Moon Griffon

Blane M. "Moon" Griffon
Born	May 16, 1961 (1961-05-16) (age 50) Plaquemine, Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States
Residence	Monroe, Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
Alma mater	University of Louisiana at Monroe
Occupation	Radio talk show host
Political party	Republican-turned-No Party affiliation
Spouse	Tonia Digirolamo Griffon (born 1963)
Children	Four children
Website
http://www.moongriffon.com/
Notes "The Rush Limbaugh of Louisiana"

Blane M. Griffon, known as Moon Griffon (pronounced gre-FONN, born May 16, 1961)^[1] is a conservative radio talk show host who broadcasts statewide through station KMLB FM in Monroe, the seat of Ouachita Parish in northeastern Louisiana. He has sometimes been called the "Rush Limbaugh of Louisiana"^[2] though his program reflects his distinct Louisiana accent and his own brand of politics. Besides his Monroe outlet, Griffon broadcasts from stations in Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Natchitoches, Shreveport, Thibodaux, and Winnfield, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi. He acquired a New Orleans outlet in nearby Slidell late in 2008.^[3]

While on the air, he often endorses Republican Party candidates, including attorney general candidate Royal Alexander, who was handily defeated by the Democrat Buddy Caldwell in the November 17 general election. Early in 2011, Caldwell switched to GOP identification. Many Republican candidates, and some Democrats as well, frequently appear on his program. He also urged listeners in the 32nd Senate District to support the successful Republican candidate, Neil Riser, of Columbia, the seat of Caldwell Parish. Riser was elected to succeed the Democrat Noble Ellington of Winnsboro, the seat of Franklin Parish.^[4]

Griffon frequently hosts the Hammond attorney and state government watchdog C.B. Forgotston, known for his fiscal conservative views and opposition to gambling and political corruption.^[5]

Controversy

At times, Griffon has irritated the GOP leadership. In 2006, he invited the Shreveport catfish restaurateur Chester T. Kelley for a full segment on the program. At the time the conservative Kelley was unsuccessfully opposing the reelection of the more moderate Republican Jim McCrery of Shreveport. In 2008, Kelley emerged as an independent candidate for the U.S. House against Republican John C. Fleming, who barely managed to hold the seat vacated by McCrery, who retired from the House after twenty-one years of service.

Griffon has also held Governor Bobby Jindal accountable for a lack of reform in state government. He has often criticized Jindal for inaction in meeting the state's fiscal woes and for campaigning out-of-state to raise funds for himself and other Republican candidates.^[6]

On December 10, 2007, Griffon announced his strong opposition to Jindal's expected support for incoming State Representative Noble Ellington as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Ellington, who was term-limited in the state senate and hence ran for the Louisiana House of Representatives, was closely tied to the former Democratic administrations of Edwin Washington Edwards and Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and was a strong supporter of numerous tax increases. Ultimately, Jindal, acting on the advice of then incoming Speaker Jim Tucker did not recommend Ellington for the chairmanship.^[7] Griffon further voiced strong opposition to Republicans for accepting Ellington into the party when he defected in December 2010 in preparation for a possible run for House Speaker in 2012. He also opposes the defection of State Senator John Alario to the Republican Party in preparation for a 2012 run as State Senate President. Griffon considers Ellington and Alario "big government" advocates, not conservatives.^[8]On October 25, 2011, Jindal endorsed the election of Alario as State Senate President; in Louisiana, legislators nearly always defer to the governor in the selection of their presiding officers.

In 2008, Griffon endorsed the Republican U.S. senatorial candidate John Neely Kennedy, the state treasurer, in Kennedy's unsuccessful challenge to incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu. Kennedy occasionally appears on Griffon's program.^[9] Landrieu defeated Kennedy with 52 percent of the vote in the November 4 general election.

In November 2008, Griffon left the Republican Party and re-registered as a "no party" voter. He cited Jindal's political moves as a reason for leaving the party. "My frustration with Bobby Jindal is that he is not being a conservative," Griffon said in an interview. "Conservatives are mad as hell and they’re not taking it any more." Griffon has also criticized former Republican Governor David C. Treen for Treen's support of Senator Landrieu and Treen's unsuccessful attempt to obtain a pardon or commutation of sentence for Treen's old Democratic rival, former Governor Edwin Washington Edwards. On several days in late November 2008, Griffon humorously suggested that listeners mail change-of-voter registration cards to Treen and urge Treen to join the Democratic Party.^[10]

In October 2010, former State Senator Mike Smith, a Democrat from Winnfield, using his first name, "Kenneth," called the program to allege that Griffon is controlled by two unnamed wealthy Republicans. Griffon denies the allegation and claims that he alone owns his company and urged Smith to call again for further sparring. Smith is a cousin of Republican State Senator Gerald Long.^[11]

Personal

Griffon was born and reared in Plaquemine, the seat of Iberville Parish south of Baton Rouge. One of his grandfathers was a sheriff of Iberville Parish for sixteen years until he was unseated by Jessel Ourso. Griffon's father served an unexpired term as an Iberville Parish police juror.^[12] Griffon has two brothers and two sisters. He graduated from high school in 1979 and was recruited by coach and later athletic director Benny Hollis (1939–2011) to the University of Louisiana at Monroe to play basketball.^[13][14] Griffon subsequently graduated in 1983 from ULM, then known as Northeast Louisiana University. On his radio program on May 13, 2009, Griffon revealed that he had kept a pistol for protection in his ULM dormitory room during his college years.^[15] Griffon and his wife, the former Tonia Digirolamo (born 1963), a nurse at a specialty hospital, have four children. The oldest was born in 1986; the youngest is a special needs daughter, Mattie (born 1996), whom Griffon frequently mentions on the program. He is an avid fisherman. Griffon was a caterer before he began his radio career.^[3]

Griffon also addresses dinners and private gatherings as an entertainer and a motivational speaker.^[3]

References

1. ^ Public Background Checks - Get Public information about friends, family, and other matters. Griffon confirmed on his radio program on May 11, 2009, that will turn forty-eight on May 16.
2. ^ Radio Host Reacts to Jindal Victory | KALB - News 5, Alexandria LA
3. ^ ^{a b c} http://www.moongriffon.com/aboutmoon.html
4. ^ The Town Talk - www.thetowntalk.com - Alexandria-Pineville, Louisiana
5. ^ "C.B. Forgotston biographical sketch". forgotston.com. http://forgotston.com/2008/06/17/jindal-breaks-word-to-voters/. Retrieved January 23, 2009. 
6. ^ Louisiana Talk Show Host, Moon Griffon, Schedules Maverick Republican, Chester T. Kelley
7. ^ Moon Griffon broadcast, December 10, 2007
8. ^ Various Moon Griffon program broadcasts in mid-December 2010
9. ^ Moon Griffon radio program, October 24, 2008
10. ^ Moon Griffon program, November 24, December 2, 2008
11. ^ Moon Griffon program, October 22, 2010
12. ^ The Moon Griffon Show, August 17, 2010
13. ^ The Moon Griffon Show, March 14, 2011
14. ^ "Benny Hollis obituary". Monroe News Star, March 14, 2011. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thenewsstar/obituary.aspx?n=benny-hollis&pid=149330852. Retrieved March 14, 2011. 
15. ^ The Moon Griffon Show, May 13, 2009

Persondata
Name	Griffon, Blane M.
Alternative names	Moon Griffon
Short description
Date of birth	May 16, 1961
Place of birth	Plaquemine, Iberville Parish, Louisiana, United States
Date of death
Place of death