Posted on 08/06/2012 1:14:48 PM PDT by raccoonradio
WRKO welcomes back Rush Limbaugh on Monday. Coast to Coast might return too. It looks like Talk 1200 will end; supposedly the local hosts have been shown the door. The WRKO lineup will pair Todd Feinburg and Michele McPhee mornings followed by the Financial Exchange, Rush at noon, then Howie
A week from Monday, now I’m hearing
What happened to Felon Finneran?
Kuhner 11-noon
Felon left RKO a little while back
I thought that Talk 1200 was a great idea. They could play Rush without having to pay for WRKO’s overhead. They had great stars like Hannity, Beck, and Levin. I thought that doing the weekend replays was a great idea for those of us who, for example, couldn’t catch Rush during the day.
An overall loss, IMO.
Is Severin out too?
press release
BOSTON, MA — WRKO today announced a series of changes to their weekday programming lineup. Effective August 21, Rush Limbaugh will return to WRKO after a two and a half year absence. The Rush Limbaugh Show, America’s highest rated national radio talk show, will be heard in the 12pm to 3pm time slot. WRKO also announced that Michele McPhee, who rejoined WRKO in June, will team up with Todd Feinburg in mornings.
“When we were presented with the opportunity to bring Rush back to WRKO, it was a no-brainer. He’s the biggest personality in broadcasting and his return gives us an incredible one-two punch along Howie from noon to 7pm,” said Jason Wolfe, Vice President of Programming for Entercom Boston. “Michele has done a solid job since she returned to WRKO, and I’m very excited about the new dynamic that she and Todd will create in the morning.”
“We are excited about our new lineup. Michele and Todd in mornings make us better and bringing Rush back to WRKO gives our listeners the best news talk in Boston,” said Jeff Brown, Vice President and General Manager/Entercom Boston. “WRKO has a tremendous track record of delivering real results for advertisers. These changes enhance our brand and what we can do for our clients.”
The new WRKO prime-time lineup effective August 21:
5:30am to 9am: Todd Feinburg and Michele McPhee
9am to 11am: “The Financial Exchange” with Barry Armstrong
11am to 12pm: “The Kuhner Report” with Jeff Kuhner
12pm to 3pm: Rush Limbaugh
3pm to 7pm: Howie Carr
New to the WRKO team is Jeff Kuhner. Kuhner, who has been a regular contributor to the WRKO morning show and has filled in as a host for both Howie Carr and Michele McPhee, will anchor the one hour “Kuhner Report” from 11am to 12pm. Kuhner is a Washington Times weekly columnist, who has written for Human Events, National Review Online and Investor’s Business Daily. He also serves as a fill-in host on Savage Nation.
Finally, WRKO announced that Coast to Coast AM with George Noory will return to the station overnights, holding down the 1am to 5am time slot. Heard by millions of listeners, Coast To Coast AM airs on more than 560 stations in the U.S., Canada and Guam, and is the most-listened-to overnight radio program in North America.
###
Two weeks
I really don’t like Michelle McPhee. Her voice tends to grate on you.
An overall loss, IMO.
I agree. Although 95% of the talk radio I hear these days is via podcasts.
Too bad. Talk 1200 comes in much better out here.
Todd’s ears are going to bleed, she is NOT good radio. What is going to happen to Talk1200 - the station Limbaugh is currently on now? Anyone know? The lineup on RKO is terrible. Weekends are horrendous that’s why I’m concerned about Talk1200 I like their lineup during the week and weekends, no mortgage crap and Talk1200 has Billy Cunningham on Sunday nite instead of that dreadful Bob Brinker who drones on and on.
Ironically,Howie just lost his fight with
WRKO to be let out of his contract.He has to
wait another two years before he can leave.
It’s funny listening to Rush go on about how
WRKO is the premier radio station in the Boston area.
Howie has made no secret about how much he dislikes
working for WRKO.
I can’t listen to Wrko on Saturdays because of the guy who says his phone number like a million time an hour. They should put him on at night to put people to sleep.
