Next career for David Paterson could be radio

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His political standing is so low that New York Governor David Paterson (D) is not running this year to hold onto the job, but he may have a new career awaiting him on radio. It would probably not be a difficult transition for him.


Paterson, blind since childhood, has long been a devoted radio listener and is a frequent caller to radio talk shows – sometimes identifying himself as the governor and other times as just an ordinary guy named David. As tense as he sometimes appears before TV cameras, Paterson is at ease and glib on radio.

An extensive story in the New York Times focused on Paterson’s frequent appearances, both in-studio and via telephone, with such hosts as Don Imus and Rev. Al Sharpton, as well as many WFAN-AM sports shows and political talk shows on WOR-AM, WABC-AM and WNYC Public Radio. The story also links to long audio clips from WFAN which demonstrate just how relaxed and interesting Paterson is on radio.

According to the story, he has also been known to call other talk stations around the state as well.

RBR-TVBR observation: What stands out is just how good Paterson is at digging into his in-depth knowledge of things he really cares about – sports and politics. He sounds so much better on radio than he does under the pressure of a press conference or TV interview. We would not be surprised to see him grab a radio gig after his term ends. A weekly show would be a no-brainer, but we suspect he would be more than capable of handing a daily one.