Mitch Berg brings us the sad news of the far too early demise of Joe Hanson. Joe was the original producer of the Northern Alliance Radio Network and held that job until about a year ago. Before that, of course, he was a fixture at KSTP-AM , working with local legends like Jason Lewis, Mischke, and the others. Back then, that was the only conservative radio outlet in town and a whole generation of young Republicans grew up listening to shows produced and enhanced by the genial Smokin' Joe Hanson.

As anyone who ever got the chance to talk to him knows, he was a great guy. Friendly to all, except perhaps to a few callers whom he accurately determined as not air worthy. Believe it or not, conservative talk radio draws a few cranks calling in, and nobody was better than Joe in assessing, halting in their tracks, then terminating those conversations in an efficient manner. His barking "what do you want! No, they're not talking about that now!" then his laughter afterwards over clean dispatch are sounds I can still hear in my memory. Joe was a pro yet he was always patient and supportive to a bunch of radio amateurs trying to learn on the job what they were supposed to be doing.

Joe left in a rather abrupt fashion from the Patriot and we never got a chance to say goodbye to him. That is a regret now. He was such a youthful looking and energetic guy, I never would have conceived of his death so soon. And I fully expected him to surface again somewhere. With the return of Jason Lewis, coincidentally just announced yesterday, I figured he'd be back on the air in short order. Alas, that was not meant to be.

Our prayers are with Joe Hanson in the next world and with his friends and family here today.

Labels: NARN (04-06)

Posted by Saint Paul--Link