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June 8, 2022 9:08 am  #1


Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

John Moore announced this morning that he'll be on vacation next week and Jerry Agar will be taking over while John's off golfing.
To use one of Mr. Moore's favorite quips, govern yourself accordingly.

Last edited by betaylored (June 8, 2022 9:09 am)

 

June 8, 2022 10:27 am  #2


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

betaylored wrote:

John Moore announced this morning that he'll be on vacation next week and Jerry Agar will be taking over while John's off golfing.
To use one of Mr. Moore's favorite quips, govern yourself accordingly.

This subbing Agar in for Moore makes no sense to me.  Agar & Moore appeal to much different audiences.  By subbing Agar in for Moore, all they do is lose folks like me .. I just won't listen to Agar.

Here's a wild idea .. give that young puppy Robert Turner a try .. it's only been suggested many times before.   
 

 

June 8, 2022 11:58 am  #3


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

Drop ad rates accordingly.

 

June 8, 2022 1:17 pm  #4


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

I’m Agaraphobic.

 

June 13, 2022 7:57 am  #5


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

Newtalk 1010 unlistenable this morning .. over to am640 .. 

 

June 13, 2022 8:11 am  #6


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

I personally Like Agar's show, but I agree with with g121 that Robert Turner would a better fit for morning drive.

 

June 13, 2022 10:24 am  #7


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

There is one thing you miss by tuning out Agar doing the morning run - Robert Turner taking him on. Sometimes, it's quite hilarious. As an example at 5:45 AM Monday, Agar launched into a weather forecast. Turner immediately came on mic to chastize him.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm doing the weather," Agar replied. "On a morning show, it's my feeling that you can't give the weather too often."

To which Tuner replied, "Yeah, but we do this first!" And then came the traffic stinger. After that, the traffic lady instructed Agar that NOW was the time for the forecast. 

It was a case of discussing formatics that you rarely hear on air and it was great. 

By the way, I know many here hate Agar's right-wing stance on a lot of things, but there's no denying the guy's a pro. Anyone who's worked on air for WGN Chicago and WABC New York must have some talent. Those two stations don't hire amateurs.  

 

June 13, 2022 10:31 am  #8


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

Agar also spent time at WLS.

 

June 13, 2022 11:33 am  #9


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

A pro??  I find Agar gets very upset easily and he doesn't like when a caller challenges him or doesn't agree with his point of view.  He also has a really annoying habit of laughing too hard at his own jokes all the time. He cuts people off and doesn't let them finish their comment if he doesn't like it, or somehow the old...."looks like we lost them.."  happens a lot when he starts arguing with someone.  He interrupts and disagrees with people too much when they are trying to talk, and to me this is not very professional.
 
He doesn't take any criticism well and like many conservative commentators tends to leave out certain parts of a story that doesn't fit his view.  He also can be misleading with comments. 

Just because he worked part time at a few big US stations and at CFRB doesn't automatically make him a pro in my estimation. A personality with opinions yes, but a pro is debatable.  John Moore, Robert Turner, John Oakley, Bill Kelly, Scott Thompson and Ian Hanomansing are pros in my estimation. 

 

June 13, 2022 12:59 pm  #10


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

There have always been argumentative radio talk show hosts, ever since the genre was invented. That doesn't mean they're not pros, only that you disagree with their stances on a large number of issues. It's a choice a host makes - be confrontational or don't. Hang up on callers or let them go on. Sometimes it works in their favour with huge numbers and even if you hate the guy or gal, it can be very entertaining. Other times it irritates an audience. But that doesn't make them not good at their jobs. 

(And remember, the on-air personality's main job is to attract an audience. So even if some people hate their shtick, they still listen. It's often as much about entertainment value as political stances.) I'm far from an expert on this, but I actually did host a Toronto talk show for about a year. It clearly wasn't my thing, so the station and I parted ways, but you can either be conciliatory and just go 'hmmm' without questioning any callers or guests on their beliefs or you can challenge them. 

Doing the latter almost always starts an argument and as cynical as it sounds, that's often very good radio. Which is exactly why they do it. 

