Jerry's Gone

It's sort of anti-climactic at this point.

After Chicago Sun-Times radio/TV guru Robert Feder hinted that Jerry Springer may give up his Air America Radio/Clear Channel syndicated liberal talk radio show, and a day after this very blog noted the near-total absence of Springer from the AAR website, Springer has officially announced the end of "Springer on the Radio".

The last show will be this Friday, Springer tells Cincinnati Enquirer radio/TV columnist John Kiesewetter in an online article that will presumably be in Tuesday's paper. It'll air on what is claimed to be about "two dozen" affiliates, though we think that figure is somewhat charitable. The last original show is expected to be Tuesday on nominal flagship station WSAI/1360 and whatever affiliates are left, with reruns filling out the week.

Springer tells Kiesewetter that it's his busy TV and movie calendar that is prompting him to dump the show - he's apparently a hot quantity after his appearance in "Dancing with the Stars". He's slated, says Kiesewetter, for a regular role on ABC's sitcom "George Lopez", and will play a rabbi in an upcoming feature film.

With the state of the show, and the questionable status of Springer syndicator Air America, this definitely has a "jump before I get pushed" flavor to it. And with the former Cincinnati mayor and trash TV host apparently enjoying a pop culture resurgence (such as it is), that's a rather convenient exit point.

One other note from the Enquirer article: Springer says he's only done one show from the Clear Channel studios in the Kenwood area of Cincinnati since August. The original plan was to do the program there on Monday and Friday, and in Chicago - where he tapes his TV show - the rest of the week.

"That's absurd. That's just not fair," Springer says in the article...