has been decorated 53 times with medals and honors earned in heroic combat. Harrison and O’Neill engage in an intense conversation about morality, stress, drugs, fear, and the permanent consequences of battle incurred at the most demanding of levels. O’Neill is also the author of the New York Times and London Times bestselling memoir The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior. To view the video in its entirety, please click here.

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Lee Habeeb is This Week’s Guest on Harrison Video Podcast

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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Lee Habeeb, the host and founder of the popular syndicated news/talk radio series “Our American Stories,” is this week’s guest on the TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel production “Up Close Far Out with Michael Harrison.” Habeeb is one of the most accomplished and influential storytellers in news/talk radio. He is the creator and host of one of the most innovative and well-received syndicated talk radio shows to come down the pike in many years. It’s called “Our American Stories” – one of the premiere storytelling shows and podcasts in America. It’s a standout show listeners can go to for comfort and inspiration and hear positive, redemptive stories about a good and great country. Two hours a day, five days a week, our guest and his amazing team of broadcast professionals tell the story of America to Americans. There’s no debate. No opinion. No politics. No news. Just stories that bring people together around common values, themes, and the founding principles and ideals of our nation. Stories that create a space for listeners to escape the news and noise of the day and be moved and informed. Habeeb’s talk show credentials are formidable. He co-founded Laura Ingraham’s national radio show in 2001, moved to Salem Media in 2008 as VP of content, and launched “Our American Stories” in 2016. He’s a University of Virginia Law School graduate, a Newsweek essayist, and lives in Oxford, Mississippi with his wife Valerie and daughter Reagan. He is currently ranked #11 on the TALKERS “Heavy Hundred” list of the 100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts in America. Harrison and Habeeb engage in an illuminating conversation about the importance of history and the power of storytelling. Don’t miss this! Watch the podcast in its entirety here. 

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The Fine Line Between Serious Investigative Journalism and Flimsy Conspiracy Theory Mongering

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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Historian, author, and investigative journalist Mark Shaw joins TALKERS publisher Michael Harrison in a revealing discussion about the preponderance of conspiracy theories and flimsy sourcing currently flooding the nation’s talk and print media under the guise of researched reporting. Shaw, the author of dozens of critically acclaimed books including the 2016 best seller, The Reporter Who Knew Too Much, is this week’s guest on the TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel video series “Up Close and Far Out with Michael Harrison” (see it here) as well as the award winning PodcastOne series “The Michael Harrison Interview” (listen here). Harrison and Shaw examine the important role responsible journalism and critical thinking play in maintaining a healthy, functioning democracy. Have we entered a “post-truth” era? Harrison says, “There’s a growing tendency in the rapidly unfolding digital age for the media, the politicians, and the intellectually dishonest from all strata of society to seek victory at the expense of truth.” Don’t miss this provocative thought-starter!

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A Candid Conversation with GM John Mullen of Hofstra’s WRHU-FM Now Posted

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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A candid interview with John Mullen about Gen Z and the future of radio, conducted by Michael Harrison, has just been posted to the new TALKERS MEDIA YouTube channel. Mullen is general manager of one of the most celebrated and prestigious campus radio stations in America – WRHU-FM at Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. WRHU has been honored with multiple NAB Marconi Awards – some in categories usually reserved for professional, commercial outlets. The high-profile station also has an impressive track record of working with New York City commercial radio in the production of major league PBP sports programming and then some. Some of the nation’s leading broadcasters – including legends – have come up through Hofstra’s Lawrence Herbert School of Communication. Mullen is one of academia’s most astute radio experts and is in touch with the feelings and culture of the next generation of radio and television broadcasters. The conversation between Harrison and Mullen contains important insights into the state and future of radio. To listen to and watch this compelling new installment of “Up Close and Far Out with Michael Harrison,” please click here. 

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TALKERS Launching YouTube Channel

By TALKERS | by TALKERS

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TALKERS is adding a YouTube channel to its array of talk media platforms. The venue – titled Talkers Media Channel – will initially provide a base for the organization’s conference videos and a platform for its founder Michael Harrison’s reimagined video iteration of his pioneering audio podcast, “Up Close and Far Out.” Videos from the recently held TALKERS 2024: Radio and Beyond will begin being posted after the July 4th holiday. “Up Close and Far Out with Michael Harrison” soft launches today with a conversation between Harrison and radio tech star Kim Komando examining the sociological, biological, and theological implications of artificial intelligence. The Harrison talk show will take several forms including one-on-one interviews, panel discussions and solo commentaries. Harrison and his guests will sometimes appear on camera and on other occasions just be voices enhanced by stunning visuals and music provided by the channel’s producer TALKERS VP/associate publisher, Matthew B. Harrison. The series will be targeted to an audience Harrison describes as “pop culture aficionados, political junkies, media enthusiasts, fans of science, followers of technology and the philosophically curious.” The Harrisons plan to focus heavily upon a stable of guests composed of professionals from the world of talk media covered by TALKERS magazine but stretch beyond that core as well. After it is fully up and running, plans are in place to expand the channel’s menu to include shows and properties produced by an array of content providers. To visit the debut installment of “Up Close and Far Out with Michael Harrison,” please click here.