I that in San Antonio??
You must be talking about that dreadful Bill Kelly zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
WRKO is Boston
Probably go back to being Spanish?
I don't know if Jeff Katz will be able to land on his feet, but I'm sure Jay Severin will be hired again somewhere -- and fired shortly afterwards.
Talk 1200 still has Glenn Beck, Jeff Katz, Severin and Hannity.
In the last two months severin has taken more time off then he’s been on air, he was off Friday and is off again today, could be because he’s been fired! Hopefully Jeff will be ok, they should have teamed him up with Todd instead of that dreadful mcphee.
Please tell me that 1200 will still be on air! Jeff Katz’s show is terrific! Please tell me that!
If so any word on how they’ll fill 12-3:00?
Better signal strength for WRKO in the Merrimack Valley, so I’m OK with it. Talk1200 gets lost at the sunset power-down around here, and I have trouble getting in during the day on some of my radios.
So who will Talk1200 have from noon to 3 to fill the Rush Gap?
Jeff’s and Jay’s name have been removed from the Talk1200 home page. Even putting in keyword “Jeff” he is gone, no mention of him - http://www.talk1200.com/cc-common/RadioKeywordSystemSearch/search3_test.php?cx=partner-pub-4066651230054012%3Ar8pkxybsebo&cof=FORID%3A11&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=jeff&keyword=jeff&submit=
Everything else seems to be the same, Rush is still in the 12-3 slot, for now.
WHOA!
I wish they’d bring back Steve Malzberg.
Can someone from your Howie Carr Posse please call Rush and tell him about Sheriff Joe?
Can someone from your Howie Carr Posse please call Rush and tell him about Sheriff Joe?
update—Talk 1200 not necessarily ending but they had to cut costs...so Katz and Severin are gone. Rest of lineup:
6am Andy Dean (from day before), 9 am Beck
Noon FOR NOW Rush (debut on WRKO 8/20). 3 pm Hannity (live).
6 pm Mark Levin (live). 9 pm on—Coast to Coast Early Edition and Coast to Coast (BUT C2C moves to RKO, too)
Clear Channel just paid $14 million for WFNX 101.7 and made it a “variety hits” station. It may make money. But 1200 apparently wasn’t. However CC wants to clear the shows its Premiere division puts out (run the shows, run the ads, tell the sponsors “your spots are being heard in Boston!”). That means Rush and C2C on RKO,
and shows like Beck, Sean etc. stay on 1200.
For now. But again the local talk is gone.
update—Talk 1200 not necessarily ending but they had to cut costs...so Katz and Severin are gone. Rest of lineup:
6am Andy Dean (from day before), 9 am Beck
Noon FOR NOW Rush (debut on WRKO 8/20). 3 pm Hannity (live).
6 pm Mark Levin (live). 9 pm on—Coast to Coast Early Edition and Coast to Coast (BUT C2C moves to RKO, too)
Clear Channel just paid $14 million for WFNX 101.7 and made it a “variety hits” station. It may make money. But 1200 apparently wasn’t. However CC wants to clear the shows its Premiere division puts out (run the shows, run the ads, tell the sponsors “your spots are being heard in Boston!”). That means Rush and C2C on RKO,
and shows like Beck, Sean etc. stay on 1200.
For now. But again the local talk is gone.
hopefully! Someone, try to get on and talk about Sheriff Joe (Arpaio?)
for now 1200 continues as conserv talk—Clear Channel gets to run shows like Beck and Hannity. It will basically be an automated talk station—they cut loose Katz and Severin’s salaries and now will run
6 am Andy Dean
9 am Beck
Noon Rush—for now (who knows later)
3 pm Hannity
6 pm Levin
9 pm, mid Coast to Coast Early Ed. & Coast to Coast. That’s going to RKO soon, though
Don’t know who they’ll run. They could even run Rush, too
(Clear Channel/Premiere same company). Other shows like
John Gibson may be available.
