A fair argument can be made that the recent changes to WRKO-AM are intended to imitate Eagan and Braude's early-afternoon left-of-center program. Since the fall of 1999, Eagan (a veteran Boston Herald columnist) and Braude (a former Cambridge city councilor, prominent attorney and anti-tax-cut activist) have been the voices of the Bay State's left flank, frustrating conservatives and delighting progressives with their highly sarcastic take on the issues of the day.
Last year, Eagan and Braude's show became appointment radio for Patrick's strongest supporters--and it is now appointment radio for Patrick himself, who appears in a monthly "Ask the Governor" segment. One wouldn't be surprised if WRKO's management became jealous of Eagan and Braude's prominence--and thus decided to remake 'RKO in their image.
While I'm not a fan of Eagan and Braude's program, it's hard to deny their influence. They were arguably more effective than the progressive blogosphere in making the case for Patrick and against Kerry Healey. They successfully promoted the idea that Patrick was more mainstream than moonbat. They did everything in their power to convince listeners that Patrick was a candidate of wisdom and gravitas--and their efforts paid off.
I'll give Eagan and Braude this: unlike Tom Finneran, they are pro-Democrat Party talk hosts with actual talent. Eagan was, like her or not, the most gifted--and least obnoxious--of the "Irish-Catholic feminist" columnists promoted by the mainstream media over the past 25 years (she could write rings around Maureen Dowd and Anna Quindlen). While Braude's rapacious wit often becomes repellent wrath (especially when discussing black Republicans like Clarence Thomas), he is arguably a more forceful advocate for the left than even Patrick himself.
Even after Patrick leaves office, it's likely that Eagan and Braude will remain fixtures on WTKK-FM. They are too valuable to the station, in that their presence provides protection from those who have attacked WRKO and the now-defunct WHDH-AM as "right-wing nut" stations. They're not my cup of tea, but they've provided a caffeine boost to the left, sweeping Patrick into office and sweeping non-liberals out of WRKO. For now, it seems, the (blue) sky is the limit for both of them.
