Talk Show Host

ATLANTA -- The decision to televise the Florida Supreme Court hearing let untold citizens into a scene few ever see and, by doing so, gave additional credibility to the court's unanimous ruling. Though some of the spin-busy Bushies tried to do so, it was a stretch to argue to those who had seen the proceedings that the outcome was just a partisan gambit by a kangaroo court. Attorneys for both sides argued the issues succinctly and with vigor. The intellectual and legal contentions were pointed, and each side made coherent cases for their pleadings.

Ernest Purcell White Jr., a former radio talk-show host, gospel singer and community affairs director at WUDC-FM in Washington, died Monday of complications from AIDS at Heartland of Hyattsville Nursing Home. He was 54 and lived in Washington. Born and raised in Richmond, Va., Mr. White earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Howard University in 1969 and did graduate studies at Virginia Commonwealth. Moving to Washington in the early 1970s, he was host of Cross Talk, a call-in show on WUDC, and also appeared on The Ernest White Show on WDCA-TV.

They have histories of drug problems, eating disorders, childhood stardom and, in at least one case, a criminal conviction.They value confession, relationships, guests with great pecs, and they promise, always, to a man or woman, to empower their fans.They are Carnie Wilson, Tempestt Bledsoe, Gabrielle Carteris, Danny Bonaduce and Mark Walberg -- a new generation of daytime talk-show hosts debuting in syndication this month. And their arrival looks as though it might be the beginning of the end for some of their elders.

For a guy who supposedly doesn't inspire passion, Johnny Oates sure got things fired up on the radio Monday night.Oates' dismissal as Orioles manager was the equivalent of a 3-1 offering down the heart of the plate, and the talk show squawkers wasted no time jumping into the batter's box."It's got baseball back on the front page," said WCBM's Stan "The Fan" Charles. "Since Aug. 11 [the last night games were played], you start talking about baseball and the phones go dead. [Monday night] I didn't even have to prompt anything.

Attorneys went back and forth over witness lists filled with Watergate figures and historians yesterday as a nearly four-year-old defamation lawsuit against G. Gordon Liddy proceeds to trial next week in Baltimore's federal courthouse. In April 1997, a former Democratic National Committee secretary sued Liddy, now a radio talk-show host and lecturer, saying he repeatedly told audiences that she had procured prostitutes for Democratic officials during the early 1970s. Ida Maxwell "Maxie" Wells contends that Liddy damaged her reputation by promoting the untrue theory that the Watergate burglars in June 1972 were looking for photographs of White House lawyer John W. Dean's fiancee among call-girl pictures kept in Wells' desk.

Breaking the boredom of a foggy Friday afternoon, blustery radio talk-show host Les Kinsolving blasted Baltimore police for a memo purportedly "ordering" commanders to attend a political rally staged by Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke -- drawing laughter at police headquarters.Mr. Kinsolving demanded on WCBM-AM that Police Commissioner Thomas C. Frazier explain why top police commanders were forced to attend the mayor's gathering Thursday at City Hall Plaza to announce his support of Parris Glendening for governor.

Former WBFF sports television anchor Steve Davis will take over as WBAL Radio's sports talk host Monday, replacing Steve Melewski, who quit in September over a scheduling conflict. Davis, 38, worked at WBFF from 1994 to 2002 before departing for WUSA-TV in Washington. His radio show will air nightly from 6 to 9, and he'll host additional specials. Like Melewski, Davis will be host of the Orioles' pre- and post-game shows. "Opportunities rarely come along to host a sports talk show on a marquee radio station," Davis said yesterday, "and to go from doing sports for three minutes a day on television to three hours a day on the radio is just a great opportunity."

THE WAY THINGS OUGHT TO BE.Rush Limbaugh.Pocket Books.304 pages. $22. A couple of weeks ago, while sitting for a haircut in a small North Carolina town, a man described to me, at great length, what he considered the fundamental differences between Republican and Democratic philosophy.It was simple. Republicans favor big business, Democrats big government. Republicans believe in the survival of the fittest, Democrats want to help the weak at the expense of hard-working Americans.He provided an analogy: American capitalist culture is like a jungle.

Long before daytime television was filled with estranged spouses hurling insults in mock courtrooms, pop doctors handing out sex advice and shock shows with topics like "My girlfriend is a transvestite and I didn't even know it!" millions of people tuned into The Mike Douglas Show. There they were entertained by Mike Douglas, an easygoing former big-band crooner who for 90 minutes every weekday deftly mixed song and dance, helpful hints and a surprising dose of current events -- all with a patina of civility that has all but disappeared from television.