I nominate Ellen Kushner, host of “Sound & Spirit” from PRI. Don’t get my wrong - I’m sure Ellen is a nice woman, but she’s so friggin’ PC it’s enough to drive me crazy. You just know she’s fung shui’ed the recording studio.
Almost as annoying is Fiona Ritchie on NRP’s “Thistle and Shamrock”. I don’t believe that’s a real Irish accent for a second, Fiona, so let’s just drop it, m’kay?
More mainstream here…
IT’S RUSH LIMBAUGH!
I just want to strangle him every time I hear him say “iss-yew” (issue).
Let me axe you this…How could it be any other than Rush?
Oh cm’on!
No Fiona Ritchie?! I’m a believer! I kinda like her!
I used to LOVE the guy from Inside Jazz-with the smooth voice-what was his name? Darn it, they took that program off my NPR affiliate.
OK-back to the original OP-most annoying? Michael Savage.
Absolutely undisputable. No contest. Not that I’ve heard much of him before the dial changes…
Oh-and how bout Dr Laura? Cant STAND her, but she happens to be on during my lunch break, so I catch snippets in the car.
-snort-
-funniest thing on her show today, though-
this woman calls about her daughter, who is being teased by a beanpole for being “fat.” Woman complains that her daughter is not fat, not in appearance or clinically, just isnt as skinny as the other kid. Laura tells the woman to let her daughter fight her own battles, etc etc, and they go through all this discussion, and then right at the end of the call, before she hangs up, the lady says, “Well, theres another problem. It might be 'cause our last name is
Hogg.”
Think so, sharpshooter?
Information that might have been useful at the BEGINNING of the call!
Snort, giggle, snort.
Even Laura was snickering.
Or-
Grizzrich-
how 'bout “sssheeeeddduuullleee”
Ick. Rush. You aint British. Just say schedule
and drop the affectation.
I believe the question was “Most annoying”, not ignorant!
Rush and Howard Stern.
Stern is embarassing. He’s like a kid in junior high who just discovered the word ‘penis.’
Since we’re talking public radio, I would have to say Sylvia Pojolie. I knows it’s trivial, but I really dislike the way she signs off at the end of each piece she does. It’s like “reporting from Rome this is Sylvia Pojolie (and your not ha, ha, ha)”.
For commercial radio, sure it would have to be Rush.
Garrison Keillor
Not Prairie Home Companion - I grew up in that town. 
But he does a two minute thing on NPR about “literary stuff”. Annoying theme music, a bunch of facts about a writer or poet no one has ever heard of and a short poem. Sucks.
“Christy the Wordsmith” May be a local show. Again, annoying theme music (and it follows the above, so I shut my radio down from 8:28-8:32).
Christy - “Hello, wordophiles. Today I’d like to talk about the derivation of the word ____. This word is from the ancient ____ and originally meant ____. Today, it’s meaning is not the same as the original meaning.” DUH.
“90 Second Naturalist” Christ, tell me something I don’t know. You know the only two shows that did anything worthwhile in 90 seconds? - the “Minute Movie” and “The Clarence Update.”
And that’s why I never donate to that NPR station. Thanks for the chance to vent.
“Dr.” Laura is worse than Rush. At least Rush is trying to ruin the lives of people who know what they are getting into. “Dr.” Laura is a cruel and hypocritical traumatizer of people who do not know any better.
Whoever the guy is who says (no, sneers) “This is NPRrrr” between segments. What a snot.
Bob Edwards- NPR Morning Edition
Am I the only one who thinks he needs to trim his nose hair? You can hear the wind whistling every time he breathes. PLEASE tell me I am not the only one who hears this…
Or better yet, when you listen around 7:30, I swear he is eating breakfast.
Bob: chomp chompSo what do you think about the situation in Afghanistan (Enter guest name here)? munch
Guest: Well, It’s bad Bob.
Bob:crunch Yes it is. chew, chew, chew
Awkward silence
Bob:whistle, wheeze
Plato? Aristotle? Socrates? Morons!
~She’s not crazy, just a little misunderstood… -Better Than Ezra
<shaking head>
You dudes are wack. You don’t like Fiona Ritchie and Sylvia Poggioli? They are my two favorite women on NPR!
Fiona is genuinely from Scotland, her voice sounds lovely, and she has the coolest program of all, so fook you, ye git.
La Poggioli is a delight to listen to because she pronounces Italian perfectly, which no other American radio person ever does. If you love Italian, she’s music to your ears.
I also have a thing for Snigdha Prakash, but she’s rarely ever on. I catch her maybe once every couple months. Where are they hiding her? I also like the sound of Joanne Silberner because her funny little-girl accent reminds me like a dear friend of mine. Even though the way she says her name it sounds like “Slow Burner.”
Here’s who I can’t stand: Ann Taylor and her irritating harsh voice. Especially when she says “This is National Public Radio neeeeews.” She says that at least 3 or 4 times every day. Arghgh! Get the fingernails of your accent off the blackboard of my ears!
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the wheezing laugh of Click & Clack the Tappit Brothers.
Scott Simon. So self-consciously concerned. Eww.
And sometimes the segments on Sat. morning are really annoying (like Hoop Roots), but the really annoying thing is I keep listening to it. :rolleyes:
For the record, I like Fiona. But I do find Poggioli’s insistence on such an authentic pronunciation of her name silly. Like Maria Innahhhh<hack-tooie>hosa.
I don’t understand why you think people’s names from other languages have to be anglicized. Italian and Spanish are beautiful languages, and bravo to anyone who pronounces them on American radio as they should sound. I have always enjoyed Sylvia Poggioli and María Hinojosa in particular for the sound of their languages. Will it hurt you Americans to actually hear the sound of another language besides English for a change? You might learn something. America’s strength is in its diversity.
Ira Glass from This American Life.
His voice makes me want to start clawing the walls. Ugh.
Those gals from “Delicious Dish.” 
:: d & c ::
Actually, Mehwy Ann McPaaaahhhhtland ahways dwives me NUTS with her inability to pronounce the letter “r” and her stupid faux-British accent.
And Bob Parlocha (sp?) says he’s name like he’s oh-so-fucking-cool. As in: “This is… Jaaaaaazzzzzzzzz, with… BOB PARLOCHA!!!.” Puke.
It isn’t just the names that is a problem. All too often I hear a report from the “field” that just makes my skin crawl. For Instance, some guy did a report on Mexico, and it was embarrassing as hell to hear this white boy anglicize every spanish term he came across.
He did an entire 10 minute piece on burritos. Every time he said “Burrito”, I wanted to scream, he sounded so stupid.
Some chick did a piece on Tiajuana music a few weeks ago, and every time she said “Tea-WANA” I hung my head in shame.
I don’t have a problem with someone who IS spanish,(or italian, french, etc) emphasizing certain words, but when an everyday american cracker (such as myself) tries, it just sounds ridiculous, or in some cases haughty.
Just to clarify, this thread was intended only to discuss those appearing on public (non-commercial) radio stations. So Dr. Laura and Rush Limbaugh are, unfortunately, not eligible to compete in this contest.
All thinking people hate those two anyway, so that’s hardly a debate. 
[nitpick]
jcmckaig, it’s Tijuana, not Tiajuana.
[/massively pointless nitpick :D]