From the P-G:
I wonder what the "new format" is going to be.As of Aug. 30, longtime radio talk show host Lynn Cullen will no longer be on the radio.
WPTT-AM (1360) is switching to a new format and will be eliminating Ms. Cullen's show, which airs from 9 a.m. to noon.
Ms. Cullen confirmed today that her last day would be Aug. 29.
While she will be taking a previously scheduled vacation this week, Ms. Cullen said she plans to be on the air for her final four days, Aug.26-29.
"You don't just create an audience in this business, you create a kind of community," said Ms. Cullen, known as one of Pittsburgh's few liberal broadcast personalities, "and I need to be able to talk to this community about this and to try to assuage what I suspect will be frustration and anger at losing a voice that they felt spoke for them."
UPDATE: Johnny Mac's got some more info:
There's more, but you'll have to go to the maycapper blog to get it.Now comes word that a classic, classy liberal talk show host, and a good friend of MacYapper's, will soon be off the air, apparently for good.
WPTT will soon flip its format to all Business Talk. Hosts will be local in the afternoon and syndicated the rest of the time. This project is being put together by local successful businessman Ron Morris who hosts the WPTT weekend show American Entrepreneur.
He will have local afternoon business hosts including the likes of former County Executive Jim Roddey, former GOP mayoral candidate Mark DeSantis, and Morris himself.
26 comments:
well... i doubt that it will happen, but i know that they air thom hartmann's show from noon- 3pm... so maybe they are moving to add more nationally syndicated progressive shows to the lineup???
I wonder if Thom Hartmann will survive? WPTT could've been the lone liberal bastion in Pittsburgh but they really dropped the ball in this past year. What an idiotic time to fire Lynn just when we're heading in to a hot presidential election. Pittsburgh radio is becoming a wasteland for talk beyond the RW loonies. Thank goodness for internet radio access where I can listen to liberal hosts.
I'll really miss Lynn, been listening to her since her days at WTAE. I doubt she'll find another gig here the way local radio has gone. Guess I'll be getting through a lot of books on CD in the car.
I betting the new forum will host JohnK.
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PS. What do they expect? It's a fricken AM station.
i stream novaM radio (1480 kphx out of phoenix) all day long, stephanie miller, thom, randi... i have no use for am radio. but... there is still an element who DOES listen, and looking at the very slanted lineuup on wptt (laura inghram on twice dly... wtf?) they certainly have room to add someone else from the left, with a nationally syndicated show.
i'm sorry for lynn though.
The new format is business talk. It's being put together by Ron Morris. The WPTT you knew will be dead in less than two weeks.
oh CRAP!
that sucks.
well, i suppose that's it for my morning radio listening.
Well, what do you expect from a station that streams Laura Ingraham in TWO time slots per day? I can't believe WPTT is pulling this BS. Hopefully, some station like KDKA (yeah, right!) will pick up on the fact that Lynn Cullen has a viable listener base in Pittsburgh. Well, besides KDKA, what other station is going to do it? KQV? 104.7? LOL!!!! Lynn, keep fighting, don't retire!!!!!
John K: First off I am a fan of Ron Morris. He has talked about this venture on his Saturday morning show. This is requiring both a financial and entrepreneural investment by Morris. Indeed Mr. Roddey will have a slot. So I have listened and followed the talk about the format and will be tuning in. But will still not miss one hour of Limbaugh.
John K: From my point of view. LMAO LMAO LOL LOL LOL This is so funny. Cullen got replaced on KDKA by reruns of Limbaugh and now this. We are driving you liberals back into the caves. Olbermouth moving down the dial and this. LMAO LMAO Oh Yah! I told you I WIN! Don't doubt me.
JohnK, who is 'we'?
First, I am a Conservative that does listen occassionally to Lynn Cullen.. as well as Chris Moore.. my pulse rate rises, I talk back to the radio.. and I turn the dial.. only to turn it back! I like talk radio as I work or drive... One day I'll listen to talk radio and the nect I'll listen to my smooth jazz Cds.
I'm not a huge fan of Lynn, but I agree she should land somewhere in Pittsburgh. She's honest about her liberal views and I respect that. (Personally, I'd rather listen to Lynn than Rob Pratt.)
The biggest issue most likely was ratings and the station's (in)ability to sell enough advertising to support live personalities such as Lynn. It's a fact of life in the radio business.
Finally....
Hey, John K. Cut the LOL amd LMAO and other BS you put in most of your posts. You're an embarrassement. Argue ideology using facts and/or solid logic. OK?
I knew it wouldn't be long before he dumped a load of his stupidity here...like clockwork.
I'm sorry but I fail to see how a satellite network changing it's station numbers is any indication that Olbermann is floundering. I have Dish Network and they haven't moved MSNBC from the 200's - where they have ALL the news stations. By John K.'s logic, I guess that means all of those stations have poor ratings because their channels are all in the 200-210 block.
The point is that satellite networks rearrange their stations occasionally. It's not really a reflection of ratings since satellite networks don't show programming based on ratings!
Look, John K., if by winning you mean spending an hour every Saturday masturbating while listening to Rush Limbaugh, good for you!
If by winning you mean getting a hard on every time Hannity molests your mind with lies and smears, good for you.
If jacking off to the rightwing freak machine gets you off, John K., well, at least you've got that.
John K: I got an idea. Start a liberal radio network. Oh yah, LMAO, they did that, Air America. And Franken had to steal money from the homeless to keep it running. Only way Cullen can stay on the air is if the fairness doctrine comes back in and you liberals exercise your free speech rights by forcing everyone else to listen to you. LMAO LOL LOL Man this is way too funny. Even for you KGC. LOL LOL
John K: Jaywillie you lose!
