After a 295-day hiatus, Tony Kornheiser is back live on the Washington airwaves. This morning, The Tony Kornheiser Show aired on Washington Post Radio (WTWP, 1500 AM and 107.7 FM). Kornheiser was lured away from Sports Talk 980 (his previous employer) and Dan Snyder’s Red Zebra Broadcasting by a generous 3-year contract from WTWP. His return is expected not only to boost WaPo Radio’s sagging ratings, but to bring some life to a moribund D.C. radio scene.

Tony picked up where he left off, with his familiar theme music leading into a discussion of Barack Obama’s smoking habit.

Smoking is good. Smoking and drinking. I love chicks who smoke and drink.

TK seemed genuinely enthused to get back to radio. During an up-and-down season on Monday Night Football, he never really seemed to find his groove; his exchanges with Mike Tirico and Joe Theismann always exuded varying degrees of restraint, awkwardness, and uncertainty. In contrast, Kornheiser’s comfort and confidence were evident from the opening minutes of this morning’s program.

Without the eyes of eight-or-so million MNF viewers on him, TK was at his best. True to form, he meandered his way through his WTWP debut before finally approaching actual sports talk at the 24-minute mark. Familiar voices Mike Wilbon and Bob Ryan checked in, although frequent cohort Andy Polley was absent due to contractual obligations.

Though Kornheiser will likely be back on MNF this fall, he is expected to continue his radio show. Welcome back, Tony; your trademark irreverence was sorely missed.