Radio Waves

If you enjoy rigorous debate — the type where principled people with faces and voices slug it out — you won't want to miss The Herald's first-ever meeting of the minds on Thursday at Wave Street Studios.

The program, called "Central Coast Views," will feature Monterey County's two most popular political talk radio personalities, Mark Carbonaro and Hal Ginsberg. Carbonaro teams up with Jim Pearson each weekday morning on 1460 KION-AM, while Ginsberg is general manager, talk-show maven and chief bottle washer at 540 KRXA-AM.

Ginsberg and Carbonaro both insist they transcend political labels. But for those of us who listen in, it comes as no surprise that Ginsberg's station can be found on the left end of the dial, while Carbonaro's is entrenched on the right side. Also, KRXA features Bill Press and Ed Schultz, while KION features Michael Savage and Glenn Beck.

For years, Carbonaro and Ginsberg have been preaching to their respective choirs about politics, big and small. But it occurred to me that we've never actually seen them in the same room together, discussing the issues with someone who might disagree.

Both are articulate. Both are passionate. Both are knowledgeable.

So, with the help of Wave Street Studios, The Herald is getting Ginsberg and Carbonaro together for a good old-fashioned debate. I will serve as moderator, referee and designated cutman. We'll take on the events of the world, the nation and the state. We'll go local, if we have the time, and might even take on our favorite weasel politicians.

The show promises to be a great opportunity for fans who would like to see their favorite radio personality go mano a mano against a rival. It's also a chance to visit Wave Street Studios, the local Taj Mahal of multimedia production, at 774 Wave St. in Monterey.

The fun starts at 3 p.m. Thursday and everyone is invited. The admission charge of $10 will help defray production costs.

The show will be streamed live on http://livenetworks.tv and will be rebroadcast on various platforms, including montereyherald.com, beginning Friday.

But we expect it will be more fun to see it live.