John K: Bob...the "we" is conservatives. That excludes you and people who think liberals actually have something to contribute. LOL
To John K...
Please leave me out of your "we". I am a Conservative and, trust me, you DO NOT speak for me with your trolling posts.
I visit this Website and other left-leaning sites to gauge what is going on even though I disagree vehemently with their views.
I've been reluctant lately to comment much on this site lately because I can't get all that worked-up by some of the topics.
Again, leave me out of your "we". Argue facts and/or logic.. stop the trolling. Disagreement with opposing viewpoints doesn't justify name calling or childish behavior.
John K: Actually KGC I can use the collective term 'we'. Mostly because I do not speak for you. I also question the fact that you call yourself a conservative. Time for your ego to get under control. But, I can still use the term 'we' and you pretty much don't have anything to say about it.
What exactly do I lose, John?
What the hell are you talking about?
For one, I don't listen to the radio other than for music on my way to and from work, so...go right ahead and have yourself a great big old wankfest on Cullen leaving. Doesn't matter one wit to me...
Of course, you still haven't explained to me how a satellite network doing what is really routine channel rearrangement has anything to do with Olbermann's ratings, which are quite good from what I hear.
Just think for a second how stupid your little theory sounds - Olmbermann's ratings stink, so say you, so...they move the entire MSNBC network to another channel??? Yeah, that makes sense.
Honestly, John, there's not much point in arguing with someone who, it seems, isn't even aware how television works these days.
And may I just say I support what KGC has posted.
John, speak for yourself. Offer your own opinions. Don't hide behind some ethereal "we."
Lynn is a solid talent and will be leave a major hole in the Pittsburgh radio landscape. She is smart and literate and just plain fun to listen to. She has a lot to offer and it is shame to lose her. Really, a damn shame.
It is not, however, a surprise. WPTT has become nothing more than a "repeater" in recent years, just using its transmitter to pass on syndicated crap. First Uncle Dougy got the boot, now Lynn. And both of them were great radio hosts who worked hard every day. Try it some time. Imagine that you had to fill 3-4 hours every day....and do it with good grace...
And Hartmann will be a huge loss in Pittsburgh. I enjoy his show immensely and will now have to stream it, rather than hear it in my car at lunchtime.
As to Ron Morris and a business radio station? Yea, right. His petulant, laconic approach has about as much mass appeal as Jim Roddey does. They are both men with too much ego and too little talent. Roddey, who still can't imagine that he's no longer attractive to young women, will bring what to the airwaves? GOP talking points?
I do understand that AM stations are struggling to find some reason to stay on the air, but this isn't the answer.... In six months they'll go "All Stock Quotes, All The Time."
If they are going to an "all business" format built around Ron Morris, WPTT is finished as a radio station. They won't last 3 months. Taking Lynn Cullen off in the midst of this election is probably the dumbest business decision I have ever heard. Renda Broadcasting are idiots!
I have listened to Ron Morris's Show. It is probably one of the most boring radio shows EVER conceived, ANYWHERE, in the HISTORY of broadcasting. I come from an entrepreneurial family. It killed my father and it nearly killed me. Having your own business is one of the very worst lifestyle choices one could ever imagine. Sheer hell. Who wants to listen to this topic on the radio! No American small business can prosper or even survive in 2008 in the present war economy of top down corporate military socialism. What are these incredibly vain people thinking? Ron Morris comes across on the radio as Willy Loman on LSD washed down by a fifth of Jack Daniels.
What a bunch of unbelievable business idiots.
The biz news format will make money for Renda because blocks of programming will be sold to people who want to pitch their get-rich book or DVD. That's the way biz radio works. It's been the salvation for a lot of weak AM signals that otherwise couldn't draw an audience.
I will disagree with Hoerth being a hard-working host. He had been on auto-pilot for years, telling the same stories and doing the same bits over and over. Very few people want to talk about "The Godfather" and "F Troop" after all these years. He pretty much self-destructed from redundancy.
John K: Morris has a large following on Saturday morning and Friday afternoon when he broadcasts. This was not done overnight. Morris researched this project and the money involved. Remember, Morris started 7 years ago by buying air time on WPTT and then selling the advertising. Cullen just rants and like I said, people are tired of liberal whining all day long. The Arbitron ratings reflect that.
John K: Jaywillie: Obama is losing. He is even with Mccain with a +/- at 2.5% in Gallup. With all the press he gets he should be 30 points ahead. Historically, something liberals know nothing about, at this point the worst Democrats are at least 10 points ahead. As for you agreeing with KGC, that is about right. You love those conservative who agree with liberals. They give you validation. LMAO And KGC likes being liked by liberals. Sort of a symbiotic relationship. As for the "we", exactly what are you going to do about it? LMAO LMAO I own you Jaywillie.
Hey, John K... NOWHERE did I say I liked to be liked by liberals. and, NOWHERE did I say I agreed with liberals. I did say that I respect liberals who call themselves liberals (unlike many liberals who are calling themsleves "progessive" or "moderate"). I don't have to agree with someone to respect their position.
Finally, I have little or no respect for someone who fabricates their version of the story as you have done with me and my position(s).
John K: KGC, go hang with your liberal buddies. You clearly crave their respect. Doesn't bother me. Compromising with liberals always moves conservatism ahead eh? LOL
Even though I am a conservative, I did occasionally listen to Cullen's show to get the opposite perspective. Plenty of other media outlets to get said perspective still, but it is still a shame.
I guess there just isn't a big market for liberal talk radio.
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