Media Coverage of The Great Debate '09

In case you missed The Great Debate '09 at the Imperial Theatre, you can watch it all week long on Comcast OnDemand and on Comcast Channel 4.

For footage from the event, check out WJBF News Channel 6's coverage here.

To read up on the candidates' responses to the panelists' questions, check out coverage from The Augusta Chronicle here and coverage from The Metro Spirit here.

Thanks to everyone that joined us Tuesday night for the first ever Great Debate at the historic Imperial Theatre, courtesy of TalkRadio 1230 WNRR.

And the hits keep on coming . . .

More fallout from Monday's Augusta-Richmond County Public Services Committee meeting regarding my 6 questions for Augusta Public Transit . . .

Click here to see News Channel 6's George Eskola report on the trashy bus shelters.

APT gets pwned!

If a picture says a thousand words, what does an APT official running away from basic questions say? I like to call the guy "The Prefontaine of Public Transit."



One of my "cute questions" was why the online bus maps and schedules were 10 years out of date and APT answer was . . . drum roll please . . . "the buses don't run on those routes." Needless to say, I didn't have a retort for that one. I'm guessing none was needed.

Remember now fiscal conservatives - APT lost $4 million of your tax dollars last year.

Hey social liberals - APT isn't even providing marginally decent bus service to those that need public transportation.

The Mass Transit Mess continues . . .

The man they call "Z"

Hi folks! A fun Friday show to kick off your weekend!

First we had Shan Sunderam, the co-owner of Augusta's first "green hotel" - the Comfort Inn & Suits on Gordon Highway. To learn more about this futuristic hotel, check out their website here or an article about its grand opening here.

And, as part of our Friday at 2 local music series, we had Shizuo Z. Kuwahara - the man known as "Z" and the new conductor of the Symphony Orchestra Augusta. To hear the sound of the newly re-named Symphony Orchestra Augusta, go to www.soaugusta.org and buy your tickets for their October 10 show!

Next week it's candidates, candidates, candidates as we move closer to the November 3 local election . . .

Ripped from the headlines . . .

Just like a new episode of Law & Order, today's show was "ripped from the headlines."

From today's Augusta Chronicle, we had District 1 Candidate Butch Palmer on the show. Candidate Palmer gave his versions of events of what happened on September 24 - the date that he is accused of pointing a shotgun at a neighbor that was causing a noise disturbance. Butch outlined what he sees as the big issues in the city - blight and transparency / accountability in the government - and informed everyone of his efforts to get a local chronic nuisance ordinance passed. The model for that ordinance can be seen here and more about Butch's platform can be seen here.

From the cover of this week's Metro Spirit, we had Jezibell Anat on the show. Jezibell is a Wiccan High Priestess and co-Local Coordinator of Augusta Pagan Pride. Augusta Pagan Pride takes place this Saturday, October 3 from Noon to 5pm at the Lake Olmsted gazebo. The festivities include workshops on Wicca 101, Ask the Wizard, and Kitchen Witchery and entertainment by Eastern Star Dance Theatre and the Celtic Crossing Players. To learn more about Jezibel click here and to learn more about her unconventional theatre troupe, Misfit Theatre, click here.

Tomorrow on the show, we've got the new conductor for the Symphony Augusta Orchestra - a man by the name of "Z", the owner of Augusta's first "green" hotel, and more "Mass Transit Mess!" See y'all then . . .

Back-to-Back-to-Back

Whew! Today saw a The Anthony Esposito Show first. Over the course of the three hour show (only on NewsRadio 1230 WNRR and newsradio1230.com, of course!) I did three back-to-back-to-back one hour interviews. I totally enjoyed it an learned a lot, and I hope the voters did too.

First up was candidate for Augusta-Richmond County Commission District 3, Cleveland O'Steen. District 3 runs from the Summerville neighborhood to the West Augusta Target and Doctor's Hospital over to Augusta Mall, and up Wrightsboro Road to the intersection with Jimmie Dyess Parkway. Candidate O'Steen previously served as a Township Trustee in Michigan and is currently a teacher at Georgia Military College - Augusta and Lighthouse Care Center of Augusta. More information about Candidate O'Steen can be found at his website: clevelandosteen.com.

Next up was candidate for Augusta-Richmond County Commission District 1, William Fennoy. District 1 runs from Lake Olmsted to Walton Way, through Harrisburg, Downtown, Old Town, East Augusta, and then down toward the Airport. Candidate Fennoy served on the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority and retired last year from the Richmond County Health Department.

And my third interview of the day featured a gentleman out of Atlanta by the name of Tim Franzen. Tim works with the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition and the American Friends Service Committee. One of Tim's goals is to make sure the high schoolers targeted by the military for recruitment have the full story before they sign the dotted line. Learn more about his work by clicking on the links provided above.

