Doing Time with Ron Kuby
Doing Time with Ron Kuby was a left wing political talk show hosted by criminal defense and civil rights lawyer Ron Kuby. He is also the former cohost of Curtis and Kuby, with Curtis Sliwa, the popular AM drive show on WABC. The show aired weekdays from noon-3 PM eastern time until June 22, 2009. However, it is known for when it aired weekdays from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM Eastern Standard Time and was syndicated nationally by Air America Media. The show's flagship was WWRL in New York. Talkers magazine listed the show as one of the 250 most influential in the country. The top of the hour theme song was "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye.
Although the show was political by nature, much of the discussion tended to be about everyday current events, which includes sports and pop culture. The possible appointment of Caroline Kennedy the New York state senate was an issue Ron was notably upset by. Ron is also known for being very critical of Israel. Ron claims to be the one who coined the moniker Octomom, in reference to Nadya Suleman, mother of the octuplets. The show's online listenership has steadily gone up since the its inception in June 2008.[1] The show is marked by Ron's discourse with listeners as well as members of his staff. Features of the show include:
Kuby versus Kuby: Ron Kuby takes both sides of an argument or legal issue and callers act as the jury and decide which Kuby is right. The segment was done on an almost daily basis when the show aired from 3 PM to 6 PM eastern, but since the switch it has seemed to have stopped.
Chris's Ridiculous Audio Clip of the Day: Occasional segment which seems to have died down as of late. Chris provides sound, usually a quote from the day's events that the staff finds funny or absurd.
Mailbag: The last segment of every Friday show where producer and board-op Chris Rosen reads the emails to Ron from the week. Listeners email the show at [email protected]
Last Night on TV (with Stephanie): Associate producer and call screener Stephanie talks about the previous evening's important events pertaining to television shows she enjoys. Usually the segment focuses on American Idol or The Real Housewives of New York City.
Barack Obama Saves the World: Ron and the crew talk about an accomplishment of our president, usually in a somewhat sarcastic manner.
Doing Time Chatroom: Often referenced on the show, the chatroom is a way Ron and the staff communicate with listeners, in addition to phone calls. Although the chatroom is up 24/7, it's rarely active when the show's not on the air.
KubeTube: The name is a play on the popular site YouTube, KubeTube is the live video stream of Ron and occasionally his staff.
Get Worse, with Chris: Producer Chris complains about a story in the news he finds bothersome.
The We Work Together Show: An internet only radio show that Ron describes as being "underground". It's a favorite show of Ron's and since his show has been ended, he communicates with many of his former listeners through the We Work Together Show chat room. Stephanie from Doing Time with Ron Kuby has made appearances on the We Work Together Show, and it is rumored that producer Chris Rosen will soon as well. The gentlemen who do the We Work Together Show, all either current or former employees of Air America, made an audio tribute to Ron Kuby once Doing Time ended on Air America.[2]
Switch from 3:00 PM Eastern to Noon Eastern
On May 18, 2009, Air America moved Doing Time to the noon-3 PM slot previously vacated by Thom Hartmann. The switch effectively took the show off all of its affiliates, as all progressive talk outlets go with Thom Hartmann or Ed Schultz in that timeslot.[3] Air America's decision to move the show angered the show's fans greatly, as the show changed forever. Due to the show's now nonexistent affiliate base, the amount of phone calls that helped make the show what it once was dwindled. Monday, June 22 was the final edition of Doing Time With Ron Kuby in its current incarnation. Ron remains a member of the Air America family as the organisation discuss his future role.
Doing Time staff
Executive Producer Dan Pashman (formerly of Morning Sedition) who often acts as Ron's foil. Primary provider of tongue-in-cheek prose which accompanies various sound clips played on the show. Plays a bailiff in Kuby versus Kuby.
Co-Producer and Board-Operator Chris Rosen (formerly of The Al Franken Show) a middle-aged native New Yorker and diehard New York Mets fan, Chris usually provides the conservative point of view and often debates Ron for much of the show. He reads the mailbag every week.
Co-producer and call screener Stephanie Wightman
Website editor, booker, and co-producers Victoria Hippel and Lauren Kirchner
Lionel (radio personality) Show alumn Doobie and Alex "Al B Damned" Goldmark were former members of the Doing Time staff before their respective departures from Air America.
References
External links
- KubeTube and Doing Time Chatroom on AirAmerica.com
- KubeTube and Doing Time Chatroom on Ustream.TV
- KubyOnline Website
- DoingTime's Twitter page
- Home page of the We Work Together Show, with live chat and show archives
- WWTS Blog, Ron Kuby has made several posts
- Talkers Magazine Top 250, Kuby's towards the bottom of the page