It’s easy to take things for granted. It’s so easy, in fact, sometimes it takes a Rip Van Winkle moment to understand how great something is.
I’ve lived in greater Portland for two decades and have listened to WGAN 560 AM the entire time. But it wasn’t until last week that I realized – after 20 years, sad to say – how important the station is to the community.
John Balentine, a former managing editor for the Lakes Region Weekly, lives in Windham.
WGAN, which dates to 1938, is the best station on the dial. And though it’s a for-profit owned by a company outside of Maine, it qualifies as down-home community radio because it features many local personalities and informs on local topics.
While well-known conservative talk shows, much to my delight, dominate much of WGAN’s airtime, the early morning show hosts are Mainers.
Last Saturday I had the opportunity to be a guest on “The John McDonald Show.” Most everyone in these parts knows of John McDonald, WGAN’s longest-serving employee. He is a newspaper columnist, author of several Maine-centric books, itinerant humorist and, for about the last 20 years, one of Maine’s best radio show hosts.
I was on the show, which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings, to discuss a column I had written about hiking the Appalachian Trail. McDonald had read the column and had also read Bill Bryson’s “A Walk in the Woods” and wanted to discuss my hike.
I had a great time talking with McDonald and, though I’ve been a longtime listener of his, it wasn’t until I visited the studio and saw the inner workings that I truly appreciated the effort he puts in to prepare for the show.
What I like best about McDonald, a veteran newspaperman, is that he discusses politics without ever letting on which side he’s on. He plays it straight, as he takes calls from both conservatives and liberals.
McDonald succeeds in making callers and guests feel comfortable enough to tell him what they really think. This is a trait slowly dying among journalists more interested in appearing woke and politically correct but still alive in McDonald. He provides a true safe space to share ideas.
McDonald isn’t the only person who makes the station shine. The weekday “Morning News with Ken and Matt” is how I start every day.
Longtime host Ken Altshuler is the ultimate liberal; his co-host Matt Gagnon the ultimate conservative. Together they provide differing perspectives, and kudos to WGAN management for presenting opposing voices.
Altshuler, a divorce lawyer, has been doing the show for 18 years now. To hold down such a demanding job and find the time and energy to prepare is commendable.
Same with Gagnon. He’s been on the show for three years and has made the show better than ever. Gagnon also has a demanding day job as the director of the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a conservative think tank based in Portland.
Gagnon and Altshuler, along with McDonald and several other longtime hosts – including conservative stalwart Phil Harriman, who hosts “Inside Maine” on Saturday mornings – provide listeners with a full view of current issues as we go about our morning schedules. They serve up news and politics with a dose of humor, which is also appreciated.
And they do it not because they want to hear themselves talk but because they love Maine and believe Mainers deserve both sides of a story and the opportunity to respond with comments.
Mornings would be pretty dull without WGAN. Sadly, it took me a Rip Van Winkle-esque 20 years to figure that out.
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