What’s next for WRKO... get rid of Rush?
At this rate they could be Air America within days :(
also in the Herald:
They either love him or hate him, but radio listeners agreed on one thing when it came to Howie Carr yesterday: News of his jump from AM to FM had them buzzing.
“I like him because he’s straightforward. He’s brutally honest,” said Gerard Doherty, 48, a nurse from Braintree. “I don’t blame him for the move. It’s more money for him. AM stinks. It’s always breaking up. At least FM is clear all day. It’s a step up for him.
Tom Kelly, a retired T worker from Wollaston said, “I like him, he’s conservative. I’ll listen to him more now if he’s moving to FM.”
But over in South Boston, a group of retirees said Carr is too negative.
“If he takes a dislike to you it’s forever. He’s a professional rabble-rouser,” said one. “He must’ve had a miserable upbringing. He’s making money at everyone’s expense.”
Said John Carras, 79: “He’s vindictive and remembers everything.” But, he added, “He’ll do a good job.”
Some of those interviewed by the Herald were longtime Carr listeners even though a few resented the fact that his arrival at WRKO in 1994 meant the departure of veteran talkmaster Jerry Williams. Others said it is his skill as a Herald columnist who “rides the politicians” that makes him a good listen.
“I’d rather listen to him than Rush Limbaugh,” said Richard Gross, 57, of Boston. “As long as I get the channel, I don’t care where Howie goes. I love Howie. I know he has more money than God. I wish him good luck, but I wish I had his money.”
Many fans said they were torn as to why they love to hate Carr but said they will follow him wherever he goes.
“You know the saying, ‘To whom much is given, much is to be expected’? The man has a lot of power. He riles the masses with negativity. Howie is a double-edged sword,” said Larry Herr, 45, a contractor from Avon.
“I enjoy his program, but at the same time I think he’s a bit of a hypocrite. He’ll deny it with a chuckle, but he’s a homophobe and a racist. He can be a little more responsible in the sensitivity department,” he said.
But, Herr added, “He’s the most interesting thing on talk radio.”
The afternoon-drive host is the station’s highest-rated talk host by far and it looks like WRKO won’t let him go easy.
Carr, which I reported online yesterday, is jumping ship to WTKK (96.9 FM) to take over the morning drive slot. It’s unclear whether Carr’s producer, Sandy [Nancy Shack—raccoonradio], will go with him.
Michael Harrison, publisher of Talkers Magazine, said it’s a big loss for WRKO. “He’s established as a major player in Boston. He brings his brand and he brings a following to the FM station,’’ Harrison told me.
Harrison said “there’s no doubt’’ that a good FM station will beat a good AM station. Also, WTKK has a much better signal than the weaker WRKO (680).
“There are more younger people and more women who hang out on the FM dial,’’ Harrison said.
Harrison called Grace Blazer, who left Philadelphia last month to work at WTKK, a “fabulous program director.”
“If this is her first major move as PD, it’s a good one,” Harrison said.
Brian Maloney, who runs www.savewrko.com., called Carr’s exit “a devastating blow for an already struggling station.”
“I can’t even imagine what would fill that slot,” Maloney said.
Maloney called it an ingenious move by WTKK. “You’ve now taken away Jay Severin’s competitor. You’re taking the No. 1 show off the table and you’re moving it to your own and you’re giving Severin a free ride.”
Severin hosts the afternoon-drive show on WTKK and is the station’s highest-rated host.
The stunning move puts Carr against his longtime nemesis, ex-House Speaker Tom Finneran, who has a morning show on WRKO. According to the winter Arbitron ratings, WRKO lost listeners with Finneran at the mic.
“I consider myself to be a much better talk show host than I was when I started on Feb. 12, but I also know there’s a lot of room for improvement,” Finneran told me last night. “I’ve succeeded at every job I’ve ever had, every single job, and I intend to make sure this continues that pattern.”
Mike Barnicle had been filling in for fired talk jock Don Imus on WTKK but withdrew from the morning-drive running last month. Imus lost his national show in April after the “nappy headed hos” scandal.
While he also gave up his mid-morning show, Barnicle is talking with WTKK execs about having some sort of on-air role at the station, most likely on the weekends.
Since Barnicle split, conservative talker Michael Graham has temporarily taken over WTKK’s morning-drive show. Boston Herald Police Bureau Chief Michele McPhee has been hosting Graham’s mid-morning show.
Sources say WTKK executives are talking about creating a nighttime talk show - and McPhee as a possible host.
Carr plans to debut on WTKK on October 1 and will host his show alone. Carr’s lawyer says he plans to continue to host his WRKO show until his contract with the station expires in September.
Rush is all they have left : )