In Seattle the top News-Talker is KIRO-FM, which leans center-left, but has a couple right wing hosts, too.
radioink.com
If Bongino goes to Fox and is no longer a Westwood One product, is Cumulus still going to hold their affiliates to carry him on a rival network, or cram something else down?The latest rumor is Bongino is going to Fox News Radio:
Could Bongino Be Headed For Fox News Radio? - Radio Ink
That's one of the rumors flying around as Bongino takes this week off from broadcasting his program on hundreds of Cumulus radio stations. During his protest against Cumulus' vaccine mandate, Bongino continues releasing podcast episodes.
Their biggest name is Brian Kilmeade. To do this, Bongino will need to get out of his contract with Cumulus, which will likely cost him money. They invested a lot in his launch, he's only been doing this for 6 months, and he'd be leaving them with a big mess and a big hole.
But then another anti-vax right winger has to say "I am willing to work where everyone doesn't have the absolute right to infect their co-workers"
I don't suppose one GM will have the guts to say "enough. We aren't tanking our ratings for reruns".
radioink.com
So he's surprised every employee of Cumulus, including top 40 and hip-hop jocks, isn't with him in touting the constitutional right to be infected by an anti-vaxxer at work? "Sure, I'll infect my cancer survivor Grandma or quit my own job so a right wing lunatic can spew infected droplets all over my workplace"Apparently Bongino has reached a resolution with the company. He has set up a fund for the employees who were fired over the vaccine mandate:
The Bongino Drama Just Got More Interesting - Radio Ink
Even though affiliates were told conservative talker Dan Bongino chose to be off the air this week, they were alerted he would be live Wednesday. He then went on the air, on stations owned by the company he's fighting with, and said he was starting a fund to help the employees that same company...
I think it would be nice if he also set up a fund for the employees who died from Covid. Including talk show host Phil Valentine. Not enough has been said about the people who chose not to vaccinate and died.
It goes back to the beginning of Rush. Other talk stations who did not have Limbaugh thought "we can't get Rush, so we'll get someone who says the same things that Rush says". It takes a lot more than plugging in a Fox host or podcaster into the slot and expecting magic---or even ratings. Certainly other syndicators are beating the phones to Cumulus itself and non-Cumulus Bongino affiliates. iHeart would like those former Rush affiliates back.
Turns out Bongino got exposed for being the back stabber and chose to do this drama in public. When Bongino rants about Cumulus we had to do a wait and see on how both parties respond and how Fox News reacts to this given that Bongino has a TV Contract and a vaccine mandate at Fox News.
He doesn't have to go in either facility. He's supposedly "guaranteeing the right of people who work at his syndicatir to spread COVID (and demanding Cumulus say "to hell with everyone else who works here". Most of Cumulus's business isn't right wing talk shows.
How much influence do the GMs even have in this situation? Cumulus effectively made them all clear Bongino (like iHeart made their talkers clear Clay and Buck and Audacy made their stations pick up Dana Loesch) so even if they all said “enough, we’re done here” it wouldn’t matter. It’s entirely the top management at Cumulus vs. Bongino, and they might force him to eat that contract for as long as they want. If they want to air reruns of his show for that duration, they sure can.
Anyone remember “Free FM” after Howard Stern bolted terrestrial radio, and the disaster that was David Lee Roth in morning drive? (lol sure you do lolol)
