Check out this new and very cool TV Guide interview with FNC "Hannity & Colmes" host Sean Hannity--it's full of stuff you may not know about him. Sean defends CNN's Larry King, says he barely considers himself a Republican (he's a Reagan conservative,) stands up against the FCC in defense of freedom of the airwaves, and says that he and Howard Stern have more in common than you might think. Some highlights:
TVGuide.com: What kind of e-mail did you get after you interviewed Howard Stern?
Hannity: It's interesting. We did a poll on my website, and 80 percent of the people were glad I had him on and thought I should have him on. Twenty percent said they were mad and that they didn't watch that day.
TVGuide.com: Was there was some radio-guy bonding going on there?
Hannity: When I saw his movie [Private Parts] I thought, "That's my life." I started out as a kid at a local radio station in California; I packed my bags and went to Huntsville, Ala., where I didn't know anybody, and worked there for two years. The only difference between his path and my path was he was talking about lesbians and strippers and I was praising Ronald Reagan. There is a common bond there — that experience is very similar.
TVGuide.com: You're popular with Christian conservatives, but you don't fall in line with their views on regulating TV and radio content. You're not comfortable with that or the pressure they're putting on the FCC.
Hannity: Not at all. One of the things that is so great about freedom and liberty is that with it comes responsibility. Especially when it comes to radio — these are words coming out of a speaker. If you don't like what's on the radio, turn the dial. There may be some restrictions in some capacity on broadcast TV. But look at all the options that are out there on cable. We're at the point now where we have the technology and ability to control everything that comes [into our homes]. So why don't you use freedom responsibly and make the decision yourself?
TVGuide.com: It's your role on Hannity & Colmes to be a conservative partisan. Has that become more of an intellectual challenge since the war in Iraq hasn't gone so well for President Bush? Do you ever ask yourself, "How am I going to defend this today?"
Hannity: My only role is to be intellectually honest and truthful to my audience. I barely consider myself a Republican. I am a Reagan conservative. If I agree with [the Republicans], I defend them. The reason we've created five million jobs and offset the negative economic impact of Sept. 11 was because the president cut taxes. I thought it was brilliant, I thought it was Reaganesque, and I think we've all benefited. When it comes to the War on Terror, I can't begin to describe how much I admire the president. The fact that he hasn't wavered or given in to poll numbers is one of the things I admire most. But when the president's wrong or any Republican's wrong, you have to be intellectually honest and truthful to your audience and say it.
