True Believers

What do you get when you throw red meat into a packed house filled with true believers?

That was the social experiment I designed today by inviting Hal Ginsberg, Mark Carbonaro and their respective fans to Wave Street Studios on Cannery Row for a live taping of "Central Coast Views." The show aired today and can be found on www.montereyherald.com on Friday.

I'm proud to report that no blood was shed, no folding chairs were damaged and the law was not summoned. And while there was plenty of disagreement about the politics of the day, Hal and Mark proved that it is indeed possible to agree to disagree. The partisan crowd never let their rankle get the best of them; rather, they cheered and applauded their man and a good time seemed to be had by all.

Hal is the progressive radio maven, the owner and morning host on KRXA 540 AM radio. Mark teams with Jim Pearson on KION 1460 AM. Hal and Mark have significantly different listening audiences -- and neither they nor their listeners lack passion.

I served as both referee and cutman during the ten-round bout, but I'm not qualified to say who "won" the debate. Both were incredibly well prepared. Both were articulate and thought-provoking. 

All in all, and except for a few minor glitches and the mumbling moderator, I thought the first show was a rousing success. The lively live audience seemed to enjoy it -- at least they all said they looked forward to attending the next show. 

Based on the success of today's show, we expect to air new episodes of "Central Coast Views" monthly. And we are considering a change in the time of the show; we heard from dozens of people who said they would like to be part of the studio audience but couldn't break free at 3 in the afternoon. 

Stay tuned.