Tomorrow on The Show, we chat with District 1 Candidate Butch Palmer, we have a Pagan drop by to fill us in on the Pagan Pride event happening this Saturday, and tell the sad tale of my rejected Open Records Request. See you at Noon!

It's unanimous: Today's show was the best show yet !

The feedback from today tells me one thing: The Anthony Esposito Show has arrived. Today, in studio, we had an in-depth interview with former editor of The Metro Spirit, Tom Grant! In that interview, we covered everything from the history of the TEE Center debate and the economics of trade centers to the upcoming local election and Tom's new TV show. Yep, Tom Grant has a new TV show and you can see it on WBEK Monday nights at 7pm. His website for the show is DividedCity.Us and has such features as a TEE Center calculator and poverty statistics for the area. A great hour and a half of radio that you can only catch on The Anthony Esposito Show.

We finished up the show by letting everyone know about a weekend bike rally called the 2009 Fall Border Rally, presented by Augusta Harley-Davidson. George and Donna came in to tell us about the great stuff happening this Saturday from noon until whenever at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds in Augusta as part of this all-day event. Learn more at www.myspace.com/borderrally.



Tomorrow on The Show: Candidate for Augusta Commission District 3 - Cleveland O'Steen, candidates for Augusta Commission District 1 - William Fennoy, and a gentleman from Atlanta that wants to the U.S. military to do a bit more "truth in recruitment." Only on The Anthony Esposito Show and only on NewsRadio 1230 WNRR!

Wing Swing is done and I am stuffed . . .

I just couldn't get enough chicken wings at Wing Swing on Sunday!


Hi folks! Hope you made it to Wing Swing on Sunday, but even if you didn't you can always support The First Tea of Augusta by visiting their website here.

Great show, as always, today. Proving once again that The Anthony Esposito Show is "Your Local Election Headquarters." I had a 30 minute interview with Richmond County School Board Candidate for District 5 - Patsy Scott. Ms. Scott will join two other past guests (Aishia Leverett and James Williams) on the November 3 ballot. If you live in District 5 (basically, Daniel Filed at Wrightsboro Rd. down to Windsor Spring Rd.), you get to vote for both school board and commissioner, so tune in to The Anthony Esposito Show to hear directly from the candidates so you can make the wisest choices possible on November 3!

We also had on the show David Matos, a young man who is part of Aiken Peace and took a two week trip this summer to Israel and Palestine. David filled the listening audience in on some of the common misconceptions about that conflict as well as gave an excellent summary of President Obama's approach to the conflict. If you'd like to hear more from David about his trip (and see some of the photos he took), he'll be speaking on Monday, October 12 at 7:15pm the Aiken Unitarian Universalist Church at 115 Gregg Ave. in Aiken, SC. Totally worth you time if you want to learn more about this ongoing conflict.

And, for you lovers of the U.S. Constitution, he's public enemy #1. Lt. Governor of Mississippi, Phil Bryant, is upset that the U.S. Constitution won't let him use taxpayer funded pro-abstinence rallies to share his Christian faith with the attendees. Don't believe it, check out the video below:

Alright AM talk radio fans . . . what's your reaction? Do love the U.S. Constitution only when it agrees with you or all the time? I await your thoughts . . .

Tomorrow on The Show, former editor of The Metro Spirit, Tom Grant will join us to talk about the upcoming local election, George Parks will chat about the 2009 Fall Border Rally, and we'll all get to hear the the results of my Open Records Request to Augusta Public Transit! Another great day of talk of all things Augusta, tomorrow on The Anthony Esposito Show!!

Does it get any better than this, folks?

Today's show is what The Anthony Esposito Show is all about! To start off, we heard from Aishia Leverett, District 5 Candidate for Richmond County School Board. Despite Ms. Leverett's pro-Gamecock background, we had a great time discussing the issues facing Richmond County schools and her ideas to get the school system on track.

Next up was former Mayor of Augusta, Bob Young, to talk about the Betty Beard situation. My takeaway from the conversation is that Augustans will get as ethical a government as they demand. The former Mayor also tossed in his 2 cents about how to save the TEE Center given the current economic and political constraints. That idea can be read about in the Sunday, September 27 Augusta Chronicle right here.

The weekly Friday at 2 local music hour reached its zenith this week with the appearance of jazz superstar Wycliffe Gordon! Wycliffe was in town to play at Sky City Friday night and will be performing next weekend on Sunday, October 4 as part of the Aiken Jazz Festival. While I don't think I'll be taking up the trombone any time soon to challenge his prowess, I did learn a lot about his instrument of choice and a bit more about what jazz such a unique genre of music. Hope folks cross the river next weekend to hear Wycliffe live!

On Monday, I'll be interviewing the third of three candidates for District 5 School Board - Patsy Scott, I'll talk to David Matos about his recent trip to Israel and Palestine, and I'll fill you in on a little Mass Transit Mess situation that will be coming before the Public Services Committee. See y'all then!

An Open Records Request, LIVE on The Air!

