Westwood One has announced it is taking CBS Radio News/Talk 1210 WPHT Philadelphia Sunday night host Walter Sterling into national syndication.
Sterling, better known as veteran programmer/consultant Walt Sabo, has hosted a lifestyle based talkshow on WPHT since 2014 from 10pm-1am Sunday nights. The new syndicated show will debut on CBS Radio’s 1020 KDKA Pittsburgh and 1120 KMOX St. Louis plus Cumulus Media’s 630/105.9 WMAL Washington DC and 890 WLS Chicago.
Sabo is known for his work developing the Hot Talk format in the early 1990s at “New Jersey 101.5” WKXW Trenton and “Real Radio 104.1” WTKS Orlando. He also worked as a programming VP at both ABC and NBC Radio and was involved in the launch of Sirius Satellite Radio and Merlin Media’s “FM News” properties.
Westwood One is helping to transition radio listeners from weekend to weekday with the national syndication launch of Sterling on Sunday, a Sunday night talk show featuring longtime radio executive, innovator, and storyteller Walter Sabo a/k/a Walter Sterling. The program, a mix of lifestyle, entertainment, and social conversation, will air live from CBS flagship station WPHT-AM/Philadelphia from 10:00 pm ET to 1:00 am ET. In addition to WPHT, additional launch stations include WLS-AM/Chicago; WMAL-AM/FM, Washington DC; KDKA-AM/Pittsburgh; and KMOX-AM/St. Louis.
Walter Sabo has compelled positive change in radio’s C-Suite and on the air for decades, from his early days at NBC, ABC, and RKO to the creation of Sirius Satellite Radio and New Jersey 101.5/WKXW, the most listened-to FM talk station in the world. In November 2014, Sabo took on the moniker “Walter Sterling” and began hosting a weekly show on CBS’ WPHT/Philadelphia. The show has developed a strong following of highly engaged fans intrigued by Sterling’s stories of bad in-laws, trouble with neighbors, demands for air conditioning, and his hatred of cell phone companies and commercial banks.
“What two best friends talk about is not trivial, it’s a very big deal. That’s why Sterling on Sundays transitions the listener into the week with conversation about troubles at work, celebrity gossip, and why the engine light never goes out,” says Sabo. “The audience is highly engaged and very diverse – from young parents who only have alone time later in the day, to medical professionals on their way to work, and other shift workers and late-nighters.”
Suzanne Grimes, EVP, Corporate Marketing, Cumulus Media and President, Westwood One said, “Walter is a legendary radio figure who not only knows our industry inside and out but also has a unique handle on what people really care about. His perspective on today’s societal connections is what makes Sterling on Sunday captivating and relatable to all audiences. We are proud to have Walter transition all of us into the week.”
In addition to the Sunday night program, Westwood One represents Sterling’s podcast, Old Dad, which is available on demand and is posted twice a week on iTunes. It reveals the secret powers of the oldest Dad in three different public schools.
Stations interested in Sterling on Sunday should contact Stuart Greenblatt at sgreenblatt@westwoodone.com or (212) 419-2946.
One station Sterling Sabo might also wind up on is WRKO-680 Boston.
Currently, ‘RKO airs the syndicated Bill Cunningham show on Sunday nights from 10:05 P.M.-1 A.M., however; it’s distributed by iHeart-owned Premiere Networks.
With Bloomberg’s lease on iHeart-owned WXKS-1200 due to end in the next few weeks, I wouldn’t be surprised (and in fact, fully expect) that the syndicated talk shows (mostly from Premiere) currently airing on WKOX-1430 between 9 A.M. and 1 A.M. will move to WXKS-AM, and that that iHeart will yank both “Coast To Coast AM” and the aforementioned Bill Cunningham show from ‘RKO and move them to WXKS, along with picking-up a syndicated talk show for morning drive time..
Sabo would be a possible replacement for Cunningham should iHeart yank his show from ‘RKO to put on their own station.
Meanwhile, I expect WKOX to air Fox Sports Radio 24/7; it already does so overnights and early mornings.
I still deeply miss Drudge on Sunday Night.