TV's in color, but radio's still black and white

Journal Sentinel radio-TV columnist Tim Cuprisin on WMCS-AM radio's hiring of Joel McNally:

Since the launch of Air America Radio nearly two years ago, there's been a regular flow of calls and e-mails asking when liberal talk radio would come to Milwaukee.

We're no closer to getting an Air America affiliate, but the decision by WMCS-AM (1290) to add the weekly Shepherd Express columnist and liberal media gadfly Joel McNally to its morning show does put an unabashed liberal in morning drive time.

"I've never denied that label," says McNally of the "L" word. "Clearly, I'm going to be who I am. And they've made it clear that's what they want."

But the controversy attached to McNally joining longtime "Morning Magazine" co-host Cassandra Cassandra on the show starting at 6 Thursday morning isn't necessarily about his political views.

"From the time we first sat down, we talked about whether it would be controversial, first of all, for a white guy to co-host the show," McNally says. "Don assured me from the beginning that that would never be a consideration. They were only interested in providing for the community the things that the other stations aren't providing."

That Don he's referring to is Don Rosette, general manager of the station, which focuses on an African-American audience.

"There's no change in direction, none whatsoever," Rosette says. "The way we address issues here is, obviously, from a black perspective."

Rosette says McNally's race isn't an issue.

"We believe in diversity here, too," he says. "I suspect that we're going to hear some different dialogue, and maybe in the early going, we're going to hear some that's disparaging. But I'm not worried about it."

In fact, Rosette says, it might bring some new dialogue to the call-in program.

"I'm hoping that people who have not called before will call and voice their opinions. And it doesn't have to be my opinion. It doesn't have to be lockstep with what we're thinking."

As for McNally, he says, "I honestly think that 'MCS is ahead of the curve.

"We are in this thing together, and we are in this community together, and while the right-wing stations don't make it seem that way, black and white is the future of Milwaukee."

Which raises an interesting question: Where are the black voices on Milwaukee's mainstream AM stations? Milwaukee's television stations integrated their broadcast teams long ago, but radio is a very different story.

WTMJ-AM probably thinks it has made great strides by hiring a white conservative woman to join their stable of white conservative men who dominate the airwaves.

No, having Sheriff David Clarke as a guest to expound his wingnut philosophy doesn't count, although he does break the race barrier. Quick: Other than Clarke, who's the last black person you heard on WTMJ? WISN?

If you could name one, you have a better memory than I do.

AFTERTHOUGHT: Sykes will probably say that he had Mikel Holt, editor of the Milwaukee Community Journal, on his show recently. Holt was Sykes' accomplice in producing the vile free commercials, linking Jim Doyle to George Wallace and Orville Faubus, that aired on Sykes's show. Holt is the exception that proves the rule.