Looks like Lady Justice at the Municipal Building has seen better days. I hope her arm coming out of socket isn't symbolic of anything . . .


Today on the show, we celebrated one of the great things about being a Georgian - Georgia's Sunshine Laws. LIVE on the air I submitted an open records request to Augusta Public Transit as part of my attempt to get my grubby little taxpayer hands on a study recently presented to APT. Basically, APT paid some LA-based consultants to tell APT how to improve the alleged bus system in Augusta, but APT hasn't been willing to share with me the full study nor how much this study cost.

Now, because of my Thursday at 1pm filing of an open records request, APT will have until Tuesday at 1pm to produce the documents I requested. See, requesting state and local government documents is easy. Just click here to learn how you can do it yourself, courtesy of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation!

At 1pm I had the privilege to chat with the Executive Director of The First Tee of Augusta, Jill Brown. Jill's group teaching young people how to play golf and the life lessons that accompany the sport. This Sunday at 4pm, The First Tee of Augusta is hosting the first ever Wing Swing featuring buffalo wings from 13 different area restaurants, a raffle, a kids' zone, and the musical styling of John Krueger (a former guest on my show!) and Ed Turner and the Number 9 (the CSRA's #1 Beatles sound-a-like band. Tickets are available here.

And at 2pm I talked some Westobou Festival with Cobbs Nixon - a fellow UVA grad and one of the trustees that makes Westobou finaciall feasible. For a full hour Cobbs and I sat around and talked about the greatness that is the 10 days of art and entertainment called the Westabou Festival. From sold out Avett Brothers and Keb' Mo' concerts to the upcoming Video Games Live performance by the Augusta Symphony Orchestra and Steel Magnolias performed by the Augusta Players, Cobbs and I love us some Westabou Festival. Westabou runs through this Saturday and the schedule of events for the final two days can be seen here.

Tomorrow on the show it's District 5 School Board candidate Aishia Leverett, former Mayor of Augusta Bob Young, and the #1 jazz musician in all of the CSRA Wycliff Gordon! Tune in on NewsRadio 1230 WNRR or www.newsradio1230.com!

Hot Dog! I had a great time on the show today!

Live from Indigo Joe's on Wheeler Road, the Show had its first live studio audience ever!


That's right, for the first time ever, The Anthony Esposito Show had a live studio audience. Tons of fun to be had for the next 3 weeks as I broadcast live from Indigo Joe's M-F, Noon to 3 with real live Augustans surrounding me and scrutinizing my every word (and basking in my greatness, too).

Today marked the beginning of my series of interviews with the three candidates for Richmond County Board of Education District 5. The election is on November 3 and the best way for you to learn about these contenders is to tune in as I sit them down and chat with them. Today, I had the honor of speaking to James Williams, one of the candidates. Tune in on Friday and Monday as I chat with his two opponents.

And, finally, I got to spend an hour picking the brain of Mr. River Dogs Express himself, owner and operator Martin Rodriquez. If you didn't hear the hour long interview, Mr. Rodriquez is nothing short of a hot dog artist. He clearly takes pride in his hot dog concoctions and even researches hot dog recipes to bring you the best dog possible, no matter how you take your frankfurter. He serves out of his River Dogs Express cart weekdays at lunchtime at Fort Gordon and in the evenings can be found around Downtown Augusta and at local festivals. A great interview with a very dedicated entrepreneur.

Tomorrow, we learn about Wing Swing at The First Tee, chat with one of the people that makes the on-going Westabou Festival possible, and I'll be submitting my Open Records Request to APT live on the air! Tune in folks for all things Augusta on The Anthony Esposito Show . . .

So you want to talk some local politics?

Wow! What a personally satisfying day on The Show! First, I had the honor of sharing with everyone in a new, expanded listening audience the greatness that is the Georgia Sunhine Laws! Need a primer on the Open Records Law or the Open Meetings Law? Easy-peasy after Monday night's open government seminar put on by The Augusta Chronicle and other media outlets. Just check out the Georgia First Amendment Foundation's "Red Book" here and you'll be good to go.


Looks kinda sinister and seditious, don't it? ;->

Heck, I think I'm going to file my own Open Records Request to APT live on the air on Thursday!

Our first interview was chuck full of Augusta election news. I had the please of having local political advisor, Butch Gallop, in the studio. We went issue by issue, district by district, and even candidate by candidate (yes, all 10 of them!) to give you a summary of the 3 contested Augusta-Richmond County commission elections. Starting next week, I'll have each commission contender on the air for a full hour so you can hear what they're all about and so you can make an informed choice on November 3.

Butch also brought a great guest with him, State Representative Winfred Dukes of Albany, GA. Rep. Dukes helped craft the current version of the Georgia Sunshine Laws and is a big fan of the greatness that is Augusta!

