Posted on 12/23/2001 9:38:38 PM PST by RobFromGa
O’Reilly on Radio: It’s a ‘Done Deal’
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 p.m. to 3 p.m. 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.
Couldn't agree more. He's supposed to be a graduate of Harvard or Yale or one of the ivy's, but I haven't seen a lot of the benefits of his education exhibited on his show.
Even when I agree with him, which is often, I find his reasoning is often faulty and he just leaps to conclusions and lambasts people for his own glorification.
I mostly agree with Rush too, but, frankly, this is going to be the Battle of the Monster Egos.
I like Bill but I like Rush more. I think that Rush has a more over all outlook or vision than just about anyone (he sees the big picture) and he certainly has the intelligence and is as articulate as any one around. Rush's ideas politically and many other ways are very much like ours. Bill leans to the left in certain things. (Can't name them right now.)
Rush Limbaugh is better.
It's like Paul Harvey -- the pro's can never truly be challenged.
Guns. Big time. O'Reilly is a near-gungrabber.
Yep you are right on there.
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