Conservative fest in DC will have a Brooklyn beat

March 11, 2013 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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They won’t be serving Nathan’s Famous hot dogs, but the Conservative Political Action Conference will still have a Brooklyn flavor to it this year.

Not only is Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-C-Bay Ridge-Staten Island) going to be one of the guest speakers at the conference, but a couple of Republican leaders from Brooklyn are going to be presenting a live radio show from the Washington DC event. The conference, which has been dubbed the Conservative Woodstock, will take place March 14-16.

Russell Gallo and Gene Berardelli, who co-host an Internet talk radio show called Brooklyn GOP Radio, will be broadcasting two one-hour live shows from the conference site. It’s the third year in a row that Gallo and Berardelli have broadcast their show from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). The radio show, which was launched in 2010, is sponsored by the Kings County Republican Committee.

Gallo and Berardelli are both members of the Brooklyn Young Republican Club.

Their show recently made national news when the hosts landed an exclusive interview with National Rifle Association President David Keene the night of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s State of the State address in January, a speech in which Cuomo advocated for stricter gun control laws in New York State. Since then, the show has seen a huge jump in listeners, according to the hosts.

“This year, Brooklyn GOP Radio has had more listeners in the last two months than it did in its first full year. People from all over the nation are tuning in our show, and it keeps on growing,” said Berardelli, who founded the show. “We have been getting great A-List guests from the political world, and our CPAC shows should be no exception,” he said.

Past guests have included presidential candidate Herman Cain, former UN ambassador John Bolton, former congressmen Allen West, Bob Turner, and Jim Jordan, and many other politicians and personalities.

Guests for this year’s CPAC shows have not yet been announced.

“Our CPAC shows are the highlight of our year,” Gallo said. “CPAC is like spring break for politicos, and I can’t wait to get down to Washington for it this year,” he said.

Organized by the American Conservative Union (ACU), CPAC brings thousands of grassroots conservatives and conservative leaders together in Washington, DC for three days of speeches, policy discussions and networking opportunities. This year, political superstars like Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Sarah Palin, and Rand Paul are among the scheduled speakers.

Brooklyn G.O.P. Radio will be broadcasting live from “Radio Row” at CPAC on Thursday, March 14 and Friday, March 15 starting at 9:30 AM. To listen to the broadcasts, visit their website.