What’s the frequency?

Former congressman Peter Blute – not a bad guy, as the late Jerry Williams would have said – is leaving his morning talk-show gig at WRKO Radio (AM 680), the Globe’s Names column and the Herald both report. Co-host Scott Allen Miller will continue, apparently as a solo act.

WRKO operations manager Brian Whittemore, in an interview with the Herald’s Jesse Noyes, delivers a gratuitous kick out the door: “It will not be the same show. It will be intelligent and it will be provocative. There will be some well-known Bostonians on the show on a pretty regular basis.” Ouch.

Look, Miller’s no dummy (though I rarely agree with him [Note: In the first version of this post I mistakenly said that I rarely “disagree” with Miller]), but subtracting Blute from the equation is not going to make the show more intelligent. Blute’s departure also messes up the show’s carefully calibrated ideological balance, with Blute as the conservative and Miller as the ultraconservative.

(Disclosure: I used to be a regular paid guest on Pat Whitley’s weekday ‘RKO program – since taken over by John DePetro – and have guest-hosted a couple of times as well.)

Meanwhile, the Herald’s Inside Track gives voice to the most likely speculation regarding WTKK Radio (96.9 FM) talk-show host and Nobel Prize laureate (that’s a joke, son) Jay Severin – that is, that he’s gone from ‘TKK for good, and that he won’t pop up in Boston again until his newly signed Infinity deal kicks in this January.

The nightmare scenario hasn’t changed, either: that Infinity will hand Severin the late David Brudnoy’s time slot on WBZ Radio (AM 1030). Obviously the listeners of Boston – not to mention the current host, Paul Sullivan – deserve a lot better than that.

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17 thoughts on “What’s the frequency?”

  1. Did you really mean to say you rarely disagree with Scott Miller?(And would Infinity really dishonor David Brudnoy’s memory that badly?)

  3. Miller is a HICK!He is an ideologue and a moron by excellence.He hails from Kansas and then upstate New York from what I remember and constantly puts his foot in his mouth. He is a lacky for a yahoo right-wing-nut-job slice and doesn’t apologize for any of his dishonest idiocies he say everyday.He caters to what is popular for the moment and tries to put a smiley face on anything GOP and Bush inititated. Just like his station does. Ride the wave and never mind what is right and true.Oddly enough, I think I heard Miller endorse Gay Marriage. I really don’t know how to explain that one, except that he may have some acquaintance or family member that is gay and feels obligated to support this person or friend if he/she indeed exists.he is male bimbo with that wishy washy southern ‘Sunny disposition’ where everything and everyone is ‘good’ until there are some other ‘type of person’ that doesn’t belong to his ‘flock’Blute had more cache in this town. He has been a Republican hack all his career but still comes across as a ‘reasonable and no-nononsense’ kinda guy in this area and had a lot of draw for ‘RKO’s audience. WRKO will miss him most.Miller thinks he might be THE star now and will find out, as the political winds change nowadays and people incover truths and question more and more, he will no longer be able to get away with his shtick. I predict he will get a ‘better offer’ from some other part of the country sooner or later.Rumor is RKO is up for a lot of changes. Carr is the only viable host – another neo-fascist egotistical thug. Otherwise, everything is up for grabs.How about that little wimpy little -honest-to-God-absolutely-dumb Depetro. He is a definition of a sack of …. fill the blank. If you doubt it, look up what he has initiated with Dan Yorke and the FCC recently. He is a complete idiot.As for the king of all Boston radio liars and and propagnadists – add crook to that one too, the formerly graduated-from-BU-with-a-Master’s host that only-graduated-from-chick-college-Vassar, the story is pretty fuzzy still.Rumor has it that TKK doesn’t want to be a lame duck station for the fal wen it knows he will switch to BZ. But we don’t know for sure he will switch to BZ. From what he has said before, he has only utter condescension for Am listeners – even if Am station beat his ratings consistently. He must have been turned off from his slimy days at WRKO.My personal theory is that Infinity AND his agent are working fevereshly to control the damage done by his exposed resume lies and that some stations he was to get are having second thoughts. So that’s why no source has annouced yet any firm plans outside of his Infinity ‘signing’.Otherwise, if TKK knows already he is heading to BZ, than why wait three months?? Jay would have started already and TKK would have found someone to fill the gap and uncertainty.I haven’t read this anywhere but how else would you explain this stalling AND his cowardly absence from the airwaves to explain himself to the loyal “Best and Brightest”.The other part of the equation/reason might be that BZ is dealing with a disappointed Sulivan who might feel he deserves a better treatment and BZ is trying to shuffle and satisfy hosts.So stay intune for the makeover!I can’t wait to hear what Howie Carr says about Blute on his show today, his old Booze Cruise nemesis. He already has been hammering Severin without mentioning him by name. He also claimed he has proof Jay lied about his AGE and I am waiting for this member of the media who is going to venture and ask Howie about some details. I am sure he has them and is very ready and willing to share them. (listening reporter Dan??)Enjoy the drama!!!N.

