Nobody ever accused Quentin Kopp, a familiar figure in San Francisco politics for nearly half a century, of soft-peddling his opinions.

Kopp, who will turn 88 next month, has put his name forward to fill a vacancy on the city's Ethics Commission. That's the agency charged with making sure that local elected officials, lobbyists, candidates and their supporters stay on the straight and narrow, or at least abide by the letter of San Francisco law and the City Charter.

Over the years, as a member of the Board of Supervisors, as an independent in the state Senate and on the San Mateo County Superior Court, Kopp built a reputation as a blunt-talking curmudgeon. He even got a nickname for his habit of opposition -- "the Great Dissenter."

So maybe it's not surprising that Kopp has opinions -- strong opinions -- about the right way and the wrong way to deliver the news. And maybe it's not a shock that he's got a direct and forceful way of telling people when he hears something on the air he doesn't like.

NPR politics reporter Tamara Keith (once upon a time, she was a staffer here at KQED) learned firsthand about Kopp's penchant for expressing his likes and dislikes.