The thing is 1200 will be all syndicated talk (for at least as long as they keep it going). They cut loose the salaries of Katz and Severin.
Beck and Hannity yes but Jay and Jeff are laid off.
Don’t know how they will fill 12-3 after Rush leaves—Jeff unfortunately laid off.
He has worked for WRKO before, as a reg talk host (late nights, mornings) then a fill in. Maybe they can take him back.
From Jeff’s facebook
http://www.facebook.com/radiokatz
JEFF: >>email is: jeffkatzshow@aol.com
BRIAN HENCHEY (has done RKO fill ins):
>> Sorry to hear, Jeff! :( You’re a good talker - you will NOT be on the bench very long.
JEFF CHU: >>morning drive is gonna suck now.
JEFF KATZ:
>>stay tuned to this page and be sure to follow me on twitter @jeffkatzshow
(1200 conserv talk for now: Andy Dean, Beck, Rush—FOR NOW, Hannity, Levin, Coast to Coast—FOR NOW)
from the Herald
WRKO tunes into Rush Limbaugh
Severin, Katz reportedly get boot from Talk 1200
By Jessica Heslam
Tuesday, August 7, 2012 - Updated 5 hours ago
Boston’s conservative talk radio underwent a major shakeup yesterday as Rush Limbaugh announced he is leaving WXKS-AM and heading back to WRKO, and “Talk 1200” yanked local talkmeisters Jay Severin and Jeff Katz from its weekday lineup.
A spokesman for the Clear Channel-owned Talk 1200 (WXKS-AM) wouldn’t confirm Severin and Katz’s ousters out of “respect” but their names have disappeared from the talk station’s website.
“As a policy, and out of respect for the individuals, we don’t discuss details of personnel matters,” said spokesman Joe Mazzei in an email. “Unfortunately, some employees were affected. These are never easy decisions to make. We appreciate their commitment and service to the station and company over the years, and we wish them all the best.”
He said he’ll announce details of the station’s new lineup soon, saying it will remain talk radio. During the spring ratings period, WXKS-AM tied with two other stations for 27th place among the coveted 25- to 54-year-old listeners.
WXKS-AM flipped from a Spanish music station to a conservative talk radio station in March 2010. The station snagged Rush Limbaugh from rival talker WRKO-AM (680) and originally debuted as “Rush Radio.”
Katz was tapped to helm the station’s morning-drive slot a month later. Severin took over afternoon-drive in August 2011 — four months after WTKK-FM (96.9) fired him for boasting on the airwaves that he had sex with nearly every woman he had hired when he ran his own company years ago.
Mazzei said two syndicated hosts will replace those time slots, with Andy Dean in morning-drive and Sean Hannity in the afternoon.
Severin and Katz did not return messages last night. Severin told his Twitter followers to “stay tuned, ok?” Katz told his Facebook followers to “stay tuned to this page.”
Over at WRKO yesterday, Limbaugh told listeners on host Howie Carr’s radio show that he was “ecstatic” to be coming back to the station. His show returns Aug. 21 (20 actually??) from noon to 3 p.m. The station also said Michele McPhee would move to morning-drive to host with Todd Feinburg.
I’m wondering if losing Rush triggered the cost-cutting moves at Talk 1200 . . . I also wonder why he’s leaving.
I am sooooo depressed! I really enjoyed Jeff’s show. Hopefully he’ll land a new spot soon and I can listen via the internet. He had a great handle on local politics as well as national news.
My coffee time just won’t be the same. :(
Wow. Saves me a button on my car radio. Katz and Severin are both superior to Howie Carr, imho.
Keep me posted if they turn up elsewhere.
Back to WRKO, I think Howie Carr's trashing of the station on-air was mostly an act. I think Howie realizes that this is the best station for him, especially with Rush coming back to lead into his show. He's on for two more years at least and I wouldn't be surprised if he was to extend his contract further. More and more people are getting HD radio on their cars so gradually, WRKO will become more of an FM station anyhow.
