HRC Blog

The Agenda with Joe Solmonese satellite radio show signs off…for now.

January 26, 2009

After almost three years, The Agenda with Joe Solmonese aired its last show Jan. 22, 2009. The Agenda was an eclectic mix of politics, opinion and culture that brought some of the best and brightest to our satellite radio listeners and to many more online. The show was serious when the topic required it, but equally silly and unpretentious when it landed on lighter fare. Mary Breslauer, The Agenda co-host and executive producer, said this today:

We are off to new things in a new media world. While we can't say exactly what form that will take –because even we aren’t sure yet – we hope to carry on some of the vibe and spirit of the show. We want to thank XM and now, SiriusXM for their enthusiastic support. But most of all, we want to thank our listeners. We’ve always wanted our show to be about you so if you have ideas about The Agenda’s new life, send us an email at TheAgenda@hrc.org . We ask you to be patient as we craft a new "Agenda 2.0" to bring our innovative content and fresh voices to audiences online. Stay tuned.

Michael Cole, producer of The Agenda, also recounted some of the show's most memorable moments:

It’s been three years since we sat down here at HRC and wondered, “What can we do in an innovative and fun way to engage our community and allies in a new medium?” The first answer to that question was The Agenda with Joe Solmonese that we premiered on XM Radio on July 17, 2006. Now after 132 episodes with 13,596 minutes of programming, this iteration of our media experiment has come to an end. Producing The Agenda live every week came with no shortage of stress and anxiety but looking back that’s not what comes to mind. I think about Joe and Mary interviewing Rep. Barney Frank on “radio row” at the Democratic National Convention or Mary and I talking with the gay dog lovers on the floor of Madison Square Garden at the Westminster Dog Show. I think about hosting former White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry on the 9/11 anniversary and I also remember laughing in the control room every time Mary tried to pronounce a guest’s name that was more complicated than Smith or Jones. I think about our very first interview – Sen. Ted Kennedy – and I remember Joe engaging Tucker Carlson in a debate over adoption. Now we ask ourselves again, “What else can we do in an innovative and fun way to engage our community and allies.” We’ll be rolling out “Agenda 2.0” soon but in the meantime we’d like to hear your ideas for our next life. Drop us a line at TheAgenda@hrc.org . To get your fix of The Agenda in the meantime, browse through our Audio Archive to download mp3s or check out this first year retrospective I produced as well as some of the best Joe and Mary moments. It’s been a pleasure being a part of the show and we all look forward to our next version.