Posted on 12/22/2001 9:48:26 PM PST by classygreeneyedblonde
Fox News Channel phenom Bill O’Reilly is gearing up for a network radio show on Westwood One beginning this March, NewsMax learned this weekend.
A source familiar with Westwood, the nation’s largest provider of content to radio stations, said the new O’Reilly program was "a done deal.”
As it stands, O’Reilly will go head-to-head with conservative Rush Limbaugh, the nation’s most listened to radio host, in the 12 to 3PM EST slot.
O'Reilly will also join Westwood's stellar lineup of radio talent, which includes Don Imus, Laura Ingraham, Tom Leykis, G. Gordon Liddy and Jim Bohannon.
Our source said O’Reilly is anxious to get started, and Westwood has already begun lining up stations.
One major hiccup is finding O’Reilly a New York outlet, the nation’s biggest radio market and one believed to be key to an early syndication success.
Currently, talk station WABC in New York carries Rush Limbaugh.
Westwood is already in negotiations with WABC competitor, 50,000 watt powerhouse WOR, which airs "King of Talk” Bob Grant during rush hour.
Currently, WOR has no political talk for its Grant lead-in during the 12-3 slot. Still, WOR execs won’t give Westwood the time.
WOR has offered to air O’Reilly, but on tape delay in the evening.
But that move may mean O’Reilly’s radio program will compete with its top-rated cable program.
A success on talk radio will solidify O’Reilly as one of the top media properties in America.
His radio audience could easily be several times larger than his cable one, and industry experts say O’Reilly could easily pull $10 million a year from his radio gig – significantly more than his multi-million Fox deal.
Rush's advantage is that he is an entertainer with a great sense of humor. O'Reilly has no humor that I have seen. He will grate on the audience after a while and they will turn back to Rush for relief.
However, I very much heard O'Reilly "pontificate" with Matt Drudge over Matt's web postings about this very radio gig many weeks ago. He was openly angered by Drudge and the reports.
In response to some rather neat questions by Drudge, O'Reilly hemmed-and-hawed and fell into every crack every weasel has fallen into when not wanting to come clean and speak the truth. And, he claimed he wasn't "aware" of what his underlings were doing on his behalf. In essense, O'Reilly was and is the same lying sack-of-slop he has ever frothed-over on his television show. He would have made James Carville or Bill Clinton proud.
Merry Christmas.....to you and yours.
Rush is a conservative, period. He's done a lot in helping to grow the base.
I'm all for anything (just about) that will both sustain and grow our base. But O'Reilly needs to learn not to cut people off when they're speaking or he won't make it very far in radio.
Conservitaves acheaving their rightfull place in the media is far from accomplished as the recent book "MEDIA BIAS" has so expertly pointed out. Clearing the systemic poision in the entire media culture from the education element on up will take generations to purdge.
So what pray tell could be the reason we are seeing this may I ask?
Well I will foreward 2 givens. First. The liberals and the left have tried every slimey trick in the book to marginalize Rush and the message he represents, and have failed. Second. Given the fact that liberals and leftists scheme and lie and decieve their way to success and control, try this on for size:
What better way to try to break up and diminish the "revival" of the conservative ethic being restored in the media culture than to get them to "fight" with each other. I suspect that it is possible that O'Reilly was "put up to this".
For those that think that the Fox News network has drawn from the conservitave employment pool to staff their company, think again. I site who they replaced Crier with, Paula Zahn. They replaced a responsible journalist with a blonde leftist bimbo. So who is "advising" O'Reilly???
If they can't destroy Rush head on which they have tried to do repeatedly, then they will go at what he represents another way. IE Insite fellow conservatives to fight among themselves.
JUST A THOUGHT (even if I may have misspelled a few words)
HEAR ME NOW. BELIEVE ME LATER
Everyone is missing the target. What difference does it make if O'Reilly has an acceptable show when he has no outlets? Rush has the top 40 markets locked, 600 other #1 stations throughout America, and the most coveted NY won't allow Bill into their backyard.
O'Reilly is running a 10 meter race against Rush and starting 10 meters behind. Wish him luck.
By the same token try....try...to imagine 3 hours of O'Reilly!!!!
Rush's greatest contribution is his ability to dissect a situation, to get right down the the kernal, to make you go "Ah, why didn't I see that?" O'Reilly's greatest contribution is his bludgoning someone until they come out with the truth. By the end of the hour you're content but exhausted.
Rush doesn't need guests because he fills up the air with thought, logic, intelligent and amusing conversation. BOTH men are where they ought to be.
I love O'Reilly, but to truly compete with Rush he's going to have to get a philosophy and move away from the populist stuff a little..
imo.
It's newsmax..
Disregard my previous post. I will say something similar as soon as I actually hear Mr.O on the radio.
I choose "Believe me later"
I just don't see a bonafied: bilda-burger/illuminaughty/hitlers clone/black helecopter with contrails conspiracy here.
I do however see alot of Dollar Signs, and that all the motivation anyone needs to put Bill O on the air. He would be popular (at least for a time) and sell lot's of advertising.
Besides, Rush has from day 1. always said that competition is a good thing and that only good can come from it. (overandoverandoverandover)
Remember?
He explained that there may be some people working on such a proposal, since he receives many of them, but HE ADAMANTLY DENIED HAVING ANY KNOWLEDGE OF SUCH AN EFFORT!
He obviously is only another PIMP OF THE ELECTION INDUSTRY!
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