Fresh Loaf

WSB Radio host Mike Kavanagh, a 40-year broadcast veteran and host of the station’s Money Matters show, died unexpectedly on Saturday. He was 57.

According to Condace Pressley, WSB’s assistant program director, Kavanagh suffered a heart attack while decorating the family Christmas tree.

From WSB:

Said [Lisa Campbell, Kavanagh's former co-anchor], “Mike was an incredible talent, a good human-doing, my longtime co-anchor, but most of all, my dear, dear friend. I will miss sharing our stories, and hearing about how much he loved Grace. There will never be another Kavanagh.”

A certified financial planner since the 1990s, Kavanagh was known for his ability to help listeners sort through red tape, even e-mailing listeners long, thorough pieces of advice. He lived a notable career, as well:

His long career included work in Washington D.C. and New York as well as Atlanta. In addition to local radio and TV, Mike worked in the early days of CNN both as a radio anchor for daily business news and as a TV anchor for CNN Headline News.

Kavanagh won numerous awards, including the prestigious Edward R. Murrow award for the investigative report, “Ripped off in the Name of God” a series which exposed multi-million dollar investment scams. He also worked as part of the team backing up noted consumer advocate Clark Howard.

WSB says donations to Kavanagh’s favorite charity, Friends of Disabled Adults and Children, can be made in his name. Funeral arrangements are pending.

(Photo courtesy of WSB Radio)

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If the idea of listening to a redheaded journalist on Thanksgiving Eve sounds appealing, you’re in luck.

I’ll be on 1420 AM at 6:05 p.m. tonight — and until God knows when — to talk about Georgia’s U.S. Senate runoff between incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss and Democratic candidate Jim Martin. Also up for discussion will be my most recent piece about the race.

If you want to participate, call (404) 292-1420.

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This has absolutely nothing to do with Georgia, Georgia politics or anything related to Georgia. But you rarely see talk radio hosts called out for puttering out talking points of which they have no real knowledge.

Kevin James — no, not that Kevin James — appeared on Hardball to debate Mark Green of Air America. The Un-King of Queens parroted Pres. Bush’s supposed jab at Barack Obama comparing the presidential candidate’s expressed desire to meet with America’s adversaries to Former British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of Adolf Hitler prior to World War II. Problem: James doesn’t seem to have any idea what Chamberlain did.

And Matthews rips into him for it. “When you are going to make a direct historic reference, get it straight,” he says. Cringeworthy and refreshing.

(Keep in mind that Matthews also makes a gaffe when he incorrectly says the U.S.S. Cole bombing occurred under Pres. Bush’s watch.)

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Neal Boortz joined eight other conservative radio talk-show hosts at the White House yesterday for a meeting with President Bush.

Says Boortz on today’s Nealz Nuze Web page:

“I was particularly impressed by his grasp of the political and cultural interactions among the various Muslim sects and countries of the Middle East.”

A guy who doesn’t know anything or care to know anything about “various Muslim sects and countries of the Middle East” is impressed by a guy who appears to know slightly more than he does.

It’s 2007. Praising Bush for grasping “interactions” of “Muslim sects” is like praising a plumber for bringing a plunger to work.

“Hey, Neal, how was that plumber you had over to the house the other day?”

“I was particularly impressed by his grasp of unclogging the various drains in my bathroom.”

Despite being impressed with the president’s intellect, Neal’s visit gave him cause to whine:

“Now .. just so you know. When a reporter for the Washington Post, CNN or any of the big three broadcast networks is invited to spend some time in an off-the-record conversation with the president, that’s all hunky dory. But when a conservative (I’m now sure they know I’m a libertarian) talk show host is invited to discuss issues with the president, we’re simply there to get our talking points and marching orders.”

Do you hear that, people? NO REPUBLICAN TALKING POINTS FROM NEAL BOORTZ.

Other Nealz Nuze items today include:

“How long have I and other talk show hosts been telling you that Democrats are invested in failure in Iraq?”

“Has there ever before been a time in America where a major political party would virtually pray for our defeat in a war so that they could demonize the leader? …”

“What we’re seeing here is simply an attempt to bring Hillarycare – socialized medicine – quietly through the back door. “

“… Obama illustrated vividly that he is not seasoned enough, or perhaps just flat-out not qualified, to be our president.”

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