Dougherty Arts Center
Does Anybody Remember Laughter?
RECEIVED Sat., Sept. 3, 2011
Dear Editor,
I was once a longtime listener of a country radio station. Due to the new Arbitron rating system, the talk show I listened to changed. I defected to KLBJ FM after hearing The Charlie Hodge Rock n' Roll Half-Time Show. The format and commentary about events around Austin, America, and the world, combined with the brilliant comedic talents of Charlie Hodge and Matt Sadler stunned me. I'd never heard anything on the radio like their originality and approach. It felt good to laugh again.
Now, they've been canned by the same ratings system that killed the other talk show I listened to. Have we become so perpetually angry that humor about the condition of Texas and our world is not worth listening to anymore? Or have we finally accepted mediocrity on the radio?
It's ironic that this radio show's demise comes in the same week as the death of Cactus Pryor. He was someone who helped lay the foundation for Austin's open atmosphere. Charlie Hodge and Matt Sadler helped that feeling along to bring listeners a unique way of coping with our world and making it a little more bearable with a dash of humor.
I was once a longtime listener of a country radio station. Due to the new Arbitron rating system, the talk show I listened to changed. I defected to KLBJ FM after hearing The Charlie Hodge Rock n' Roll Half-Time Show. The format and commentary about events around Austin, America, and the world, combined with the brilliant comedic talents of Charlie Hodge and Matt Sadler stunned me. I'd never heard anything on the radio like their originality and approach. It felt good to laugh again.
Now, they've been canned by the same ratings system that killed the other talk show I listened to. Have we become so perpetually angry that humor about the condition of Texas and our world is not worth listening to anymore? Or have we finally accepted mediocrity on the radio?
It's ironic that this radio show's demise comes in the same week as the death of Cactus Pryor. He was someone who helped lay the foundation for Austin's open atmosphere. Charlie Hodge and Matt Sadler helped that feeling along to bring listeners a unique way of coping with our world and making it a little more bearable with a dash of humor.
Paula Phillips
