Cumulus Talk 770 WABC New York has revealed its new lineup following the losses of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity to Clear Channel’s 710 WOR.
Curtis Sliwa and Ron Kuby, who hosted mornings on WABC from 2000 until 2007 will return to the station to host the 12pm to 3pm slot going up against Limbaugh on WOR according to the New York Times. Sliwa had been hosting two programs daily on Salem’s “970 The Answer” WNYM; mornings solo and afternoons with former New York Governor David Patterson. The morning show was set to begin a one hour simulcast on “My 9” WWOR-TV on Monday, January 6. No word on the status of any of those programs yet.
NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan will also join WABC to host a one hour local program from 5-6pm with a co-host to be named following on-air auditions.
WABC also has a new Program Director as Craig Schwalb moves from sister 630 WPRO/99.7 WEAN Providence. Schwalb previously held programming jobs in New York, Detroit, St. Louis and Raleigh as well as serving as Director of Talk Programming for Sirius. He will be replaced in Providence by current WABC Operations Manager Tony Mascaro.
The new WABC lineup will feature:
5-6am: 5am News Hour
6-10am: Imus In The Morning
10am-12pm: Geraldo Rivera
12-3pm: Curtis Sliwa & Ron Kuby
3-5pm: Michael Savage
5-6pm: Pat Kiernan
6-9pm: Mark Levin
9pm-12am: John Batchelor
12-5am: Red Eye Radio
Beginning today, 77 WABC will begin rolling out six new hours of exclusive live and local programming – featuring some of the Big Apple’s premier media personalities as hosts of what will be the most localized radio programming in the New York talk radio market.
Curtis Sliwa and Ron Kuby, two larger-than-life New York fixtures, return to 77 WABC with “Curtis & Kuby” airing noon-3p, effective today. The popular duo last hosted their popular show on the station from 2000-2007. Conservative Sliwa and liberal Kuby will discuss and debate the most interesting and important stories of the day from a Gotham-centric perspective while welcoming callers with opinions from across the spectrum. With the region’s biggest names and newsmakers as regular guests, “Curtis & Kuby” will be the place to hear what the Tri-State area is thinking and saying.
As of Monday, January 6, NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan joins 77 WABC to co-host a fast-paced hour of information and opinion with an emphasis on the New York area. Kiernan and his co-host will deliver the latest information, insight and opinion on news, sports and pop culture – whatever New York is buzzing about, caring about or worrying about on any given day. With the search for a co-host ongoing, a variety of candidates will be paired with Kiernan for on-air tryouts in the coming weeks.
And also beginning Monday, as previously announced, New York native Geraldo Rivera’s “Geraldo” will turn its focus exclusively to New York area issues from 10a-noon. Geraldo is an iconic media personality who’s been widely known to New Yorkers for decades.
“We’re delivering on our pledge to invest in localized content that will entertain, inform and engage listeners while also providing advertisers unique opportunities to reach their customers on a sustained basis,” said John Dickey, Executive Vice President and Co-COO of Cumulus.
Sliwa said: “Ever since I’ve left 77 WABC, everywhere I go people have asked me if and when I would ever reunite with Ron Kuby, because that was a great show! At a time when New Yorkers are starved for information and entertainment, I’m thrilled that we’ll be able to offer it to them on the greatest news/talk station this country has ever seen.”
Kuby said: “I am thrilled to be back at legendary 77 WABC radio with the Curtis & Kuby show — it is a new day for New York City and a new afternoon for New York radio!”
Kiernan said: “My first broadcasting job was in radio so this is a natural way for me to extend my connection with New Yorkers. I see this as a great way for listeners to reconnect after the workday. We’re going to hit the big local stories, but we also want to plug into the conversation of the day. That can include anything from pop culture to sports to the hot topic on Twitter.”
Geraldo said: “New York has always been in my bloodstream throughout my entire career understanding and discussing issues that affect everyday New Yorkers. This new honed-in focus on New York will bring to light many issues and stories that have yet to be debated. Our show will be the laboratory to find out what works and what solutions are possible.”
WNYM removed him from their site and replaced it with blank drivetime entries. This will be interesting if we ever find out how it went down. i.e. Who made the deal for the simulcast on WWOR and at the time did they know that there would be a potential for Curtis leaving the station? How did WABC get Curtis Sliwa from WNYM, was it an expiring contract? If so why would they agree to a simulcast on WWOR for a simulcast of a show that had the potential of not existing?