BREAKING NEWS: Springer Out Soon?

We touched on this in an earlier item, where we reprinted a line from Chicago Sun-Times radio/TV guru Robert Feder about Cincinnati-based syndicated talk host Jerry Springer and his radio show:

Jerry Springer, whose talk show has been airing from 8 to 11 a.m., exits the Newsweb Corp. station for now -- and could be stepping down from radio entirely.

Could it be sooner rather than later?

Less than one week after Chicago rimshot liberal talker WCPT/850 announced it was dropping Springer for Jones Radio's Stephanie Miller, it is now virtually impossible to find Springer's radio show web presence.

The web URL www.springerontheradio.com used to redirect to Springer's radio show page, with his blog and all sorts of information about the program.

That address now redirects to the main Air America Radio home page, as does the former sub-site URL, www.airamerica.com/springer.

Springer's own "main" page at jerryspringer.com still has its link to the "Springer on the Radio" site that now does not work.

If you try to find Springer under the "Shows" drop-down menu, he's not there. At all. And it's not because of his move to the company's "AAR Syndication" arm...fellow host Thom Hartmann is still there.

The ONLY place we can find Springer on the AAR site this Saturday evening is on the "Schedule" page, where his picture and name are still listed, along with a link to SpringerOnTheRadio.com. Which, as we've already said, now bounces back to the main AAR page.

It sure looks like "Springer on the Radio" is getting a purge from AAR's web presence, if not from the radio (yet). The move seems to be rather deliberate, particularly with the direct removal of Springer from the "Shows" menu.

Springer's radio website has always had a list of about 30 stations that carry his show. We have no idea how many of these stations haven't switched to Miller, AAR's Sam Seder or something else.

The only one we can find so far with Springer's show on its web schedule is Clear Channel's WDTW/1310 Dearborn MI, the Detroit market's liberal talk outlet. We have no confidence that he's still airing there, though.

In fact, the only affiliate we have any confidence about is his home outlet, WSAI/1360 Cincinnati "The Revolution of Talk Radio". And if he's stepping down from radio, as rumored above, one wonders what happens next...as the station has promoted him as a local host, due to his long-time ties to the Queen City.

(Air America's situation would presumably not get in the way of WSAI still carrying the Springer show, as that's where it originates, and they hired him before AAR ever got involved.)

Again, this is just some online smoke, as we have not heard anything about Springer's radio future beyond the comment from Mr. Feder's column. But radio station and network moves have been foretold by web site changes before...