I don't care too much for canned national talk show broadcasts. Live talk radio with local hosts is where it's at for me and Rush of course is good because it's live. It also pisses me off when a local talk show host is out and they replay a show from a previous day.
Sounds like the entire talk radio business model is changing as more and more people listen to satellite radio or iPods in their cars these days. That's probably why advertising revenue is drying up.
She's not as conservative as I would like but on most issues, she's okay.
I was born and raised in Roxbury many many moons ago - I have lived in MA all my life (except for 8 years) and she is only the second person I’ve ever heard with that God awful voice. I’ve never heard anyone from Eastie who sounds like mcphee! It’s worse than nails on a blackboard. I wonder how long before Todd leaves!
C2C is a joke. It’s like the John Edwards Show (the guy that can ‘speak’ to the dead, not the disgraced pol), only on the radio.
That drivel makes money?
Let's not forget that a Romney victory will be a HUGE boo$t to Howie, the Herald and ‘RKO.
For better or worse, Howie did a lot to get Mitt elected here in MA...I can see Howie getting exclusive interviews with POTUS Mitt at a minimum.
I foresee Howie staying with ‘RKO as long as Mitt is POTUS. Between Mitt and Whitey, Howie’$ a wealthy man who's going to get wealthier.
I listened to whatever that crap that was on 1200 at 8:00 am this morning. They had some woman and man driveling on about some woman who was arrested for leading cops on a topless car chase. Not listening to that again.
Mark Levin might be worthwhile, but Jay was only 3:00-6:00 anyway. Hannity doesn’t do it for me.
Too bad. Let me know if another job is created for Jay somewhere.
Tony Massarotti aka “Tony Soprano”? :)
Again for me the kicker was 1/19/10. Scott Brown’s election night. One of her colleagues at 96.9, where she worked at the time, enters F1 Boston where they were doing a live remote and she loudly screeched MICHAEL GRAHAM IS IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!
my ears are still recovering
Clear Channel was having a tough time making money with 1200. They wondered if taking Rush off RKO (for it WAS their decision, they syndicate him) may have been a mistake. So here’s what they do: they go to RKO and ask if they want Rush and C2C back. RKO says YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! They didn’t want to lose them in the first place. CC tried to do local talk with Jeff and Jay but the decision now is apparently to cut them out (Severance pay, or Severin’s pay :) if you will!) and do national talk. More likely they try to find other stations to run Beck, Hannity, Levin etc. (96.9? 1510? who knows) at which point 1200 maybe goes Spanish,
sports, who knows.
From Someone Who Knows, it’s been said the chances of 1200 going prog talk are about as likely as Menino eating at
Chik Fil A. It failed at 1200 before and would fail again.
I'm not getting the logic here . . . OK, I knew Rush was syndicated by a subsidiary of Clear Channel, and I figured that was why they moved him to a Clear Channel station when one became available in the area (did this happen elsewhere in the country?). What I don't understand is why they think 1200 can make more money without Rush than with him, unless this isn't the point at all and it's just a going-out-of-business sale of sorts. Oh well, I don't have a business type mind, as the most cursory glance at my bank account will attest! ;-)
Is RKO keep the Wall Street Journal Report at 5:00 a.m.? I really can't abide Coast to Coast (it gives me the creeps, especially early when I'm all alone and it's still dark out --LOL!), so I hope it doesn't run until 5:30!
RKO has a better signal. They want Rush on a powerful station. The 1200 station didn’t live up to expectations and now they’re just running their shows to get them out there and hope for the best. For all we know it could change format
sometime
In Prov CC moved Rush from Cumulus’ WPRO 630 to their own
WHJJ 920, etc
A tweet from Mark of Boston Radio Watch:
“680 was a pretty strong Rush affil b4 CC plunked him away in 2010. They damaged 680’s revenue and their own profits. Stupid move”
Wall St Journal report may still be on. I’m hearing Coast 2 Coast will be 1-5 am, Mcphee and Feinburg will start at 5:30, so would guess Wall St Journal show continues in
current slot.
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