Premiere syndicated host Glenn Beck is apparently not even missing a day on the air in the Columbus market.The very day his program last aired on Clear Channel talk WTVN/610, Beck's website is announcing his move in the market Monday to North American Broadcasting adult hits WTDA/103.9 "Ted FM".
Well, maybe it's not announcing it exactly like that, as we quote the site:Attention Fans from Columbus, OH:
THANK YOU! Because of your support and loyalty, we’ve found a new radio home in Columbus, OH.
Starting on Monday morning, tune in to 103.9 FM to hear the Glenn Beck Program from 10am-1pm every weekday!
You'll notice that Beck's site does not say "Tune to 'Ted FM'" or reference anything but the new affiliate's frequency.
Just how long will the adult hits format last on 103.9?
We point back to now-10 month old rumors that WTDA was heading for an FM talk format, rumblings we dutifully passed along way back in March.
"Ted", of course, has been airing Premiere's "Bob and Tom" in morning drive for some time now. The addition of Beck, though a different kind of show, gives it a solid talk block from 6 AM to 1 PM.
Any move to FM talk by WTDA is complicated by the fact that Clear Channel has gobbled up a lot of the traditional/conservative shows for its new WYTS/1230. Perhaps 103.9 goes shopping for shows like Neal Boortz and other shows not cleared in Columbus?
It would appear, as a guess from This Space, that 103.9 picking up any of the liberal/progressive shows left behind by 1230 is not in the cards. We could be wrong.
As far we know, North American has no talk radio experience whatsoever, so we have nothing to go on. (For that matter, we can't name any of the company's stations outside Columbus, if they even have any.)
But it sounds like they may be mounting Ohio's second new FM talk station, after Cumulus Cincinnati's WFTK/96.5 "SuperTalk FM".
Of course, the state's very first FM talk outlet is Media-Com Akron market station WNIR/100.1 Kent, which has been yakking since the early 1980's full-time - with midday host Howie Chizek taking the microphone back in 1973 (!!!).
But maybe WTDA can keep the "Ted FM" moniker, given the first name of the new Ohio governor...
13 comments:
Amazing listening to the TED-FM stream online no mention of any changes, Just automated "adult hits" as usual.
Good riddance. Now there's officially no reason to listen WTVN. That station has become a joke beyond a joke... except jokes are funny, and 610 is a radio wasteland now.
Let's roll down the talent casualty list over the past 18 months or so: Sterling, Curt Boster, Steve Cannon, Glenn Beck, and then long-term weather personality Pat Pagano. Can anyone possibily argue with any credibility that the station is better with the stiffs that have replaced these talented voices above?
Now wait, didn't Glenn claim he would not go to 1230 because of the "weak signal"?!? So he goes to a station with an even weaker signal?!? Yeah, sure, Glenn. It's not about money at all, is it? WTVN is so much better without this loudmouth and good, local talk with Riley.
Talking of the people "anon 9:25" mentions leaving, let's see if they're better or worse without them. Sterling... Riley's numbers are better. Boster... weekends, no one listening either way, plus he quit. Cannon... Hannity's numbers are better. Beck... Riley will take a hit at first, but I gurantee he does better after a few books. Pagano... I didn't care to hear this guy talk about his love for "Dancing with the Stars" for 3 minutes a morning, so I'll say having 10TV will be better. Just look at their ratings. Every change they've made has been better. Even Lehner and McCleary, as you didn't mention. No doubt they'll take a hit at first. You just don't pull of a show reaching 100k people and not. However, it's also the big stick and it'll be just fine. Good Riddance, Glenn Beck.
The above poster is EXACTLY right.
Talk about a weak signal!
103.9 is on the WOSU-TV stick in NE suburban Westerville. Which would be no problem, except it is a class A with a direction signal.
Nobody south of 161 can hear that station! Especially downtown where it gets COMPLETELY wiped out, even on the car radio, by all the big FM signals down there!
Nice to see Bruce Collins makes an appearance here at 10:03am. Folks, let's give him a round of applause. Clap. Clap.
I'm hoping one of your readers might know this bit of radio history.
I recall the first FM all-talk station in the U.S. was in Philadelphia. The calls WWDB stick in my mind, but I'm not sure if that's correct. Is that true, and what has happened to that station since?
WNIR may have been the second all-talk FM, and I heard of a New Jersey FM going all-talk, but I do not know the timeline.
All this would be 20 years or more ago, quite daring at a time when most owners believed FM meant "For Music".
Any of you good broadcast trivia/history buffs know the answers or have more info on this?
Your memory serves you well.
WWDB/96.5 in Philadelphia was indeed that pioneering FM talk station. Memory seems to serve that they were indeed the first, as WNIR did not go fully into the talk arena until - if we remember right - about 1980 or 1981. (Howie's show pre-dates the full talk format, of course, by years.)
WWDB dumped talk at a very, very bad time...just days before the November 2000 election. We've long said that if they'd stayed talk after that election, they'd probably still be a talk station today, for presumably obvious reasons.
WWDB is now music outlet "Wired 96.5" (WRDW). It went through one or two music formats between the death of talk and now.
Yes I lived in the Philly area and used to listend to WWDB. For years they resisted picking up Rush, only local shows. Then in 1993 or so WWDB picked up Rush forcing my station in Trenton to give him up. The 96.5 signal dumped talk around 1999 or 2000, changed to Alice 96.5 I brelieve.
I remember listening to Howie Chizek for the first time on WBBW-1240 in Younstown in July 1971 While my family was on a vacation at Berlin Lake near Alliance. WOIO-1060 in Canton was one of the first Fulltime AM talk stations in a smaller market in the late 1960's..
in regard to the 103.9 fm format change in C-Bus....there will be a sports talk show 4-6pm on the station hosted by long time Columbus sportstalker Mark "The Shark" Howell...in fact, Howell made the announcement today on his weekend show on 99.7 fm that the station will be called "TalkFm" begining on Monday..as far as other shows...I havent heard any, but let me throw my vote in for "Opie and Anthony" from 1-4pm on tape delay.
Regarding Philly:
WWDB 96.5 was talk until 2000. After that, 80's as "The Point".
Flipped to CHR/Rhythmic as "Wild 965" and Clear Channel threw a fit due to trademarking. Station now "Wired 96.5", still with the CHR format and running very close with heritage Philly CHR WIOQ/Q102 in the ratings.
As for New Jersey, "New Jersey 101.5" is the talk station you mention. I BELIEVE they may play music in overnights and some weekend hours. I know they used to, with talk during the day.
www.tedfm.com
5a to 10a Bob & Tom
10a to 1p Beck
1p to 4p Fox Sports
4p to 6p Mark The Shark
6p to 5a Fox Sports
More to follow
1039 WTDA Talk FM
Thank Goodness another Columbus station picked up Glenn. I only listen to the radio for him, But now have been sucked into the afternoon sports show. Grrreat Job 103.9!
Thank You
Bryan Westerville
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