The American Mind

Fred Thompson will be taking a more vocal role in politics. He’s moving beyond occasional speeches and web videos an into the world of talk radio:

Westwood One is pleased to announce the debut of The Fred Thompson Show on March 2, 2009. The show will replace The Radio Factor with Bill O’Reilly when the program ends its successful six-year run on February 27, 2009. Former U.S. senator and 2008 presidential candidate, Fred Thompson will share his views on politics, topical issues, pop culture and water cooler stories, as well as welcome guest interviews and take listener calls. The Fred Thompson Show will be a two-hour daily talk show and will air live Noon-2pm, Monday - Friday from the Westwood One studios in Washington DC.

“There is no prerequisite for a great talk show host, but if I were going to make one up, senator, presidential candidate, federal prosecutor, radio commentator, film and TV star would be a pretty good start,” said Bart Tessler, EVP Westwood One News & Talk Programming.

“When folks listen to a radio show, they make an appointment with it. It is the ideal way for me to continue my dialog with America about the issues we all face each day,” said Thompson.

“Senator Thompson is a perfect fit for radio,” said Gary Schonfeld, President of Westwood One Networks. “His unique set of qualifications will make him a huge hit with both listeners and advertisers.”

If anyone can make dreary subjects like federalism and the entitlement crisis interesting and can connect them to peoples’ everyday lives it’s Thompson. Can he do that two hours a day for years? It will be a challenge. He filled in for Paul Harvey in the past, but that was a five minute show. Two hours a day is a lot.

One thing Fred could do to get a foothold and find a niche is trying to engage online conservatives. That would be more than Hugh Hewitt jumping on the Twitter fad. Using and acknowledging the blogosphere as the source of his show prep wouldn’t hurt.

More from Allahpundit and Gina Cobb.

[via memeorandum]