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News/talk radio stations had largely been unaffected in the widespread cuts at iHeartMedia. But one of the biggest casualties in the cuts was 1200 WOAI afternoon host and iHeartMedia San Antonio legend Joe Pags.
After several cuts were announced, Joe “Pags” Pagliarulo shared a video on social media revealing that he had been informed that after 19 years, he had hosted his final show on the iHeartMedia signal.
But, The Joe Pags Show lives on. The program, which is syndicated by Compass Media Networks, is still heard on more than 170 stations throughout the country.
So when he was informed of the move Friday afternoon, he didn’t have time to wallow in self-pity. He had to figure out how to get on the air for that evening’s show. And while the program ran an encore presentation on Friday evening, things needed to be implemented for Monday’s show to ensure a smooth operation.
“Over the weekend, I had some sleepless nights getting the technical side done so that the listeners don’t feel much of a change at all, and the affiliates don’t feel much of a change at all,” Pags admitted. “But going forward, the show will still be the show, and it doesn’t change much other than we had a system set up through a studio in San Antonio that would take it from my studio and things like tone sensors, and relays, and bumper music, and all that has to be now done by me or my staff, and, and not iHeartMedia in San Antonio.”
Joe Pags has built a strong social media following, with more than 675,000 followers on TikTok, more than 400,000 followers on Instagram, more than 200,000 followers on X, nearly 180,000 subscribers on Rumble, and 20,000 subscribers on Twitch. So when sharing the news that he would no longer be at his longtime home caught many off guard.
“The reaction has been ‘Why?’ And that feels really good. A lot of people really do like the show,” he shared. “And when you would go to my website and click on Listen Live, you would hear the WOAI feed live at 6 PM eastern time Monday through Friday. So a lot of people, even from outside the market, were listening to the WOAI.
“I do want to say this: 19 years ago, I left television news and took an opportunity in San Antonio. I’ve done very, very well in this market and am very well known. Most people really like the show, really know the show. Some people don’t like the show, but they still know the show at the end of the day. We are, right now, riding on the highest ratings we’ve seen in many, many years in San Antonio. We are seeing, I would imagine, a good profit for that building in San Antonio. I don’t pretend to know how corporate America works, and I understand that this company is simply reorganizing. I was part of that. So I hold no bad feelings.”
It would be reasonable for the longtime host to feel some animosity toward the company for the decision and the downsizing. But Joe Pags admitted he’s only felt gratitude and admiration since receiving the surprising news.
“I actually hold nothing but positive feelings about the company for the simple reason that I’ve been here 19 years,” said Pags. “Before this, I think the longest broadcast job I had was five years because it’s a transient business. You keep on moving up, and moving up, and moving up. I locked in here and went through a lot of life changes and life moments here. While working here, I had cancer and beat it. Adopted two children who are wonderful, including one from China. I included the audience in all of that. They know my family, they know me, they know my five daughters, my wife, they know everybody. And it’s been home for a really long time.
“There are people in this market that only know The Joe Pags Show at 5 PM central every day. They think that I’m their local radio guy. So this will be a massive change for them. It’s a massive change for me, but my appreciation for this market and this area where I’ve lived for such a huge chunk of time, and where we’ve had so many different life events happen, I can’t even explain how much I appreciate the market and how much I’ve loved being here.
“Because of what I’ve done here, I’m able to be nationally syndicated. I’m on television all the time, and I’m known as one of the top talk shows in the country. So it’s all good and it’s all positive. Do I wish I were still going to be on WOAI today? Absolutely. I would like nothing more than to have continued but it wasn’t in the cards. I truly hope iHeartMedia, through reorganization, becomes extremely profitable and succeeds. It’s a great company.”
He added that he was never angry, but was surprised, by the move from iHeartMedia. However, after the initial shock, Joe Pags has focused on the positives and the opportunities that now present themselves.
“Because I own (The Joe Pags Show) completely, the opportunities are probably more digital stuff,” he said. “I’m an old-time broadcaster. I want to be on as many radio stations as possible. In fact, if there are radio stations reading this, I want to be on your station. Having said that, as a broadcaster in 2024 America, you’ve got to be on digital … So this gives me the opportunity to not have to worry about, ‘Do I have to check with the company if I do this? Does the company have any input on that?’ It’s now me. So if I succeed, I did it. If I fail. It’s on me.”
The Joe Pags Show airs live from 6-9 PM ET and is distributed by Compass Media Networks.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
