77 WABC host Sid Rosenberg is considering taking his popular morning show into national syndication, but he doesn’t have the blessing of colleague Curtis Sliwa.
While discussing the possibility of Rosenberg joining the likes of Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Clay Travis, and Buck Sexton in the talk radio ranks of nationally syndicated hosts, Sliwa shared that he believes the industry has been ruined by the development of syndication.
“All syndication sucks. It has destroyed talk radio,” Sliwa sternly said. “Because of syndication, we haven’t been able to develop live and local talent all over this nation, because it’s just so easy for a station to plug in syndication.
“I was at the original WABC when Rush (Limbaugh) was doing local, and eventually national. He was better (locally). (Sean) Hannity? Better! Mark Levin? Better! Much better! Because all of a sudden, you get syndicated, and it’s milquetoast. You gotta hit your marks. You can’t offend people.”
Sliwa then told Rosenberg he would hate being a syndicated host.
“Program Directors from two-watt stations that you can’t even find on a map — ‘I’m gonna get rid of the Sid Rosenberg show, and that’s gonna create a domino effect!’ — do you need that irritation?!”
Rosenberg then admitted that being a local host allows him flexibility in the program’s clock, which has led to issues inside the hallways at 77 WABC.
“I don’t necessarily do a good job with that because I always consider content to be more important. I think the ads can wait,” said Rosenberg. “And that has caused, I mean screaming matches — screaming matches — in the hallway between me and Chad (Lopez). I love and respect Chad. He’s my boss and the best boss I’ve ever had. But I have a way of doing things and I don’t want the clock to get in the way and when it comes to syndication, you’re right, that becomes a huge pain in the ass.”
Curtis Sliwa appears on Sid and Friends in the Morning each weekday but said that would end if Rosenberg took the program to a nationally syndicated audience.
“You will lose me. I will not do syndicated radio. That has destroyed talk radio,” Sliwa said defiantly.
Sliwa continued by noting that he has been tasked with finding new talent by John Catsimatidis and Chad Lopez in an effort to combat George Soros, who recently became the largest shareholder in Audacy.
