Rachel Maddow, the rapidly-rising political pundit on MSNBC and Air America Radio, will soon be
heard on Entravision-owned El Paso radio station KHRO (AM 1150), station officials announced last week. "We thought it was a good move," said station promotions director Abel Rodriguez. The Rachel Maddow Show, whose political punditry swings decidedly to the left, is tentatively scheduled to air from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday preceding KHRO's conservative morning talk show featuring Greg Freyermuth and occasional co-host and KDBC-TV (CBS Ch.4) weatherman Gene Savard. Although the official launch date hasn't been announced yet, General Manager David Candelaria was heard promoting the show last week on KHRO. The 35-year old Maddow, a Rhodes Scholar who holds a doctorate degree in political 
science, has become one of the most popular political commentators on the national scene in recent months. Scheduling Maddow in the morning time slot is seen by some as a pre-emptive move by Candelaria against competitor KQBU(AM 920), which just recently launched an opposite morning talk show lineup with ex-KHRO talkers DavidK and Paul Strelzin.
El Paso Style Magazine
The premiere issue of El Paso Style Magazine, published by the El Paso Times, is now available and getting good reviews. On the cover of the first issue is accomplished El Paso musician Mario Otero and his wife Hortensia, ostensibly among El Paso's elite couples. Otero also happens to be the brother of KHRO talk show host and former politician Barbara Perez. During an on-air interview last week, Perez spoke proudly and lovingly of her little brother. The glossy magazine also features a short profile of former KTSM-TV (NBC Ch.9) news director Eric Pearson and his wife Charlotte. The upscale magazine is being distributed by mail to thousands of homes in El Paso and is available at some advertiser locations such as The Magic Pan Restaurant at 5034 Doniphan and Tulip's Antiques at Peppertree Square, 5411 N. Mesa. It can also be found anywhere on the University of Texas-El Paso campus.
Wine Furlough
During my unscheduled but fully expected and not entirely unproductive furlough from the El Paso
Times last week, I made one happy discovery. While traversing the wine trail along Highway 28 south of Las Cruces, I stumbled upon a brand new winery called The Rio Grande Winery. Opened just two days on Sunday, the tiny winery offered me a taste of a very good cabernet and a light and fruity red called Tempranillo. As with all of my other favorite New Mexico wines including St. Clair and Blue Teal, I can best describe Rio Grande's entry as not bad. Not bad at all. My new hero is vintner Gordon Steel, who retired a few years ago from Holloman Air Force Base and started his own little winery from scratch. I'm an aging newsman and I find Steel's story truly inspiring. I take great pleasure in thinking about life after journalism, drinking wine, and swinging lazily on a rope hammock beneath a shady cottonwood tree while watching the grapes grow. I could find no better way to spend my time while on furlough.
She'll probably have a larger audience here locally than on MSNBC or Airhead America combined. Up and coming on these venues does not exactly peg the WOW meter. Last I read, Maddow was at or near the bottom of Cable TV viewership ratings and falling every week. "Rapidly rising"? Naw. When she can topple O'Reilly on TV and Rush on the radio, then we can all say she has arrived.
Posted by: rayman | February 23, 2009 at 11:39 AM
Incredible how incurably negative Rayman is. No matter what's posted, he'll find something negative to say about it. Not even a good bottle of wine from the Rio Grande winery can make that guy happy.
Posted by: Samuel | February 23, 2009 at 12:13 PM
If they really want to add something exciting to the airwaves, they should give Amber Sullins her own show. That girl has got it goin' on.
Posted by: Smails | February 23, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Samuel. Maddow has gone from 1.8 million viewers to 1.2. That is a fact. Just posting the fact. If the truth does not suit you, that's your problem.
Posted by: rayman | February 23, 2009 at 01:32 PM
Again, you proved my point. Your are incurably negative. You can't compare Maddow's numbers with the others you mentioned because they've been on the air for much longer. Rush and O'Reilly had little or no ratings for several years before they got some attention. KHRO's David Candelaria said on the radio he's very excited to have Maddow on his station because he sees some potential in her. If Candelaria had your negativity, he'd be sitting on skid row sucking down bottles of Rio Grande wine with you and the other negative nay-bobs of the world.
Posted by: Samuel | February 23, 2009 at 01:58 PM
Yeah! That will be great! Love Rachel Maddow-- she's intelligent and funny. And she always gives perspective to her stories-- Smart idea, Mr. Candelaria.
Posted by: Cecy | February 23, 2009 at 03:36 PM
So Candelaria and crew are ground breaking because they couldn't anyone to show up early enough to combat KQBU's 6 am start?
Maddow is a free show. They pay nothing for it. She charges her natoinal sponsors per market.
Now that someone is up against them during their morning show they have to find a way to attract listeners to their station from 6-7 so they don't lose them for the rest of the morning. They get invested in KQBU at 6:15 right now and never go back.
Putting on a liberal, lesbian who is very pro-abortion probably wasn't the best person to go with. A person who would stomach Maddow, will not stomach a Freyermuth or a David Kay.
Posted by: pop goes the weasel | February 24, 2009 at 04:22 PM
What does her being a lesbo have to do with anything?
Posted by: Smails | February 24, 2009 at 04:49 PM
The only political/current events show worth listening to is warroom.com
Posted by: Common Sense | April 06, 2009 at 03:17 AM
To Common Sence: I'd rather listen to Glen Beck! I think you meant to post as Non Sence.
Posted by: RichF | November 11, 2009 at 10:59 PM
Why not get Thom Hartmann. He's more interesting than all the others put together!
Posted by: RichF | November 11, 2009 at 11:01 PM