Drudge Makes News. Matt Drudge’s Sunday night syndicated show, heard on KFI, is being replaced by WLW-Cincinnati’s Bill Cunningham. Known as the “voice of the common man” in Cincy, Cunningham’s show will be will be carried by 325 stations beginning October 7. No word as to whether KFI will be one of the stations to carry the new Cunningham show.
“This is a confirmation of 24 years of work,” says Cunningham, 59, an attorney who has hosted talk since 1983 on WLW-AM, according to a story in the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I feel it’s a compliment to this market. Premiere Radio Networks could have chosen any talk show host not heard nationally, and they chose me.”
Cunningham, a 2001 Marconi Award winner for best large-market radio personality, was the top choice to replace Drudge, said Sean Compton, Clear Channel vice president for radio programming, and a former WLW-AM employee. Compton said Cunningham is one of the few local talk hosts who wins the ratings while going head-to-head with Rush Limbaugh, also distributed by Premiere.
“He needs a national platform. He’s a tremendous talent. He’s hilarious. He will liven up Sunday night radio,” said Compton, son of retired overnight host, Dale “the Truckin’ Bozo” Sommers. “I like to think I’m sarcastic. I try to be an entertainer, to make people laugh,” said Cunningham, whose wife is a Hamilton County Domestic Relations Court judge.
“The Drudge Report” affiliates have been told Drudge is quitting radio to focus on his Web site and other endeavors. His last show will air on September 30.
Technically, The Bozo isn't retired-- he moved to satellite radio a la Howard Stern.
During the Pete Rose gambling investigation in 1989 Cunningham was defending Pete Rose every night on his radio show on WLW in Cincinnati. I wonder if he still feels the same way.