WHAT`S THE FREQUENCY? : ALL RIGHT FOR PUTNAM.Byline: Fred Shuster KIEV-AM's George Putnam George Putnam may refer to:
Ordinarily, the Putnam show is a conspiracy free-for-all, with Putnam as the voice of Moses holding the floodgates open. But when a caller started in on the John F. Kennedy "John Kennedy" and "JFK" redirect here. For other uses, see John Kennedy (disambiguation) and JFK (disambiguation). John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917–November 22, 1963), was the thirty-fifth President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in Jr. tragedy as another rung in the Clinton ``circle of death'' scheme, even old George had to pull the plug. ``Stop it,'' an aggravated Putnam snapped, cutting off a caller before continuing his gentle take on the Kennedy story. It was a rare moment of sanity in a show that can be counted on to give airtime to some of the looniest conspiracy nonsense ever dreamed up, along with a virulent anti-Clinton slant. Putnam's show can be entertaining if you buy conspiracy theories ''This is a list of conspiracy theories; it contains alleged conspiracies that are not accepted by mainstream academics. For a discussion of conspiracy theories in general, see conspiracy theory. . For those who don't, ``Talk Back'' simply provides laughs. For believers, though, Putnam - a local media fixture since the early '50s - is a sounding board for some highly irregular theories to which the host appears sympathetic. Judging by the calls, Putnam's listeners, for example, believe the Clintons are behind a long string of murders, the U.S. government has declared war on its citizens, international banking interests control world politics, and life on other planets has been discovered but hushed up. The 85-year-old Putnam, who boasts a thunderous basso profundo bas·so pro·fun·do n. pl. basso pro·fun·dos or bas·si pro·fun·di 1. A deep bass singing voice. 2. A singer who has such a voice. delivery that can shake the houseplants, seems to be giving tacit agreement to most of it by letting the charges mount. Callers are allowed almost unlimited airtime to blast the presidency. Putnam had a field day with the Monica Lewinsky Monica Samille Lewinsky (born July 23, 1973) is an American woman with whom the former United States President Bill Clinton admitted (after initially denying) to having had an "inappropriate relationship"[1] while Lewinsky worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996. saga, predicting often that Clinton would be impeached. It's a topic that still comes up almost daily. ``The man's a liar,'' Putnam announced Tuesday after a guest mentioned the Clinton White House but not Lewinsky. ``I've heard of extracurricular affairs, but I've never heard of an individual engaging in oral sex in the Oval Office. I've visited the Oval Office with President Nixon. Even Ronnie Reagan said he'd never remove his jacket in the Oval Office. It was that sacred.'' The host does, however, have a sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour . The other day, when a listener phoned in to tell about her new baby parrot named George, Putnam quipped, ``I deny parentage PARENTAGE. Kindred. Vide 2 Bouv. Inst. n. 1955; Branch; Line. .'' The program starts each day with a 20-minute recital of the day's news, setting up the calls. Tuesday, he read a story he credited to Internet sleuth Matt Drudge Matthew Nathan Drudge (born October 27, 1966) is an American Internet journalist and a talk radio host.[1] He is best known as the proprietor of the Drudge Report website, which attracted national attention when it was the first to break the news of the , whose Web site is often a depository for leaked news stories and rumors, about money laundering The process of taking the proceeds of criminal activity and making them appear legal. Laundering allows criminals to transform illegally obtained gain into seemingly legitimate funds. of U.S. funds in Hong Kong Hong Kong (hŏng kŏng), Mandarin Xianggang, special administrative region of China, formerly a British crown colony (2005 est. pop. 6,899,000), land area 422 sq mi (1,092 sq km), adjacent to Guangdong prov. . A listener phoned in a little later and said local TV news organizations were refusing to report the story. The caller asked Putnam if he could give out the telephone numbers of the various TV news rooms so Putnam's fans could ``burn down their phone lines.'' Putnam's response: ``Golly gol·ly interj. Used to express mild surprise or wonder. [Alteration of God.] golly interj an exclamation of mild surprise [originally a euphemism for , I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. . Well, I'll turn my back and make an exception.'' The caller then gave out the phone numbers, one by one. Putnam allows such things when he agrees with the caller, but considering that the Drudge Report isn't always reliable, it was at best a dubious decision. Furthermore, there have been times when listeners have asked to make announcements or give out numbers in relation to positions Putnam disagrees with. Those times, he hangs up the phone. Which for the most part covers Putnam philosophy: You're on as long as he agrees, which doesn't leave much room for real dialogue. Still, as a place to take the pulse of what is a vocal segment of the public, Putnam's forum can't be beat. THE FACTS The show: ``Talk Back'' with George Putnam. Where: KIEV-AM (870). When: Noon to 2 p.m. weekdays. Description: Well-produced current-events talk program with Putnam hosting listener calls and guests. Sample: ``It's 12 o'clock in the West. George Putnam here with the often-imitated, never-duplicated `Talk Back.' '' Etiquette: Putnam sometimes gets hot under the collar if the caller says something he doesn't agree with. Bio: Putnam, who shared the role of commentator for Fox Movietone News with Lowell Thomas, moved in 1951 to Los Angeles, where his news program was carried by local independent TV stations. ``Talk Back'' has been a two-decade institution at KIEV. He recently celebrated his 85th birthday. Ratings: Small but very loyal audience. Putnam is KIEV's biggest draw. Who's listening: Ages 25 and up; 70 percent males. Parental warning: Fine for all ages. Our rating: Two Stars CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Longtime L.A. broadcaster George Putnam gives conspiracy theories and Clinton-bashing a forum on his afternoon ``Talk Back'' program on KIEV-AM (870). Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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