  4. Is it just me or some IP addresses are being screened out of posting and censored?Is this news to our “Honest media, First Amendment and cultural watchdog” Dan Kennedy or is he aware or behind the action??That would be a sorry day when we complain when others censor and control information flow but turn around and censor other they want to silence.

  5. Well, your post got through, didn’t it? Other than that, I have no idea what you’re talking about. In other words, yes, it’s just you.

  7. Hey guys,I have an off-beat question that I suspect someone might be able to answer here. Hopefully Dan doesn’t mind…Did anyone listen to ‘Talking Religion’ this past weekend on WRKO and know whether Father Cuenin was on and whether he spoke at all about his firing by the Boston archdiocese?? Any details would be nice.Thanks in advance.N.

  8. Paul Sullivan is pretty cool. I heard him whale on a guy who called up and said homophobic things about Brudnoy. Paul said, “You are lying or stupid. Don’t say ‘irregardless’–it’s not a word.” Then he banned him from the show, then he banned him from even LISTENING to the show.

  9. Word out of WBZ is that Severin has the health card going for him.Sullivan is funny and by all accounts done a fine job. But how long do they expect him to be there?Severin may not be around if Sullivan has a relapse or new treatments.Like it or not, this is business and Sullivan has cancer, he had brain surgery, my sister’s a nurse she says his cancer is nothing to sneeze at.Point being WBZ is going to look like the bad guys, but they have to have there healthest team on the field.That team is Severin. They know it, which is why they are silent on this issue.Sullivan still has the newspaper gig.

  11. should be interesting to “compare and contrast” how the local media deals with Delay scandal vs. Dianne Wilkerson scandal. (Thank God for Emily Rooney.)

  12. “Blute’s departure also messes up the show’s carefully calibrated ideological balance, with Blute as the conservative and Miller as the ultraconservative.”That may be the show’s ideologicalcomposition, makeup, concept, construct, lineup, proportion, batting order, you fill in the term, but it is not balance. A state of equlibrium? I think not.Only a member of the MSM could call a conservative plus an ultraconservative balance. Sounds like the lineup for a Sunday morning political show.

  13. I must be losing my touch – my sarcasm is usually more easily understood than that.

  15. Dan, I’m going to make the assumption that you only actually listened to the former morning show on WRKO when you were paid to be on it. If you did actually listen you would know that Miller is not a conservative. Unless being Pro Gay Marriage, Pro Gay Rights, Pro Choice and a constant critic of the Bush and Romney adminstrations makes one a “Conservative.”

  16. I’ve listened to the morning show quite a bit, and am familiar with Scotto’s views. I’ll agree that “ultraconservative” doesn’t quite capture it. It would probably be more accurate to call him a libertarian with right-wing tendencies.

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