SYRACUSE -- Observant CNYRadio.com readers have noticed that CNY Talk Radio (WFBL/Syracuse, WMCR/Oneida, WUTI/Utica) has recently made some changes to its weekday lineup. The addition of an afternoon news block has pushed some talk hosts to different timeslots.
The reader who first pointed out out the changes says he heard "America's Afternoon News" recently. And according to the CNY Talk Radio website, the news block does indeed appear on the schedule for weekdays from 3-6pm. The program is provided by America's Radio News Network, the same outfit who produces "America's Morning News," which WFBL had already been (and continues) carrying from 6-9am.
Prior the news block's arrival, CNY Talk Radio carried Dennis Miller from 1-4pm. His show slides an hour earlier, occupying noon to 3pm.
The other half of the block was covered by Doug Urbanski from 4-6pm. He's been moved to a later slot, 9pm to midnight.
Ultimately, the domino effect results in Phil Valentine (who occupied the 9pm hour) and Jim Bohannon (10pm-midnight) disappearing from the weekday schedule. Valentine remains on the weekend lineup with a "Best Of" show airing midnight to 6am on Sundays, while Bohannon appears to have disappeared from the schedule completely.
Thanks to the anonymous CNYRadio.com reader who noticed the changes and pointed them out. Your tips are always appreciated -- being just one guy running this site in my spare time, I try to keep tabs on as much as I can, but I don't catch it all. Anytime you see or hear something we haven't reported yet, send the info to cnyradio@cnyradio.com or use the Contact Form.
Except that when they added the WUTI simulcast, they put Rusty Humphries on from 10-1, and an hour remains from midnight to 1 am. That because Bohannon can be heard on WIBX in Utica.
As far as I'm concerned, it's like they've given up and ceeded the 3-6 slot to WSYR or WXTL - I tried to listen to the news show, but it's repetitive and aimed at people who will be in their car like 30 minutes tops, they only cover so many stories - and worst of all, they talked about one story, then the ABC News feed at the top of the hour covered the same story right afterwards. I'd rather have Doug Urbanski on in that slot, who is 1000 times better than Jim Grief.
Oh well, maybe WXTL will hire someone as good as Gary Nolan and that will solve the problem of where to tune in the afternoon.