Free Republic

After a long holiday weekend, Allison Hassett Wohl of Maryland said she woke up at 3 a.m. feeling anxiety about what's going on with federal workers. “Quite frankly, I’ve become sort of afraid of my own government,” she said. “And boy, that is a scary position to be in as a citizen.” WBUR is a nonprofit news organization. Our coverage relies on your financial support. If you value articles like the one you're reading right now, give today. Hassett Wohl is one of the thousands of workers that the Trump administration has let go in recent days in its effort...

He may have had a captive audience on Beacon Hill, but thousands of talk show listeners are fleeing as ratings show ex-House Speaker Tom Finneran bombing in his new radio career. With the disgraced pol behind the microphone, WRKO lost nearly one-third of its morning drive audience among the key category of 25- to 54-year-old adults this winter compared to the same time last year, according to Arbitron winter ratings figures obtained by the Herald. “Politicians do have an impact on radio. They make me turn it off,” said Michael Graham, a host on rival station WTKK (96.9 FM). Finneran...

With the crass cowboy booted from its lineup, WTKK’s loss of Don Imus could spark Boston talk radio’s fiercest morning-drive war in years with tens of thousands of listeners and advertising dollars at stake. Imus, who was heard on about 60 stations nationwide, had been on WTKK-FM (96.9) since the Greater Media Inc.-owned station’s debut as a talker in 1999. With WRKO-AM (680) having just installed disgraced ex-House Speaker Tom Finneran in the critical morning slot, the Imus airtime gap positions WTKK to go straight at its AM rival with an all-local daytime lineup. “It’s a great opportunity to find...

Boston’s talk radio yakkers have had a heavy hand in getting lawmakers to take notice and toughen up illegal immigrant measures, lawmakers and talk hosts agree, urging fired-up listeners all week to call state senators and demand change. “I have no doubt about it that the listeners of 96.9 Talk have had an impact. They were already there, ready to go,” said Michael Graham, WTKK-FM’s afternoon drive host. “The citizens are angry, they want to do something, they’re so frustrated.” “I’m not making a wave. I’m riding one,” Graham added. Graham and other talk jocks have launched their own grass-roots...