Clear Channel had a bargain drop in its lap when WFNX-FM decided it no longer had a viable radio station. WFNX was operated by a long time publisher of an “Alternative” newspaper [So the FCC rules about cross ownership don’t apply to “alternative” newspapers?]
I thought I wrote about this, but maybe only to my relative that lives in Boston. About two years ago, Clear Channel took a relatively weak AM station (WXKS-AM) that had been running Mexican sombrero music and converted it to News/Talk taking Rush and Beck and putting them on their own station. The ratings have been pretty bad (less than 1% share). WXKS has picked up local host Jay Severin who became available.
It was immediately obvious, looking at the competition in Boston that this station would pick up the FM Talk format, which appears to be what is about to happen. Boston already has WTKK-FM, WBZ-AM (CBS) and WRKO-AM, and a strong public radio presence from WGBH-FM. [unrelated, the last of the old timer talk show hosts on WBZ is retiring, probably to be replaced by Jon Grayson’s syndicated show from Saint Louis]. It’s a crowded market, but also a city with a very large population of very smart people.
So word arrives that on Friday, the uber progressive AM Talk station “Revolution Boston station (home of Jeff Santos) has dropped the entire Dial Global with no warning (Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann) nor explanation.
There are two logical explanations here – that Dial Global terminated their contract (the most common reason of which would be not getting paid), or that when Clear Channel moves News/Talk to FM, that WXKS-AM will pick the Progressive talk lineup and not just be an AM/FM simulcast.
So there isn’t really a “second tier” of Progressive talk hosts – when you lose Dial Global’s lineup without warning, who can you plug in to fill the time? Polka music probably won’t work.
Warren Ballentine, Al Sharpton, Democracy Now, 6 hours of Jeff Santos, Norm Goldman, Clear Channel’s Rhandi Rhodes, and no idea what is on from 2am-8am. If the goal of Revolution Boston was to be revolting, they achieved their goal!
Also, Laura Ingraham was just dumped from WRKO to make room for another recycled local host. Next year, legend Howie Carr’s contract is up for renewal and he isn’t likely to make the same mistake as last time. Change is in the air.
I like Jay Severin. About fifteen or so years back he had a show on WOR in NY, if my memory serves me. I’m not positive but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t WABC. Anyway after I left NJ I never heard him again, totally forgot about him then checked his name on google a few years ago and found he was doing local Boston talk and occasionally listen to him on the web now. Interesting and intelligent guy and he does not abuse his callers like some of the hosts who have apparent self-confidence issues.
I can aid your memory on this 🙂
Jay was doing his local show in Boston and went into “National Syndication” – he was working for Infinity/CBS during the end of the Free FM Mel Karmazin experiment after Howard Stern left.
Here is what I dredged up from my old data
Westwood One (which had close ties to CBS) tried to market the program to non-CBS stations with little success
http://www.rbr.com/epaper/issue248-05-wcw.html
If he was on WOR-AM, it was for a very brief time. I have a really vague memory of that, but can’t confirm it in my data or otherwise. Perhaps you heard him from Philadelphia?
After 9 months, it was over and he announced he had a new contract in Boston and the show abruptly ended.
It was definitely a NY station, late afternoons and I’m almost positive it was WOR which would also make sense because that was Howard’s Flagship way back in the olden days when he was actually funny and not a total scumbag.
And now that I think on it, it’s closer to twenty years back, right around ’94 or so. I remember he had a major crotchfest over the singer Jewel and mentioned her daily. He’s a a funny guy. I don’t know how long he was on the air, but it was long enough to leave a solid impression on me.
Thanks for the info!!!
I did find a reference putting Jay Severin on WOR in 1997, which is the year I came to Connecticut. WOR does come in here, which could be my vague memory.
WOR was sold in 1987 to small radio operator Buckley Broadcasting of Connecticut under pressure from the US Justice Department – so at that point he was working for Mr Buckley,
In other unrelated New York Prehistory, Don Imus and Howard Stern both worked at WNBC-AM which no longer exists. Connecting dots, Imus was cut loose in 1977 by the 20 something radio prodigy Bob Pittman – who now runs Clear Channel 35 years later. After Pittman ran the station into the ground, Imus was brought back and Howard Stern added. Stern was eventually fired again and ultimately wound up at Infinity.