Radio Killed The Internet Star

Tony Botello was on 980 KMBZ this morning. For those of you who don't know he is the brains behind his alter-ego TKC of Tony's Kansas City. Slight disclaimer here in that TKC has given me a lot of positive press so naturally his is one of my favorite blogs. Anyway, the host was interviewing Dave Helling which went a little long because Dave is a surprisingly witty guy which most people don't expect out of a political reporter. By the time they were done, there was only about 5 minutes to interview Tony. I think the host was caught off guard that a blogger could be so eloquent. I think KMBZ like a lot of people in this town doesn't realize that TKC is a character that Tony uses to generate satire. I guess they were expecting the misogynist, racist, outrageous TKC and what they got was the objective respectful Tony who writes for Dos Mundos among other publications. At the end of the all to brief interview, the host asked Tony if he'd like to come back. This may or may not have been a genuine request. Perhaps it was the equivalent "date speak" of "I'll call you." I don't know if KMBZ is ready to broadcast someone under the age of 50 with an opinion. That's pretty racy stuff for this town. I suggest a write-in campaign of sorts. This blog has developed a pretty large following. I know my friends over at The Flogging of America and BlogKC have even bigger followings. Let KMBZ know that you'd like to hear more out of Tony Botello on Sunday mornings. Go to their contact website at KMBZ.com Let's show them there's more to this blogging thing than just some Gen X'ers ranting about the latest rage on MySpace. Please drop me a comment if you go to KMBZ. I'd like to know how many responses they get! -- Update -- I received this very nice note from Bill Grady at KMBZ this morning: Mark, Thank you for the feedback. Tony is a bright, personable guy. In the future I would love to have him as a guest more often. I only fill in for Mike (Shannon) occasionally, but since blogging is more of a source of information now, he is very "up to speed" on the Kansas City scene. Regards, Bill Grady Reporter/Anchor KMBZ Radio