WRKO in Boston was carrying Jerry Doyle from 10PM-Midnight on delay and will replace that with Michael Savage carried live.
Stations are leaving TRN despite the assurances the talk programming will continue. This is a major clearance. Smaller stations will pay attention. About half of the stations have dropped America’s Morning News already, and that was before today’s disaster with the boss trying (and failing) to read news copy. Stations that may not be following things closely got a WTF moment today – the show was sold to them and their advertisers as a non-partisan news show and got neither today.
… “and then a step to the right” 😉 here is the radio picture:
http://www.alicia-logic.com/capsimages/rhps_076RKORadioPicture.jpg
The sad part of this is that you know Roy Masters is going to still be out there, even if he has to broker time on his old radio stations, and Mark Masters is going to come out smelling like a rose. Jerry Doyle and others will find new shows and/or syndicators. The people who are really going to get screwed are the poor employees who’ll never be paid what’s owed them.
I always wondered if TRN people were pressured to listen to the Roy Masters mind control tapes. My sympathy is limited for the employees, especially those wanting their two months of severance pay. Rusty Humphries dropped a little hint that he spent a part of the day at the IRS office this week. Roy Masters has long been on the radar of the IRS over his claim that the FHU is a religion and/or a church
http://www.us.kpmg.com/microsite/taxnewsflash/Exempt/2010/TNFEO09_57.html
This little gem confirms what nobody I’ve asked knew or would confirm. Talk Radio Network IS owned by the FHU (foundation for human understanding)
So you have a 501(c)(3) religious charity owning and operating a blatantly partisan radio network with Roy Masters frequently talking about Barack Obama and how he is destroying the country.
I’m thinking I have a pretty good idea why Rusty was talking with the IRS
Here is a bit of history I didn’t know – when Jacor bought Chancellor (who owned TRN) and syndicated Art Bell, they gave TRN to Roy Masters but kept Art Bell
http://t.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19980813/BIZ/308139999&cid=sitesearch&template=tabletart
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/18/business/after-midnight-a-radio-talk-show-is-growing-coast-to-coast.html?n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fR%2fRadio
Yep. It’s cloudy to me now, but I remember hearing when Clear Channel bought Jacor, they did it just to get the Art Bell show, and everything else was thrown out.
One source said Masters was part owner of Chancellor, which seems plausible since they had a station in Medford Oregon
If Savage’s prediction that he will move to Hannity’s time slot comes true, WRKO will again be airing a recorded call-in show before long — or maybe switching to something else.
Hannity did “re-up” with Premiere a day or two ago sans Cumulus
4 months is becoming an eternity in network talk programming – by then WRKO may be a Canadian polka music station
Mancow is another guy tied up in this, but he may have his own deal with Dial Global – not sure