Northern Alliance Radio Network
The Northern Alliance Radio Network is an American radio talk show, the first in the world hosted entirely by bloggers. The show airs in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul on AM1280 The Patriot.
The program is hosted by six bloggers:
- John Hinderaker of Power Line Blog
- King Banaian of SCSU Scholars Blog
- Mitch Berg of the blog Shot In The Dark
- Brian "Saint Paul" Ward and Chad "The Elder" of the blog Fraters Libertas
- "Captain" Ed Morrissey of the blog Hot Air (formerly of Captain's Quarters)
- Michael Brodkorb of the blog Minnesota Democrats Exposed] joined the Northern Alliance in 2006 and left in January 2009.
James Lileks is also a frequent guest host.
The show analyzes news and current events from a bloggers' point of view, and is conservative in tone.
History
The program is an offshoot of the Northern Alliance of Blogs. The idea for a radio show floated around for much of 2003, until Hugh Hewitt prevailed on the bloggers and AM1280 to put the show on the air.
The first broadcast was March 6, 2004.
Less than three weeks later, on March 23, 2004, the show did the first of over a dozen fill-ins for Hugh Hewitt and Dennis Prager's nationally syndicated shows.
In January 2006, the "NARN" expanded to four hours, and split into two nominally separate programs - "Volume I" from 11AM to 1PM, featuring Ward, "Elder", and Hinderaker, and "Volume II" from 1 to 3PM with Morrissey, Banaian, and Berg.
In August 2006, the program spawned yet another offshoot, "NARN Volume III, the Final Word" featuring Banaian and adding Michael Brodkorb of the blog Minnesota Democrats Exposed, with Berg and Morrissey doing "Volume II" as a duo. Brodkorb departed the show in January 2009, after which Banaian has continued as a solo.
Guests
Program guests have included:
- Author and historian Victor Davis Hanson
- Writer and former Mystery Science Theater 3000 host Mike Nelson
- Author Michael Ledeen
- Senator Norm Coleman
- Congressman Mark Kennedy
- MN Sixth District representative Michele Bachmann
- Author and pundit Michelle Malkin
- Presidential advisor Ken Mehlman
- Author Christina Hoff Sommers
- Author Steven Vincent
- Author and columnist Mona Charen
- Author, columnist and pundit Ann Coulter
- Blogger Nihilist In Golf Pants
- Blogger Glenn Reynolds
- Author, blogger and humorist James Lileks
- Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty
- Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney
- Theologian Richard John Neuhaus
- Author and gun rights advocate Joel Rosenberg
Quotations
- "We are the wind beneath the right wing!" (Program motto)
- "A bright spot of cheery, springtime red in a sea of dingy, depressing, institutional blue" (Slogan at beginning of show)
- "If a conservative orders a pizza in the woods, and no liberal is there to hear it, is he still a fascist hatemonger?"