At 2, I finished up the day with a chat with a man who could kill me with just one touch - David Jones, owner of Kicks Mixed Martial Arts. Kicks provides people aged 7 to 700 how to use martial arts for exercise, self-confidence, discipline, and just plain fun. My best friend's daughter is a student of his and actually proffered me for David to come on the show! Big thanks to Julie Leopard for putting together the appearance of her MMA coach on my show. Simply amazing! Learn more about David and Kicks Mixed Martial arts at www.kicksmma.net.

Tomorrow on the show I start my journey through the three District 5 School Board candidates and then a full hour interview with the River Dog man himself, Martin Rodriquez - owner and operator of River Dogs Express! See y'all there!

Bump, Set, Spike! on the new, super-powered NewsRadio 1230 WNRR

Can you hear me now? If you live in Richmond, Columbia, or Aiken County, then the answer is now a resounding "YES!!" Over the weekend we accomplished the not-so-small task of doubling our tower power so now that everyone is the three county area can clearly hear NewsRadio 1230 WNRR 24/7, just like nature intended it! If you're trapped in a building and don't have an AM radio, no problem at all - just check us out at www.newsradio1230.com and click "Listen Live."

Today on the show, I presented 6 questions that Augusta Public Transit, that's APT to you and me, need to answer about their alleged bus system. These questions are about to e-mailed to the director of the APT and will also be presented at the next Augusta-Richmond County Public Services Committee meeting (currently scheduled for Monday, September 28).

Those questions are:

1. Since APT requires exact change to ride the bus ($1.25 for a ride, $1.75 for a ride plus one transfer), why is no change available at the APT Transit Station? The employees at the station will not provide change to the customers, nor is there a change machine available at the station.

2. Why is there not a single route map, schedule, or information telephone number at a single bus stop in the entire city? The lack of such basic rider information at every bus stop makes the APT system almost impossible to use for the non-daily rider.

3. Why are several of the online route schedules / maps out of date? The Route 1 – Walton Way online route map / schedule hasn’t been updated since April of 2000, despite changes in the route and bus stop schedules.

4. Why has the APT not submitted its bus routes and schedules to Google Transit so that, for free, anyone at a computer can instantly find out how to get from point A to point B in less than one second (as opposed to the current system of having to cross-reference 11 different – and inaccurate – maps)? A request for the necessary data to be compiled and submitted – for free – to Google Transit was submitted 5 months ago.

5. Why do most bus shelters that contain attached trashcans have overflowing trash most of the time? What is the schedule for trash to be picked up at the bus shelters and can it be increased so ants are not attracted to the sheltered seating areas and the bus stops cease to be eyesores.

6. On Tuesday, May 19, 2009, Mr. James McLaughlin of Wilbur Smith Associates spoke before the commission regarding an update on their Transportation Development Plan for Augusta Public Transit. During that presentation, Mr. McLaughlin assured the commission that there would be public input into their recommendations for improving APT and there would be public meetings where citizens could express their ideas and concerns regarding APT. Why is it that when asked via phone for the time and location of one of these promised public meetings, Mr. Heyward Johnson, the Director of APT, was unable to provide the time and location of a single public meeting by Wilbur Smith Associates?

One way or another, you and I are going to get answers from the APT. I just want a bus system that serves those who want or need to use mass transit. I'm sure not losing $4 million a year would also be nice too. Stay tuned as The Anthony Esposito Show takes on this "Mass Transit Mess!"

Our lankey in-studio guests for the day were the USC-Aiken Volleyball Team!!! Oh, don't think this was a tall group? Well check out this post-interview pic:


(Note how the girl to my left is scrunching down a bit - I requested that so she wouldn't be taller than me!)

I had the pleasure of chatting with 2nd year coach, Glenn Cox, and three of his volleyball stars - Susan MacClary, Jessica Loper, and Lauren Cedeno! Because of my cutting edge volleyball strategy of (1) Bump, (2) Set, (3) Spike!, Coach Cox is letting me be an assistant coach at their next home game!! That game is scheduled for Thursday, October 1 at 7pm at the USC-Aiken Convocation Center against none other than Augusta State University! Show up an hour early (aka, 6pm) so you can participate in the USC-Aiken Volleyball Team's silent auction to stop cancer, called "Dig for the Cure." See you there in two weeks!

Tomorrow on the show, we've got local political consultant, Butch Gallop, mixed martial artist, David Jones, and more on these strange Betty Beard - Maxwell House - Gastric Bypass love triangle. See you then!

Days like today are why I do The Show . . .

Hi everyone! A day ago I ran into a Limbaugh fan and took this pic:

Ha! Or should I say, "Baaaaaa!"

Anyway, for those that like to exercise their synapses, we had the "mystery candidate" from Augusta-Richmond County Commission District 1, Anthony Jones, in studio. He's running to fill Betty Beard's spot on the commission, and, is interestingly, a friend, neighbor, and tenant of one of his District 1 opponents. Mr. Jones is running as the common citizen that wants to improve Augusta and we wish him the best of luck during his campaign.