I had no time for the late and legendary Bob Grant from WABC and other places, whose signature phrase was "Get off my phone you creep!" but I can't say he wasn't a pro. I had similar issues with Rush Limbaugh, who I could not stand to listen to. But at no time did I ever think of him as anything less than an expert at how to do what he set out to do on radio. 

My point is, it's easy to call a guy a dummy, an idiot or unprofessional when you don't agree with him. But to reiterate my original point, WGN Chicago does not hire dummies. (And Agar was not, as you suggest, "part time.") It's the third largest market in the U.S. and you don't get there unless you're very good at your job. 

WABC was a Sunday night only gig Agar did from his Chicago base, but again, you don't wind up on a 50,000-watt clear channel powerhouse in the #1 media market in perhaps the entire world unless there's some talent there. 

Can Agar be irritating, annoying and unreasonable? Absolutely. But does he know exactly what he's doing? His resume alone would suggest the answer is yes. 

 

June 13, 2022 2:22 pm  #11


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

A host can be argumentative and still a pro.  The late Jack Webster in Vancouver was very argumentative, conservative and gruff but was always a professional and with a sense of humour.  Gordon Sinclair, even though he didn't host a talk show was always disagreeable, opinionated and a pro.  I don't see or hear any of these traits with Jerry Agar. 

Jerry comes across as condescending to callers he disagrees with and doesn't let people talk or finish their point who have an opposing point of view. When Kathleen Wynn was on his talk show as premier, Jerry always sounded like he was going to explode he was so angry and he seemed out of his depth.  She never got rattled and played him like a violin.

 Wasn't he fired from WGN?  He couldn't have been that popular in Chicago.  He obviously would rather be working and living in the states, so if he is such a pro why isn't he there? The US has many many more radio stations that are suited to his style and politics.   He comes across as a frustrated republican stuck in Canada who doesn't like living in Toronto and doesn't like the politics, the culture or the country he finds himself in. 

Now that we are being disagreeable, I don't think just because you work at a WABC or WGN or CFRB for that matter you necessarily are the best of the best.  I have heard a lot of lousy unprofessional broadcasters and hosts on major market radio stations. Even the majors make mistakes hiring people sometimes.   

 

June 13, 2022 2:53 pm  #12


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

We'll have to agree to disagree about this, but I believe next to the now-absent Jim Richards, Agar is the longest serving on-air staffer at the station. He's been there, what, about 13 years? That doesn't happen if no one's listening. I can't help but think your opinion is being coloured by the fact you just hate his politics and his personality. 

But a lot of "someones" out there are tuned in if he's hung onto his gig this long. 

As for his WGN stay, stations make changes all the time. But I believe he actually jumped at the chance to return to his native country, despite his political leanings. I'm sure if he'd wanted to stay in the States, where some of his kids live, he could have done so. There is no shortage of radio stations with conservative bents that would likely have hired him with his experience. 

Don't get me wrong - he often turns me off, as well. But that doesn't mean he doesn't know exactly what he's doing. 

 

June 13, 2022 3:44 pm  #13


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

We weren't talking about his popularity, the comment was him being a pro.  Those are two different things.  I have no idea how popular his show is. Since Newstalk 1010 doesn't have great ratings, I guess he must be doing ok.   John Moore has been with CFRB for 23 years, so about 10 years longer than Jerry, and more popular. 

I don't agree with Jerry's politics or style, but I don't hate them or him. He is rude and condescending to callers that disagree with him, even makes fun of people, but he is a poor sport when the tables are turned on him.  That is not professional.  Also I have trouble listening to someone who sounds like they really don't like where they are living and complain endlessly about it. He jumped at the chance to come home? Or he had nothing going on after leaving WGN.   

Jamil Javani was professional, conservative and still balanced to my ears and great with callers. Even guests and callers that disagreed with him.   Agar can know exactly what he is doing, but that does not make for a professional. Although sometimes when I listen to him, he sounds exasperated, trying to say two different things at the same time. 
 

 

June 16, 2022 8:49 pm  #14


Re: Next Week: Moore In The Morning With Guest Host Jerry Agar

One more show to go.

I agree with RA, half, okay ALL of the fun is listening to Robert Turner banter with Dr. Heckle and Mr. Hide

p.s. has anyone else developed an absolute dislike for the unfordtunate word "folks" because of you-know-who

     Thread Starter