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The final Price of Paradise broadcast, airing August 23, 1998, opens with Roth announcing the show is ending — at least until after the election, and possibly for good. He explains that he and producer Susie Roth have committed to volunteer for Linda Lingle's 1998 gubernatorial campaign and conclude they cannot maintain the show's nonpartisan reputation while doing so. Roth traces his path to civic engagement: a Tax Review Commission appointment in the late 1980s, where he found legislative leadership resistant and media cynical, led to the Price of Paradise books, the Pop '94 campaign, and five years of the radio show. Callers respond with a range of reactions: many express gratitude and regret at the show's end, but others challenge Roth for using a public radio hour to endorse a candidate — one caller says she is troubled by the show becoming a bully pulpit, another demands he leave the air immediately. Lingle's Maui record also draws scrutiny. At the close, Roth thanks the show's longtime volunteers and listeners; Susie Roth, joining him in the studio for the final minutes, delivers the last line: "This is and was the Price of Paradise radio show."
Transcript
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