Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
Len Berman and Michael Riedel exited 710 WOR last week during iHeartMedia layoffs. 77 WABC host Sid Rosenberg believes he played a role in their departure.
During Sid & Friends in the Morning, the New York news/talk host argued that his show dwarfed the competing Berman and Riedel in the ratings, leading to their departure.
“So Friday, Clear Channel (sic) announces that Len Berman and Mike Riedel — two very nice men, I’m friends with both of those guys, and both have a modicum of talent, Len mostly with sports, and Mike with Broadway — but together, God bless both of them, they put on the worst radio show in the history of radio,” said Rosenberg. “It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t okay, it was impossible. And the ratings there were even more of a mismatch than what I did to WCBS.”
Sid Rosenberg asserted he routinely draws 6 shares compared to the 2 shares the 710 WOR hosts would garner. He took issue with the insinuation that he had nothing to do with their departure and that it was simply due to cost-cutting.
“I don’t know what they were making, but I’m sure it was decent money. Probably, combined, they make more than me, and I’m killing them. I’m killing them,” he reiterated. “I’m basically putting that station out of business, and all day long, they can’t catch up.”
77 WABC News Director Noam Laden told Rosenberg that if iHeartMedia wanted to compete with the station in morning drive, they should simply “back up the Brinks truck” to Rosenberg and have him replace Len Berman and Michael Riedel. Rosenberg, however, said he was under contract for another 13 months and has too much admiration for owners John and Margo Catsimatidis to depart the station for a competitor like 710 WOR.
