John Catsimatidis has fired back at former 77WABC host and New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa. Sliwa filled in for Mark Simone on Monday on 710 WOR and shared that he’s considering returning to news/talk radio. However, Sliwa reiterated that he will “never” return to WABC. The longtime New York talk show host claims he was backstabbed by WABC hosts and executives during his mayoral campaign.
In a post on 77WABC’s X account, John Catsimatidis defended the station’s handling of Sliwa’s campaign coverage. The Red Apple Media CEO rejected the notion that the outlet failed to support its former host.
“Curtis, for the record, WABC gave you approximately 180 days of unlimited airtime when you were running for mayor, which is invaluable,” Catsimatidis said.
According to Catsimatidis, the station’s support only changed after a formal complaint was filed by Joseph Hernandez, which management addressed. He also noted the broader political climate at the time influenced the station’s final decision in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
“Seventeen days before the election we followed the concern of the majority of New Yorkers — including Republicans, Independents and common-sense people — who would rather have a Democrat versus a socialist,” he said.
Catsimatidis framed the situation as a matter of balance.
“For the record: 180 days of unlimited access to the public versus 17 days when there was no hope,” he wrote.
Despite Sliwa’s recent criticism, Catsimatidis added that he chose to remain publicly supportive after the election.
As of the time of this story, Sliwa has yet to address Catsimatidis’ response. WOR has not made an official announcement about Sliwa joining the New York talk radio outlet in a permanent role. Sliwa is however scheduled to appear at a WOR event in mid-March alongside Mark Simone and Larry Mendte.
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