Dr. Bill Wattenburg

[Radioisbest]

Hilly Rose once said that Dr. Wattenburg was the smartest man in the world, and he spoke over the heads of the Western United States!

Funny how you remember things like that!

[MC]

I used to bet on what time Watenberg would blow a gasket.   I think they need to promote the new line-up more at 910.

[Phedeks]

I don't know how or why anybody would listen to this condescending nut job. He belittles his callers and thinks he's GOD, if they even question him.  His stance on global warming sets him into a rage when somebody mentions it. Most intelligent people can disagree without resorting to personal attacks and insults, unlike this blowhard. 

[radio dx]

I don't know how or why anybody would listen to this condescending nut job. He belittles his callers and thinks he's GOD, if they even question him.  His stance on global warming sets him into a rage when somebody mentions it. Most intelligent people can disagree without resorting to personal attacks and insults, unlike this blowhard. 

It's pure entertainment

[HCochet]

I don't know how or why anybody would listen to this condescending nut job. He belittles his callers and thinks he's GOD, if they even question him.  His stance on global warming sets him into a rage when somebody mentions it. Most intelligent people can disagree without resorting to personal attacks and insults, unlike this blowhard. 

I always liked his show. Sometimes he talked about the same thing too much. Tongass National Forrest in the late 80s (early 90s?) (Japan had a contract to buy logs at $1.00 per tree!). I'm on his side on nukes and global warming. We're not at fault for it. The Earth has had ice ages and warming periods off and on for millions of years. I don't agree with him on everything, but I miss his show on KGO. If/when he spoke about the same thing too much, he always did say his show was open. That you could call and talk about something else.

[MC]

I called in once and said that they should tear-up on lane of all freeways for a mountain bike lane to save energy.  You could hear his veins in his neck getting larger over the air.

 Politically, he does not fit in the typical talk radio box.  You never know who he will back,  He backed Clinton and harry Reid for example, so at least he is not of the Dems bad, Repubs good talk radio mindset.

[HCochet]

I called in once and said that they should tear-up on lane of all freeways for a mountain bike lane to save energy.  You could hear his veins in his neck getting larger over the air.

 Politically, he does not fit in the typical talk radio box.  You never know who he will back,  He backed Clinton and harry Reid for example, so at least he is not of the Dems bad, Repubs good talk radio mindset.

I think bicycles should be allowed in the emergency lane on any highway. I don't know what's special about mountain bikes. I have a Schwinn Le Tour from the 70s.
I remember one time when Bill talked about car pool lanes. He's against them. I dislike the rules of carpool lanes. A parent and a child should not be considered a car pool. I say it should be two licensed drivers. Also, no car is special enough to allow just one driver. A hybrid with one driver is still just a car with one person. I don't see how that takes cars off the road. It doesn't reduce traffic. I wish I had enough money to buy a Prius and put a 427 sideoiler in it with dual quads. Then I'd drive in in the carpool lane alone.

[Lkeller]

I called in once and said that they should tear-up on lane of all freeways for a mountain bike lane to save energy.  You could hear his veins in his neck getting larger over the air.

 Politically, he does not fit in the typical talk radio box.  You never know who he will back,  He backed Clinton and harry Reid for example, so at least he is not of the Dems bad, Repubs good talk radio mindset.

I think bicycles should be allowed in the emergency lane on any highway. I don't know what's special about mountain bikes. I have a Schwinn Le Tour from the 70s.
I remember one time when Bill talked about car pool lanes. He's against them. I dislike the rules of carpool lanes. A parent and a child should not be considered a car pool. I say it should be two licensed drivers. Also, no car is special enough to allow just one driver. A hybrid with one driver is still just a car with one person. I don't see how that takes cars off the road. It doesn't reduce traffic. I wish I had enough money to buy a Prius and put a 427 sideoiler in it with dual quads. Then I'd drive in in the carpool lane alone.

Gathering from the number of single occupant cars I see that get away with using the car pool lanes on Bay Area freeways, I'd say that requiring all bodies in the car to be licensed drivers would be almost impossible to police.  There aren't enough CHP officers to go around - that's why people evade the speed limit more flagrantly than they used to - it's very unlikely you'll get caught. 

You could - in theory - place surveillance cameras at regular intervals to catch the single occupant cars (send them a ticket in the mail), but it would be hard to differentiate the bodies in the cars between young and old, unless you're only talking about toddlers in car seats. And cameras would outrage the public - much as the citizens of Phoenix were outraged when  cameras were used on the freeways there to catch speeders. Employees of the surveillance company received death threats, there were a few incidents of violence, and all the local politicians abandoned the idea as unpopular.

[MC]

There was a guy maning a photo radar car in Phoenix who was killed.

I just like jerking Watenberg's chain once and a while, and his tirades make for good ratings I suppose.

In some ways, cars and commuting and traffic are very important to radio.  Understanding the comute in a given area might be a good way to program  drive time programming.  I would love  to take the train to work and save my car for recreational uses. 

[nitnitr]

Wattenburg is controversial, but still fun to listen to, and that is what talk radio is about.

Whatever station he is on in SF, he'll get some audience, and maybe a decent chunk to boot.

As for bikes on the freeway, more power to you, but hope you have some life insurance for your loved ones. You get hit at 65, or whatever, by any car, on the freeway, say hello to God upon your exit of this earth.