If WPHT doesn’t move one or the other to nights, it’s
possible another station in town may put them on. Clear
Channel’s Premiere syndication arm syndicates both Glenn
and Sean and perhaps they own a station in town who could
run them (someone on radio-info.com wondered if they
could show up on 104.5? Clear Channel owns them and it’s
currently rock)
Maybe on WNTP 990 AM?
CBS owns WPHT
104.5 would be great.That’s FM but I doubt they will change formats for this.
One correction...Glenn Beck is syndicated through Clear Channel, but ABC/Citadel distributes Sean Hannity’s radio show (through an agreement with Premier). However, you have hit on the most likely scenario for their shows in Philly.
If the FM rocker has lousy ratings, watch for Clear Channel to flip it to talk, installing Beck and Hannity now, with Rush to follow. Clear Channel has done it already in Raleigh (WRDU went from hash marks to 5.3 rating in less than a year); New Orleans (WRNO averages 5.5-6.0 rating, and is slowly chipping away at perennial market leader, WWL-AM) and Pittsburgh, where WPGB is less than one point behind KDKA. Of course, the Pittsburgh FM talker had an advantage with Quinn and Rose as their long-time morning team. The other stations were built from scratch, around their marquee attraction, Rush Limbaugh. In fact, the Raleigh Clear Channel station (and New Orleans, if I’m not mistaken) bill themselves as “Rush Radio.” Very clever—and effective—marketing strategy.
All of these Clear Channel FM outlets have done extremely well with a talk format, and more will certainly follow. In fact, radio groups have done extensive audience research, and they’ve discovered a problem. Listeners below a certain age simply won’t listen to AM radio, one reason that Clear Channel is introducing conservative talk on ratings-challenged FM stations, and AM “heritage” stations like WSB in Atlanta, WOKV in Jacksonville and WGY in Albany are now simulcasting on FM. WSB and WOKV are owned by Cox; WGY is—you guessed it—a Clear Channel property.
If I were the CBS, I’d sign a long-term deal for Rush in the Philadelphia market on WPHT. Otherwise, he’ll follow Beck and Hannity to their new outlet, and PHT will be sunk.