Political journalist Jon Ralston is a rare species of reporter these days: he’s a nationally recognized reporter who’s made a name for himself by dominating the Nevada politics scene. Earlier in the week, news broke that the long-running TV show Ralston Reports would no longer air after Dec. 12. on the station, which was recently bought by the Sinclair Broadcast Group. His newsletter and website will continue.
The Q&A was cut for clarity.
This feels pretty big. How did this decision come about?
I don’t know the answer to that. The station was purchased by Sinclair who took over on Nov. 1 so I was not that surprised, I almost expected this but as far as what their motivations are, you’d have to ask them.
How do you feel about it, personally?
I put a lot into that show. It lasted a lot longer than most shows like that or —by the way— any show lasts. I’m proud of it. It’s going to be difficult to let it go. On the other hand, I just think it might be good to have a chance and new vistas will open and I look forward to the future. Obviously it’s a big change.
You’re a multi-platform journalist. Even once the show ends you have a newsletter and website. Talk about moving between the different mediums.
There’s tremendous difference. I’ve evolved with the changing media environment. I mean I was a typical arrogant print guy when I started out and I thought that I’d never do TV. I looked down with distain on many TV people and realized how hard it is and how hard it can be and how you can do many things that you can’t really do in print —the immediacy of it, the ability to hold someone captive there for 20 minutes and grill them on a topic. I mean there’s nothing like it. I always thought that being able to think quickly on my feet and be able to prepare quickly for an interview would be a great venue for me and it turns out to be the greatest thing I’ve done in journalism.
What was your favorite interview where you really grilled someone on a topic?
You’re catching me off guard on that and I haven’t really started to reminisce at all. There have been so many fun interviews I’ve done with national and local figures. I guess one of the more memorable ones during the 2010 Senate race when Harry Reid was running against Sharron Angle and [she] was dodging the media and she finally agreed to doing an interview with me. I still remember the date, June 29th, 2010. It was quite a grilling and she said some things that got her in trouble in the race and even as she was leaving she said to me “I bet I’m going to see some of this in Harry Reid’s commercials.”
Did you know at the time that this would be a part of the race later?
That interview was asking Angle about some of the controversial things that she said and, as I recall, such as the Second Amendment remedies which is one of the more famous things she said. And then she created some other trouble for herself too during that interview, as I recall.
Have you thought about going to another TV station or talking to some of the giants like Bloomberg or Politico?
I am a contributing editor to Politico and I do frequently write pieces for them. But as far as getting on, latching on to one of those national — I mean this is still fresh. This is less than 24 hours that I found out about this. I’ve had some feelers which is gratifying and I’ve had a lot of people ask a lot of questions but I still have my newsletter, I still have my website. And listen I just have no doubt that other doors are going to open. I believe that.
There’s already been rumblings about Reid’s re-election in 2016, will it be similar to 2010?
He’s not going to get a Sharron Angle this time but he may not get a top-tier candidate. I don’t think [Brian Sandoval] is going to run; I don’t think Joe Heck’s doing to run and the Republican bench after that is not deep. But it’s going to be a fascinating —assuming of course he runs.
Will the media scene in Nevada and for this race be similar or different?
I guess it’ll depend a little bit on what I’m doing. If I’m going to be doing anything else here or somewhere else and I don’t know the answer to that yet but my initial plan would be to do a lot more with video on my website —interviews, those kinds of things, different kinds of features. I’m trying to adapt every kind of change in the media since I started out as a reporter at the [Las Vegas Review-Journal] in 1984 and I’m sure I’ll continue to try to adapt, hopefully successfully.
What are the things you really want to do with the show before it ends?
The one person that we haven’t had in a long long time who’s avoiding us is the governor, Brian Sandoval. So I’m hoping to get him before the end of the run.
Why has he been avoiding you?
I don’t think it’s because he dislikes me or thinks I’m unfair or any of those things. I think he, like some politicians, think that there’s no upside to going on my program. But also Sandoval is a very careful guy. His advisers are very careful and so I think — to a fault — and so I think they avoided having him be anywhere where he might say anything other than what he wants to say. And that’s not what generally happens on my program.
Do you think there will be a rift after your show ends or will something come in to replace it? And do you think something will come in to replace it?
Those are all very very good questions. And I don’t know the answer. All I will say is that if I stay in Nevada I’ll do everything I can to make sure that that does not happen.
Is there a chance you’d leave Nevada?
Listen, there’s a chance. Sure. I just don’t know. Right now my plan is to stay here but you never know.
Photo credit: Facebook.
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