I flipped on the radio this morning to get a weather report concerning the snow and heard Madison’s most repulsive radio talk show host, ‘Sly’, talking about how his bowel movement might look had he eaten Mexican food.
How did I find this rot on the radio you ask? Let me assure you I was not seeking out ‘Sly’, instead, I was just scanning stations to get a fast weather report.
I gave up listening to Madison’s “Sly In The Morning” on WTDY back when Mayor Sue Bauman was in office. I could not get over how low-brow and mean, and even sexist his comments could be about the Mayor. No matter the issue he seemed to only relish controversy, but never proved much of a lamplighter of ideas for the many hours he was on the air. Sadly, that is the case with many talk stations and their on-air ‘personalities’ in radio land. As such during the past years, I was listening to WIBA for local morning news and weather.
I came back to WTDY this past spring during the Lake Delton story, as I thought that radio station was doing great coverage of this amazing story. As such I started listening to Glenn Gardner in the morning for local affairs, and if the talk show topic was interesting, I stuck around for a while. Gardner had a radio personality that seemed genuine and used the airwaves as if he respected those who tuned in. That I think is important to many of us listeners.
Recently everything changed, and Gardner was replaced by the obnoxious ‘Sly’ who had been doing a mid-day air-shift on WTDY. Last week his comments about Patty Lowe were enough to make me turn him off, but after his bathroom comments today I removed the pre-set for WTDY from both radio’s in the house. The car is next on the list.
Look, it is really simple to me.
I expect radio personalities to be like my guests in the house. I like good talk, humor, and spirited conversation with ideas that conflict with mine. But I do not want, and will not tolerate, the most base of shock-jock type rancid talk just because some radio station has an itch for a rating. I wish to be thought of as a listener that deserves respect, rather than just a notation in a rating book.
Bye, bye WTDY.
Technorati Tags: SlyintheMorning, WTDY, WIBA, Madison, Wisconsin, Radio, TalkRadio
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 
You sound as if you thought he could change into a respectable person on air during the time you were not listening to him. NOT!
He can be a little too much at times but I used to listen to him all the time before his music radio show was messed up. He’s pretty liberal on most issues.
I hate that The Lake was turned into another format now and 94.9 is only playing Christmas songs (and the same ones over and over, how many artists recorded White Christmas anyway). 101.5 is all there is.
I can’t say too much for Sly as I haven’t listed to him much, but Bob and Tom show is another that leaves much to be desired. A coworker is addicted to them — it really loses its appeal between the potty humor, lewd female references, and what is up with still going on about Monica Lewinski?
If you didn’t like Sly in the Morning back in the day, you won’t like him now. But quite frankly, if you like talk radio Sly blows everyone out of the water in the Madison market and is right up there with the syndicated talent. Talk radio hinges on divisive personalities, you happen to not like Sly. Your criticism of Sly could be true of ANY decent talk talent. If you want politically correct news talk tune into NPR and stop complaining about the best radio talent to ever grace the Madison airways.
– Devoted Sly in the Morning fan for 20 years
Let me get this straight…you’re a proud liberal but you’re offended by free speach??? You can’t have it both ways. He was and is a voice for the working class people of this country. Shame on you and your a’lacarte progressivism.
A proud liberal does not need to give up ethics, good taste, along with an understanding of broadcast professionalism in order to make points. As a former broadcaster, and a long-time radio listener, having grown up without television until the I was 12 years of age, I can assure you that radio is brought to a very low level when Sly is on the air. You seem to forget that all your poltical ideals can be provided with class. It would seem to me, if you are so interested in the working class you would want a radio personality who acts like most of the working class. I do not see my neighbors throwing fits and acting deranged in front of others. I think Sly is a troubled man. I also am amused how you are so in love with the working class, but you seem to not recall, or are too young and uninformed, to recall the days when he was being a most sexist talk show host when Madison had a female mayor. Or were those outbursts OK with you? The mayor of course has moved into a better job since her days in government, and Sly never was able to make it out of Madison radio’s market. I am not shocked at the latter. Perhaps there is more to broadcasting than acting like a peevish jerk while saying really nasty things about your political opponents on the airwaves you and I own. If you think you have hit a nerve, you are right, as I think it so unsound to think that a ratings shock jock type radio personality serves your partisan purposes. There are so many thing wrong your thinking in this regard from political to social…I am just glad WTDY cut the cord.