Well, I hear racist right-wing conspiracy theorist Tucker Carlson is on the beach. I wonder how he feels about Philadelphia. (Actually, no I don’t.)WPHT's higher ratings of the past were due to one man: Rush Limbaugh.
Well, I hear racist right-wing conspiracy theorist Tucker Carlson is on the beach. I wonder how he feels about Philadelphia. (Actually, no I don’t.)WPHT's higher ratings of the past were due to one man: Rush Limbaugh.
I have to wonder if Smerconish was always a liberal pretending to be a conservative in order to work at that station or if he truly switched ideologies during the Obama years. It’s highly unusual for right leaning folks to all of a sudden support Democrats out of nowhere. Maybe he wasn’t getting invited to all of the swanky cocktail parties on the Main Line.@ AbrahamJSimpson
Lol -- I worked at Kiss and then EZ at the time when there were, indeed, four stations playing the same 300 songs. And I thought that a fifth -- WJBR -- was better than all of them!
@HGN2001
A pal up here used to get booted from his TV (and house) by his wife for drinking. So he'd walk to my place with a 36-pack of Miller to LISTEN to Phillies games with me off WPHT, often when the Phillies played my Mets. (I haven't turned on a TV in years..) Lol -- he turned out to be quite the DXer, tilting the GE Superadio 2 back and forth for clearer reception during its cancellation fadeouts.
During those years I'd listen occasioannly to Smerconish and that guy with the money show for a while. One afternoon WPHT was getting splashed on by some Oldies station. The Oldies were off WGNY Newburgh NY on 1220, on what had to be daytime-skywave skip. I never heard WGNY again.
I say this as no fan of his particular style of doing a show, but his approach has been fairly consistent. The Republican party began its descent into the cesspool it has become as Obama came to prominence. The undercurrents had long been there, but the racism and bigotry became the norm, not the fringe. That Smirconish didn't follow along does not make him a liberal, not then and not now. It wasn't out of nowhere, it was assessing the situation as it existed. There was plenty of awfulness in the GOP before (trickle-down economics, the reprehensible lack of response to AIDS, etc.). And the racism was there in pockets to be sure. But between 2008 and now, there is no smoothing over the descent into full-on grievance politics, hatred and inane conspiracy theories that drive that party today.I hsve
I have to wonder if Smerconish was always a liberal pretending to be a conservative in order to work at that station or if he truly switched ideologies during the Obama years. It’s highly unusual for right leaning folks to all of a sudden support Democrats out of nowhere. Maybe he wasn’t getting invited to all of the swanky cocktail parties on the Main Line.
IMHO: If you go down a "superstar host" path, have a plan on what to do if something happens to that host.
But what would they change the format to? There is already brokered programming on weekend.suspect the next "big thing" to happen to WPHT's talk format will be its demise.
Audacy will ride WPHT until it's no longer profitable. Then it would either be sell the tower land and turn it off, or find a religious or ethnic broadcaster willing to pay for the signal and sell it to them.But what would they change the format to? There is already brokered programming on weekend.
💯Audacy will ride WPHT until it's no longer profitable. Then it would either be sell the tower land and turn it off, or find a religious or ethnic broadcaster willing to pay for the signal and sell it to them.
I followed the Phillies for many years, mostly on radio as it was portable and I could do other things while the play-by-play was on. One time in the 90s, I think, I was visiting in Florida and needed to hear what was going on with the Phillies, so I tuned into 1210 and was able to get the score of the game.A pal up here used to get booted from his TV (and house) by his wife for drinking. So he'd walk to my place with a 36-pack of Miller to LISTEN to Phillies games with me off WPHT, often when the Phillies played my Mets.
Maybe you can buy one that's already operational for the endeavor... everyone has their price...And just where is the FM station going to come from? Will the translator fairy drop a translator in Philly for WPHT?
Before they sell or shut down wouldn’t it make sense to first reduce costs by going to all syndicated programming or even affiliating with Bloomberg Radio.A radio station's demise (especially that of an AM) doesn't necessarily have to be a format change.
Agree. WWJ in Detroit still does well as an AM-only all news station. WCBS in NYC does okay on AM, but they share an audience with 1010 WINS on AM/FM. Both are audacy stations.When I saw the headline, I wondered if maybe Julius had written it!
Can you imagine, there are no AM-only stations getting at least a one-rating in Philadelphia? WPHT is below the 1.0 threshold.
If KYW were still on AM only, it would likely get a good rating. Combined with the FM, it's ranked #3 in the latest ratings. We don't know how much of that is 1060 listening. Maybe a third? But wow, is AM radio in Philadelphia hurting!
not seeing it.Wouldn't it be ironic if Audacy got rid of WTDY for talk radio?