At 1, we had in the brand spanking new editor of The Metro Spirit, Stacey Eidson! After three years away from the CSRA (she was a reporter down in Sarasota, FL), Stacey is back and at the helm of Augusta's Alternative Weekly. Because of her wealth of knowledge about Augusta politics, I'll surely have Stacey back on to give you and me the skinny on the Nov. 3 county commission and school board races.

2pm saw the weekly, "Local Music Interview" on The Anthony Esposito Show. This week's guest was Megan Jean and the KFB! I ran into them at First Friday a few months ago and was so excited to have them in the studio today. This guy and girl pairing love music like nobody's business (they dropped by Augusta just to do this interview en route from Charleston, SC to Raleigh, NC) and brought in some vintage instruments (we're talking a banjo from 1890!) to play for you and me. Check out their website here: meganjean.net and support their avant garde Americana music!

Next week on the show, I have in studio candidates for District 5 School Board, local political consultant Butch Gallop, the USC-Aiken Volleyball Team, and tons more local news and interviews. Listen in and learn!

So THAT'S Why They Call It NEW Ellington!

Hi everyone!  Today's show just flew by.  I started with my daily update concerning the madness down at Augusta Public Transit.  The APT is burning your tax money and we don't even get marginally decent bus service out of it!

I hope you enjoyed my APT Update Theme Song called "Double Dutch Bus" by Frankie Smith!  Here are the lyrics to that simply awesome song:

"Double Dutch Bus" by Frankie Smith

Give me a HO if you've got your funky bus fare...HO HO HO

There's a double dutch bus comin' down the street
Movin pretty fast
So kinda shuffle your feet
Get on the bus and pay your fare
And tell the driver that you're
Goin' to a Double Dutch Affair
Fe Fi Fo Fum
Well I'll be darn here it comes
The Double Dutch Bus is on the street
You'd better get off the curb
Move your feet

Bus fare trans-pass
That's the way my money lasts
Ain't got no car to get around
When I go to work I've gotta go downtown
Now I've missed my train
That's a darn shame
When I'm running late no sleep's to blame
If you've gotta wife you know I'm right
Gotta special man well I can understand
Uptown, downtown everybody's getting down
Say uptown say downtown
Well I've missed my bus I know I'm late
I've gotta do something I know I hate
I'm gonna walk to work fifteen blocks
I already got a hole in my socks
Go ahead and laugh that's okay
Cause what I really wanna say
I got bad feet my corns hurt
To top it off I'm lost for work
Let me tell you what I say
When I'm dealing with the funky sidewalk
Let me show you how to walk
When I gotta do my funky walk
Let me tell you what I say
When I'm dealing with the funky sidewalk
I say sssssssss-sugar


FRANKIE: Hilzi, gilzirls! Yilzall hilzave t' milzove ilzout the wilzay silzo the gilzuys can plilzay bilzasket-bilzall
(Hey girls! Y'all have to move out the way so the guys can play basketball)

GIRLS: I say wizzat? Nizzo-izzo wizzay!
(Say what? No way!)

FRANKIE: Yizzall bizzetter mizzove!
(Y'all better move!)

GIRLS: I say wizzat? Willze illzain't millzovin'...
(Say what? We ain't movin!)

FRANKIE: Shillzu-gillzar! ....., bilzzaby!
(Sugar! .....baby!)

GIRLS: Willze illzare plizzayin' dizzouble dizzutch!
(We are playin' double dutch)

FRANKIE: Millze cillzan sillzome ....plilzay dilzzouble dilzutch!
(.....play double dutch!)

GIRL: Hilzzoo?
(Who?)

FRANKIE: My gizzirl!
(My girl!)

GIRL: Brillzing her izzin!
(Bring her in!)

FRANKIE: Izzo kizzay!
(OK!)

GIRL: Izzall rizzight...
(All right...)

FRANKIE: Izzo kizzay!
(OK!)

GIRL: Izzall rizzight! Nizzow wizzee wilzzo-izzo-zee!
(All right! Now we will see!)

Bip, bomp, bam alakazam
But only when you're grooving
With the Double Dutch Man
Put on your skates don't forget your rope
Cause I know I'm gonna see you
At my Double Dutch Show
Rebecca, Lolita, Veshawn and Dawn
Everytime you do the Double Dutch you really turn it on '
Bilzarbra, Mitzery, Milzetty, Kilsan
Titzommy, Kitzerrance, Kilzommy that's my man
Come on get on my Double Dutch Bus
(The Double Dutch Bus)

Let me hear you say do that
(Do that)
Let me hear you say Do that again
(Do that again)
Let me hear you say do the do
Let me hear you say do the do the do
Do the do, do do do do do

Man, that's some good stuff.  Speaking of good stuff (how about that for a segue!), we had our third of three candidates for Augusta-Richmond County Commission District 3, Joy Mitchell-Booker on the show today.  Ms. Mitchell-Booker shared her vision for the future of Augusta and District 3 and I look forward to having her back on the show for a longer, more issue-oriented interview.

