An alternative on AM radio dial

Milwaukee radio listeners looking for an alternative to Republican talk radio may find a new home.

Columnist Tim Cuprisin reports that Joel McNally, progressive gadfly-about-town, will co-host "Milwaukee's Morning Magazine" on WMCS-AM (1290).

McNally's career has included stints as a Milwaukee Journal columnist, Shepherd-Express editor, and syndicated columnist. He's a frequent guest on pundit panels on radio and TV public affairs shows. He is an unabashed, unapologetic lefty. And one with a sense of humor.

He will co-host with Cassandra Cassandra. McNally replaces Keith Murphy, who is now doing a national satellite show.

McNally says:

We'll be news-driven with a heavy emphasis on politics and social justice, my passionate interests. As the community's largest and most socially responsible African American talk radio station, 1290, by hiring me to co-host with an African-American woman, obviously is making a pretty dramatic move to broaden its audience to include people of good will, black and white, who are looking for more thoughtful discussion of problems facing our community than they get from the angry, right-wing fringe that has taken over the rest of the AM radio dial.

We'll be looking for guests with views and ideas that are not now represented on conservative talk radio. That shouldn't be hard since it includes most thoughtful, intelligent, interesting people.

The station's reach us nothing like WTMJ's "biggest stick in the state" power, so McSykes and Wagner will have a louder voice. WMCS mostly reaches Milwaukee County listeners, and the signal fades in the suburban ring of counties.

But it is good news for Milwaukee listeners. The Cassanda-McNally show will run from 6 to 10, in morning drive time, so the last 90 minutes will be opposite highly-paid Republican radio flack Charlie Sykes.

WMCS won't challenge Sykes's ratings, but the new show will be one more small way to try to keep him honest. McNally is a cinch to get under the skin of McSykes and Wagner. Should be fun.

WMCS also features an afternoon drive time show from 2 to 6 p.m. with Eric Von, who offers a mix of commentary, interviews, panels, and call-ins from listeners on a wide range of subjects, which is a great alternative to Mark Belling. He is well worth a listen, too.

McNally starts at 6 a.m. Thursday, which should change his sleeping patterns a bit. I suspect we won't see him at quite as many weeknight concerts.