WPOP made the flip to News/Talk today billed as “News Radio 1410” utilizing some programs originating elsewhere in the region and syndication.
The new lineup will feature Vinnie Penn from sister 960 WELI New Haven in mornings from 6-10am, the WRKO Boston based “Financial Exchange” hosted by Barry Armstrong from 10am-12pm, Bloomberg Radio from 12-3pm, Howie Carr from 3-6pm, Mark Levin 6-9pm, and American Now with Meghan McCain from 9pm-12am. The previous Fox Sports Radio programming will remain in overnights and weekends.
INSTANT INSIGHT: Bloomberg from 12-3pm? Sure looks like a placeholder for someone else. How long until CBS’ 1080 WTIC announces Rush Limbaugh will no longer air on the station?
Update 8/6: While no change has happened yet at 1410 WPOP, iHeartMedia has indirectly confirmed a change will be taking place.
In a press release announcing that WPOP will become the home of the new Hartford Yard Goats minor league baseball team, the station was identified as “News Talk 1410AM“.
“We are thrilled to have our games broadcast live on News Talk 1410AM, and available to our fans anywhere in the world on iHeartRadio,” Yard Goats General Manager Tim Restall said. “iHeartMedia is a wonderful partner to help promote our games to their listeners in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.”
“We at iHeartMedia are excited over our new partnership with the Yard Goats; it’s great to be a part of bringing baseball to Hartford. The new Dunkin’ Donuts Park and the Hartford Yard Goats will bring more sports lovers, families and our listeners downtown Hartford and we are happy News Talk 1410AM and iHeartRadio is the place where you will hear every Hartford Yard Goats game.” – Stephen Honeycomb, Regional Market President iHeartMedia.
Original Report 6/26: iHeartMedia is flipping Sports “Fox Sports 1410” WPOP Hartford to News/Talk.
iHeart has registered 1410WPOP.com, NewsRadio1410.com, NewsRadio1410WPOP.com, NewsRadioWPOP.com, and WPOP1410.com. The flip will eliminate one of two Sports stations in the iHeart Hartford cluster as the company also owns “ESPN 97.9” WUCS. The station will become the third Talk station in the market joining Connoisseur’s “Talk of Connecticut” 1360 WDRC and CBS’s 1080 WTIC.
iHeart will likely duplicate the lineup of sister 960 WELI New Haven, which includes the syndicated Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity who do not have clearances in the Hartford market. The big question could be whether WPOP will bring Rush Limbaugh over from WTIC considering what has happened recently in other markets.
WPOP has registered a 0.1 share in each of the last three months.
Marc B 
Joseph_Gallant 
Nathan Obral 
DavidZ 
bill1820 
Hannity is on in Hartford on a 7 Hour Delay on WTIC AM 1080 weeknights at 10PM if no Redsox or UCONN play by play. Will they still carrying The Rockcats and CCSU games?
WTIC-1080 will likely be losing Rush, Hannity, and “Coast-To-Coast AM” very soon to WPOP-1410.
In the case of the overnight hours, CBS’s own “Overnight America” would be the most likely replacement for “Coast To Coast AM”. Besides, apart from a period of about three weeks when it aired on WBZ-1030 in Boston, the show to my knowledge has never been cleared in New England.
Given the unsellable nature of Rush’s program now, I’m pretty sure that WTIC would gladly give him up if given the opportunity.
WCRN in Worcester carried Overnight America for about a year shortly after the show started.
The Vinnie Penn Project is the second New Haven morning show to be added on a Hartford station. WPLR’s Chaz and AJ started on The Whale last August.
I’m surprised WPOP’s lineup doesn’t include Glenn Beck, especially because Beck’s show is a Premiere (iHeart) property, and Beck was morning co-host on KC101 during most of the 90s.