I doubled up on guests during the 1 o'clock hour, and we had a blast.  Mark Albertin, the producer of "Displaced," was on the show to talk about his great, new documentary.  "Displaced" is about how the former town of Ellington, SC was destroyed by the federal government in 1950.  Why did the feds want to force these homeowners to move on?  To build the Savannah River Site, of course.  The soundtrack for this local history documentary is provided by local bluegrass music prodigy, Eryn Eubanks (and the Family Fold!).  If you want to see this important documentary and hear a little mini-concert by Eryn Eubanks and the Family Fold, then join me at Fort Discover tomorrow (Friday) at 4pm or 7pm as part of the Westabou Festival.  Hope to see some listeners there!

And last, but certainly not least, I had "The Church Lady" from The Metro Spirit, Angel Cleary!   Each week, Angel picks a new church, synagogue, mosque, or whatever to visit and then writes about it for The Metro Spirit.  As I've done my own little tour of churches (which I had to stop after witnessing a series of baptisms in a horse trough), I had a ton of fun talking to Angel about all that she's seen and experienced while performing "research" for her article.

If that's not enough Metro Spirit for you, tomorrow on the show I've got the new editor of the Spirit, Ms. Stacey Eidson.  Not enough for you?  Well, I'll have an interview with District 1 Candidate, Anthony Jones and then for my weekly local music hour, I'll have Megan Jean and the KFB in the studio.  That ought to be plenty to send us into the Arts in the Heart of Augusta weekend.  Out!

Get on the Bus, Gus!

What a great morning followed by a fun afternoon!  At 8am this morning I met up with District 1 County Commissioner Candidate Jo'Rae Jenkins at the Augusta Public Transit Facility at Broad and 15th St. to do a little APT scavenger hunt.  Candidate Jenkins told me on-air that she wanted to learn more about bus "service" in Augusta, so I figured a first hand experience would be the way to go.  Let's just say, it was quite the learning experience for all involved.  From having to get exact change from a gas station because nobody at the APT will give change to being stranded by Josey High School because there are zero maps, time schedules, route names, or contact phone number at any bus stop in the city.  OK, APT, it's on!

Current District 3 Commissioner and candidate for re-election, Joe Bowles, dropped by the studio to talk about his campaign.  Because The Anthony Esposito Show is "Your Local Election Headquarters," I'm having all the candidates running for county commission and school board on my show to chat.  On Thursday, we'll have one of Joe Bowles' opponents, Joy Mitchell-Booker and on Friday it will be District 1 candidate Anthony Jones.  Viva la informed voters!

In the last hour I had the pleasure of chatting with Marsha Loda, Assistant Professor of Marketing at Augusta State University.  We covered everything from what women can do in male-dominated workplaces so they are treated as equals to human relations basics such as being genuinely interested in others and calling people by their name.  Great psychology / marketing talk all around and I'll certainly have to have the professor back on to talk more about how to do basic things to get ahead in the work place and improve your social life.

Tomorrow on the show, we've got Mark Albertin, the director of the documentary "Displaced" and the local musician who created the soundtrack for the film, Eryn Eubanks, in the studio and then we'll hear from the "Church Lady" of the Metro Spririt, Angel Cleary.  Tune in at noon!

Jack Getting Out of His Box???

Here's a picture from WJBF News Channel 6 of the bronze statue of Jack Nicholas being placed in a box from two years ago:

And here's a link to the story by The Augusta Chronicle's Johnny Edwards about its possible release from captivity:  Golf Statues Get Closer to Museum.

Now, I'm not exactly going out and renting the aircraft carrier and "Mission Accomplished" banner just yet, but this is a big step in resolving this ridiculous situation.

I hope you were able to tune in today to hear Cone Underwood talk about Fisher House.  If you don't know, Fischer Houses provide free or low cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers.  The CSRA currently has one Fisher House at Fort Gorden and Cone is working on raising money for a second Fisher House at the Uptown VA on Wrightsboro Rd.  If you would like to contribute this worthy effort, just send a check made out to The Community Foundation for the CSRA (and put "Charlie Norwood Fisher House" on the "For" line) to P.O. Box 31358 Augusta, GA 30903 or just call (706) 724-1314.

Tomorrow on the show, it's Commissioner Joe Bowles and an ASU professor that says it's OK for women to curse at work, but only once and only in one certain circumstance.  Well, I agree with her, so tune in to hear what women need to do to be taken seriously in male-dominated office scenarios . . .  See everyone then!

Nudefest '09 Anyone?

What a variety show I put on today!  Not quite a vaudeville like performance, but close!

