The Daily Wrap, Live from New York City, a new offering from Newsmax TV. Joe Concha, best-known to those in the know as a columnist for Mediaite, is your genial host. His equally(if not more so)-genial co-host is Rick Ungar, senior political contributor to Forbes.com, and co-host of Steele & Ungar on SiriusXM. In the model of countless programs before, Mr Concha is your requisite ‘conservative’, Mr Ungar is your equally-requisite (but not completely annoying) ‘liberal’.
The hosts seem well-matched, in presence and humor. If anything, the more left-wing Mr Ungar appears to have the greater resume. This, to me, says that the host has enough confidence in himself to play at that level, and not stack the deck. There is a rotating group of panel-members, some more familiar than others.
The subjects are your standard current-events, with a few surprises (Nurse Practitioners? Sure, why not?). The discussion is much more balanced than one might expect from Newsmax, lacking the harsh Left/Right vibe that seems the norm, in other places. The panelists are not ideologically hidebound, and the lack of talking-points is striking . It’s almost like honest people discussing politics, which one rarely sees on Fox News, or even CNN. They seem to get along quite well, even agreeing from opposing sides, minus the forced laugh and the “I know we shouldn’t be agreeing!” that makes me want to smack ’em.
The program runs shy of 40 minutes, sans commercials. The panelists are introduced in the beginning, but I miss their names on the chyron (caption/lower-third). It would certainly help me to know who they are, though I’m slightly geeky in that regard. The graphics and music are quite good, though that’s something you only tend to notice when it’s bad. It’s not.
I will admit to having expected this to remind me of cable-access, or low-end PBS, for you older boys and girls. It is quite professional in sound and appearance, and quite easy to watch, minus the clouds of makeup and other bells and whistles that one finds elsewhere. The program is available via DirecTV, Dish and Verizon Fios.
The Daily Wrap (05/27/15) – YouTube
The Daily Wrap (05/20/15) – YouTube
