SYRACUSE -- As reported here earlier this month, former longtime WSYR radio host Jim Reith has joined the staff at public broadcaster WCNY. He's been blogging on the station's website since then, and starting Monday, fans (and perhaps some opponents) will be able to hear to Reith's voice again, as he begins producing daily podcasts. WCNY revealed more details about what listeners can expect to hear.
In a press release issued by WCNY, the station says the podcasts will be released every weekday, running 30 minutes in length. Described as "Reith at his talk show best," the podcasts will feature interviews with local newsmakers, along with Reith's opinions on current events.
Although WCNY is based in Syracuse, the radio and television operations cover 19 counties in multiple markets surrounding Syracuse. To cover all of that territory, the station says the podcasts will offer "three 'zoned' segments with news and stories from Utica/Rome, Cortland/Ithaca and Oswego/Watertown."
Reith's new TV show, still tentatively titled Reith, is still on-track for a May 14 debut on WCNY-DT 24.1. The 30-minute program will air weekdays at 6:30pm, with reruns each night at 11:30pm on 24.1 and the following morning at 7:00am on digital subchannel 24.3.
Later this year, Reith will truly return to radio, with a 3-hour daily timeslot on WCNY-HD3. Still no word on the exact date for the radio show's launch. When the radio show begins, the podcasts at www.wcny.org/reith will be culled from each day's broadcast, rather than produced exclusively for the web.