We started off with Melissa Brantley of Cedar Creek RV Park.  Why would we have a spokesperson from an RV park on the show?  Well, did I mention it's a NUDE RV Park.  Well, the RVs aren't nude, but the people there are!  She came into the studio to hype Nudestock '09 which kicks off in a few weeks and runs from Friday, September 25 to Sunday, September 27.  If I see you there I promise not to tell . . . really.  ;->

Changing topics completely, we had former Augusta-Richmond County Commissioner Andy Cheek in the studio.  Andy is running for Aiken County Counsel District 5 and dropped by the studio to chat about his previous work in Augusta and his future ideas for Aiken County.  Tomorrow is the party primary in Aiken and by the end of the night Andy will find out if he moves on to the general election in November, has to endure a run-off in September, or if his campaign comes to an end.  Tune in to you local news and AugustaChronicle.com Tuesday night to find out!

Our final guest of the day might be the busiest person in the entire CSRA this week.  Brenda Durant, Executive Director of the Greater Augusta Arts Council paid us a visit to talk Arts in the Heart of Augusta and Westabou Festival with me.  For those of you that don't know, Arts in the Heart is an annual blowout event in downtown Augusta that features food and cultures from all around the world combined with four big stages of entertainment.  Just drop by Augusta Common on Broad St. this Friday through Sunday and you'll see what I'm talking about.  Oh, and if you really want your money's worth, be sure to visit the Cafe Stage this Friday night at 6pm to see Scott Hudson and myself talk about community service.  I might, might even sign an autograph or two . . .

Tomorrow it's "Statues Held Hostage: Day 740," a little bus scavenger hunt I've set up for a county commission candidate, and we'll hear from Cone Underwood about the Fischer House.  Good stuff all around!

All Things Augusta . . .

Howdy folks!  Just another day in the neighborhood on The Anthony Esposito Show.

We started off with former commissioner and now candidate for District 5, Bobby Hankerson.  After losing his seat 4 years ago by 11 little votes, he's back trying to regain his commission seat.  As with all the candidates, we'll certainly be having Bobby back on as the election season unfolds.  If you'd like to ask him a question directly, just shoot him an e-mail at bobby@bobbyhankerson.com.  Remember, all politics is local!

On Friday we had our weekly local music session one hour early and it totally rocked!  Tara Scheyer (of Tara Scheyer and the Mud Puppies) was in the studio talking about her band and their big concert on Sunday, September 20 at Fort Discovery.  Tickets are available at Tara's doggie bakery called Fetch Dog Treats at Surrey Center on Berkmans Road.  These kid oriented concerts usually sell out, so drop by her store and get your tickets early!

In the final hour, we were paid a visit by Rick Keuroglian of Old Towne Augusta.  Where is Old Towne?  Well, it's in between Downtown Augusta and East Augusta and is a great neighborhood.  While I don't think he knows it, Rick is now officially the guest with the most difficult to pronounce last name in the history of my show! 

At the end of the show, Rick and I were joined by Micki Eubanks.  Micki is a sophomore at the University of South Carolina Upstate and a big Gamecock fan.  She was a good sport as I tossed out my anti-Gamecock barbs (I'm a UGA grad, so what do you expect?) and fired some awesome retorts right back at me. 

Next week on the show, we've got three more county commission candidates, I go all out on "Statues Held Hostage," and I show my truly "politically homeless" colors as I show you what's wrong with the health care fixes proposed by the right and the left.  See y'all then!

Mission NOT Accomplished: Apostrophe-gate Continues!

Augusta's long local nightmare is NOT over.  While I thought getting Augusta Parks and Recreation to place an apostrophe in "Souths" on the 23 year old Newman Tennis Center Sign so it went from this:

to this:

would end "Apostrophe-gate," I was wrong! 

A week ago I went over to the Newman Tennis Center to take pictures of my new apostrophe and decided to take a stroll through the tennis center to the clubhouse.  Much to my display, I saw this sign inside the tennis center:

That's right!  The missing apostrophe from the Newman Tennis Center sign on Wrightsboro Road had been hiding inside the tennis center on this sign all along!  Don't see it?  Check it out in the word "It's" on the third line of the sign.  As most people (hopefully) learn in 6th grade, "it's" is a contraction for "it is," meaning this line on the sign reads, "Public Tennis At It Is Best."  Argh! 

So now I've got to call Parks and Recreation again and ask them to scrape off this embarrassing apostrophe from their sign.  I'm just left wondering, what city employee wrote the copy for these signs and did they attend a Richmond County school?  And so, our long local grammar nightmare continues . . .

Border Bash Preview

Hi everyone! Fun day on The Show today.  The first guest in was one of five District 1 candidates for County Commission, Jo'Rae Jenkins.  I had the pleasure of watching Ms. Jenkins fill out the candidate qualification paperwork last Friday at the Municipal Building and was very pleased to have her come on the show to explain what a Commissioner Jenkins administration would look like.  As The Anthony Esposito Show is your Local Election Headquarters, you'll certainly be hearing more from Ms. Jenkins on my show in the near future.

