Expressing frustration with political misinformation that he claims Gov. Tim Pawlenty regularly spreads on WCCO radio, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller is asking the Twin Cities broadcast giant for some time to air rebuttals.
"We are requesting your station provide a periodic segment following the governor's show for lawmakers of the opposing party to provide a different point of view," wrote Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, last week in a letter to WCCO general manager Mick Anselmo.
Pogemiller said he hadn't gotten an answer, and Anselmo did not return a phone call Wednesday seeking comment.
In an interview, Pogemiller said that he's not seeking equal time and that he has no quarrel with WCCO granting the governor a weekly talk show, which began with former Gov. Jesse Ventura in 1999 and typically runs an hour Friday mornings.
But Pogemiller said Pawlenty, a Republican, often uses air time to distort the positions of his DFL opponents. And he complained that WCCO had the governor fill in a few times as an afternoon host during the contentious legislative session without providing for opposing views.
"Tim Pawlenty's got Fox News he can be on. He doesn't need to spew this stuff on WCCO," which is a Minnesota institution and enjoys special credibility among listeners, Pogemiller said.
Pawlenty spokesman Alex Carey said that the governor devotes nearly half the program to calls from Minnesotans and encourages political opponents to weigh in. He said several Democrats have been guests on the show, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano.
"To suggest only Republican viewpoints are represented on the show is factually incorrect," Carey said.
