So says writer Melissa Kashner in her profile of G. Terry Madonna in the current issue of Lancaster, a monthly locally published magazine. Chalk of up things I should have known about Madonna prior to reading this article: He loves baseball and the ratings of his Sunday morning program, Pennsylvania Newsmakers, often “trumps the likes of George Stephanopolous and Fox News Sunday in the ratings.”
Whether or not you find him genius or over-exposed in the local media (and I’ve had e-mails and conversations from people who think one way or the other), I can tell you as a political journalist that Terry is as reliable a resource as any out there. What he has in common with the likes of Rick Gray, Katie True and Charlie Smithgall is none of these very public figures ever fails to call back. And one thing you can rely on with Terry is an indepth conversation about anything from the dynamics of a state Senate race to just finding out how his day’s going. I often call with about 7 questions to ask and end up getting in two or three. That’s not because he’s long-winded; it’s because he’s thorough and covers every angle of the topic on which I’m focused. He takes calls from home even at 10 p.m. at night without a single complaint.
Anyone who has ever watched Pennsylvania Newsmakers (11 a.m. on WGAL) knows the program rarely (if ever) stumbles into acrimony among the guests. It’s a show for policy wonks. It’s civil, calm, extensive, the equivalent of plain-flavored yogurt during a time slot of sugary tastes like Meet the Press and Hardball With Chris Matthews. The article goes on to explain why Madonna wants it that way.
Lancaster does not have the article up online, but it’s out there on newsstands. Nice to see Madonna get some well-deserved recognition. I can tell you he worked as hard if not harder during the election season as anyone, pundit or politician.
