Politics: 'Midweek Politics' airs nationally
BY MARY CAREY
You know you're doing well as the host of a radio program when people start contacting you about appearing on the show, instead of the other way around.
David Pakman, host of "Midweek Politics" on Valley Free Radio 103.3 FM, and Louis Motamedi, his producer, have already turned that corner.
Michael Shea, of California, the director of the film "Red State," contacted the pair and was on the show a couple of weeks ago. Bill Scher, the author of "Wait! Don't Move to Canada!" and Northampton resident, gave them a call and is coming on next week.
They've interviewed Deval Patrick and Clare Higgins. "She was able to talk about anything political, which is just great," Pakman said of the Northampton mayor.
They've interviewed Medea Benjamin, of Code Pink, famous for protesting and getting kicked out of Washington political events, and Walid Shoebat, who Pakman describes as a "reformed Palestinian terrorist."
The show with Benjamin and Shoebat was his favorite, Pakman said. "After that show, three new affiliates came onboard, so we were thrilled."
The two 22-year-olds have been producing the show since August 2005. It airs every other Wednesday at 7 p.m. locally, and every week on about 10 other Pacifica Radio stations nationwide. "Radio Free Moscow," in Moscow, Idaho, was the first Pacifica station beyond Northampton to pick up "Midweek Politics." It's on Saturdays at 5 a.m. in the Gem State.
Pakman, who came up with the idea for the show, hadn't even graduated yet from the University of Massachusetts before its debut.
He was an intern at the Media Education Foundation when he saw a flier seeking people to host their own radio shows on Valley Free Radio and submitted a proposal.
"They called me back and said, 'Everybody can have a show, just come to training.' I thought this is a great idea," Pakman recalled.
The first show was "just me talking for an hour, basically reading information," he said.
Soon, he started bringing in clips from the news and conducting interviews at the station at the Florence Community Center or by phone.
Pakman graduated from UMass in May 2006 and is now studying for an MBA at Bentley College. He is a native of Argentina, who moved to Northampton with his family 16 years ago. Motamedi, who recently graduated from film school, was one of the first people he met here.
Pakman also designs Web sites, including the Web site for the show, MidweekPolitics.com.
After they produce the show on Wednesdays, the men start combing the Internet for interesting news to report on for the next show. Pakman said some of his favorite sites are mediamatters.org, hotair.com and crooksandliars.com.
The pair also likes YouTube and has joined both the liberal and conservative video groups at the site.
Usually if he sees something on television that he thinks is interesting, someone already has uploaded it to YouTube, Pakman said.
Of course, Pakman has also seen "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." He's been a fan of Sasha Baron Cohen, the British comedian who pretends he's Borat, a television journalist from the former Soviet country.
The thing Pakman thought was unusual was that Cohen, who has stayed in character as Borat in all of the talk show interviews, already more or less has performed many of the movie's skits in public. "When I saw the movie, there was 25 to 30 percent that I had already heard on another show," Pakman said.
Progressive Caucus
The Progressive Caucus to which U.S. Rep. John Olver, D-Amherst, belongs has been getting some attention following the Nov. 7 elections.
It will be the largest ideological caucus in the new Democrat-controlled Congress.
There are 64 members, up 14 since last year, and California Democrats Lynn Woolsey and Barbara Lee, the co-chairwomen, expect as many as eight incoming House Democrats will join, notes The Nation magazine.
Mary Carey writes about politics and government and can be reached at
mcarey@gazettenet.com.
11-14-2006, 12:51 PM
it has nothing to do with the rest of the interview 
