Listen to the Mike Rosen-David Sirota smackdown

A blog yesterday teased a KOA/AM-760 simulcast of conservative host Mike Rosen and progressive yakker David Sirota debating Barack Obama's first 100 days as president -- and the program itself, broadcast earlier today, turned out to be diverting. Rather than an imbalanced back-and-forth of the sort that frequently takes place...

By Michael Roberts

April 30, 2009

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A blog yesterday teased a KOA/AM-760 simulcast of conservative host Mike Rosen and progressive yakker David Sirota debating Barack Obama's first 100 days as president -- and the program itself, broadcast earlier today, turned out to be diverting. Rather than an imbalanced back-and-forth of the sort that frequently takes place during the Dan Caplis-Craig Silverman show on KHOW (which Caplis tends to dominate), the exchange turned out to be quite evenhanded, with Sirota actually seeming to get under the skin of the usually unflappable Rosen at times. No doubt partisans on both sides will believe their guy won -- the mark of an entertaining and intriguing contest. With the exception of the cheeseball "Are you ready to RUMBLE?" introduction, I thought the pairing resulted in an hour of good radio, as well as an experiment worth repeating.

To listen to the program, click here. (Be patient: On my computer, it took about thirty seconds to load...)

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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