Steve Cochran may be returning to Chicago (Robert Feder)

[Rusty Muck]

http://timeoutchicago.com/arts-culture/chicago-media-blog/136511/robert-feder-blog

I'm not comfortable about this.  Cochran always seemed to be a sensible guy at 'GN, staying in the middle, maybe a little left of center.  Is he willing to whore himself to Salem and turn into an out-and-out teabagger to fit their profile?

Well, Big John Howell seems to be a bit of a centerist on certain issues.  Actually he seems to be conservative on many fiscal issues and centerist or a bit left of center on some social issues, which would make him a bit more libertarian then conservative.  So perhaps Cochran can fit there as well.  I know he has always painted himself as a moderate and neither Republican or Democrat.  But I still don't know if he will sound too left leaning for their station.

I think the bigger question is what will happen to Michael Savage.  What did Feder mean by saying that Savage's status was "still up in the air"?  Does that mean where he will be moved to on WIND's schedule, or is he thinking about retiring?  I wish Feder would clear this up, or not say it at all.  Maybe if he still stays on the air they should move him to a tape delayed 7 to 9 PM slot.  I mean seriously, does anyone actually listen to Hugh Hewitt?

I think what Feder meant was that Savage may try to shop his show to another Chicago station if WIND plans to run his show in the middle of the night.

Considering that I don't think anyone else here will pick him up--even WLS--I would suspect Savage would be banished to delayed overnights.

Hewitt's a Salem show, so he stays on WIND, along with Medved and Prager.

Good points as well.  It looks like WIND is turning mainly into a Salem/local personality outlet during the week, and brokered radio on the weekends.

I would never have guessed that Salem was into actual investment with their conservatalkers judging by this move. Of course, that's taking into consideration that the other talkers in their chain operate almost as repeaters of the entire KRLA/Los Angeles lineup. WIND now is the best of the entire bunch, and clearly, the most uniquely programmed.

The Medved repeat in the deep overnight hours could be Savage's landing pad - provided, of course, that he doesn't bolt for some brokered arrangement elsewhere. Unless they want to scoot Savage to Hewitt's 7p slot, move Hewitt to Gallagher's 9p slot, and then have Gallagher assume the Medved replay at 2a.

And do note that while ALL of the main hosts on Salem's conservatalkers are, well, conservative, they are more establishment-derived (i.e., Medved and Hewitt) and have gone against the tea party quite a bit. Still, it's primary objective is and always has been to advance conservative viewpoints.

 

[radioman148]

The good news for WIND is that their ratings can't get too much lower.