At 1pm we went a little legal eagle with a chat with Jill Peterson regarding the Troy Davis case.  Mr. Davis was accused of killing an off duty police officer in Savannah back in 1989 and was then sentenced to death.  Since his conviction, 7 of the 9 major witnesses against him have either recanted their testimony or changed their story.  Some witnesses even site police pressure as for the reason they testified against Mr. Davis.  Now, people from Bob Barr to Jimmy Carter are asking the state of Georgia to give the man a new trial.  Thanks to Jill, the CSRA is now aware of this fascinating case of a possibly innocent man's search for exoneration.

And finally, we delivered a comprehensive preview of Friday's Border Bash at the Augusta Common and Saturday's University of South Carolina Gamecocks vs. University of Georgia Bulldogs game.  If you don't know, this Saturday night at 7pm on ESPN, the Gamecocks will stroll into Athens to play the Dawgs at Sanford Stadium.  Frank Mulherin, a big Bulldog fan and one of the founders of Border Bash, and Chris Fulmer, the Aiken County head of the South Carolina Gamecock Club, were in the studio to help us preview the game.  Both super fans will be at the game on Saturday and they both predict a low scoring game.  My prediction?  Dawgs win 17-10.  Bank on it!  On second thought, don't.

See everyone tomorrow for another candidate for county commission, a local musical act, and a little "get to know Old Towne" guest.  See y'all then!

Pretend the date above reads Wednesday, September 10, 2009 . . .

Hi everyone!  We had another packed show today.  First up was District 3 Candidate Cleveland O'Steen.  He's one of three candidates running for Commissioner Joe Bowles spot for the best little district in town - my District 3!  Mr. O'Steen is a political science professor at Georgia Military College in Augusta and wants more transparency, accountability, and communication in his district.  His two opponents, Joe Bowles and Joy Mitchell-Booker will be on next week to give their slightly different visions for the future of Augusta.  Hey, I don't say The Anthony Esposito Show is your Local Election Headquarters for nothing!

Next up was John "Stoney" Canon talking a little local music, scholarship creation, weight loss, and pro wrestling history.  Truly, a little something for everyone - especially if that someone is me!  If you're into the local Augusta music scene, well, Stoney has you covered at lokalloudness.com.  If you're into losing weight, Stoney has you covered at vergelive.com.  Want to hear people chat weekly about classic pro wrestling?  Stoney does it Thursday nights at 9pm on georgiawrestlinghistory.com.  (Oh, the awesome, awesome Shockmaster footage from WCW that Stoney and I talked about on-air is available at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3CL28vgE4U.)  And, most importantly, if you want to learn more about how to contribute to the Augusta State University scholarship fund Stoney set up to memorialize his daughter Alexis at lexieslegacy.com.  Whew!  What doesn't this Stoney guy do?

The day finished up with a pair of girls from the local fire tossing troupe, Pyroteque!  Penny and Gypsy came by the studio to fill me in on their amazing story of going from a couple girl next doors to fire-handling showmen.  You've probably seen them do their thing at 11th and Broad at First Friday, but they're also available for private parties and shows.  I'm thinking they would be pretty cool escorts for anytime I just want to walk around outside at night . . . 

See everyone on Thursday!

Lost Reagan Radio Address to Kids Uncovered on The Anthony Esposito Show

Or not.  Hope everyone in radioland enjoyed my little seditious first hour of the program.  If you missed it, I read Obama's speech that he delivered to school children throughout the country via TV and Internet, but told the audience I was a reading a transcript of a radio address that Ronald Reagan made to school kids back in 1987.  The purpose was (1) to have some fun and (2) to show how we so very much color the content of a message because of our opinions about the messenger.  Let's just say, I loved revealing the "surprise" at the end of the first hour and hope everyone learned a little something from that segment.

The text of Obama's live (and totally benign) address to school children is available here.

Looks like these families have had a drink from the talk radio Kool-Aid one too many times:


In the studio, I had the pleasure of chatting with Betts Murdison, the Executive Director of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta.  The local Ronald McDonald House is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with a combo "Golf Ball" and golf tournament this weekend.  To learn more about both events and how you can participate, visit rmhcaugusta.com and to learn more about Ronald McDonald Houses in general, visit rmhc.org.

We finished up yesterday's spectacular show with an interview with a merry band of librarians from the East Central Georgia Library (aka, your library).  Sherryl James, Dottie Demarist, and Dr. Tom Dirkson joined me in the studio to talk all things library (and to complete one totally knee-slapping MAD Lib live on the air).  As you know, the main library in Augusta is getting a new home next summer, but so much is still going on in all the public libraries in the region.  To learn more about all the great offerings, from movie night, to classes, to FREE BOOKS, just go to ecgrl.org.

On Wednesday's show, we'll have a candidate for County Commission District 3, a local pro wrestling historian, and the girls from a local flame throwing troupe.  Yep, you heard that right!  Tune in tomorrow!