{"id":1911,"date":"2014-01-02T22:00:59","date_gmt":"2014-01-03T04:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertfeder.com\/?p=1911"},"modified":"2014-01-02T22:02:40","modified_gmt":"2014-01-03T04:02:40","slug":"more-of-big-john-to-save-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/2014\/01\/02\/more-of-big-john-to-save-america\/","title":{"rendered":"More of Big John \u2018to save America\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Big<\/a>

Big John Howell<\/p><\/div>\n

WIND AM 560,<\/a> the Salem Communications news\/talk station, kicked off the New Year by unveiling a new lineup that adds two syndicated talkers (Sean Hannity and Bill Bennett) and drops two others (Glenn Beck and Mike Gallagher).<\/p>\n

But the big surprise is the expansion of the station\u2019s local morning show to five hours, with Big John Howell and Amy Jacobson starting one hour later and holding forth from 6 to 11 a.m. five days a week. The new schedule begins Monday.<\/p>\n

Though some hosts might find a five-hour daily marathon challenging, Howell said he welcomes the additional hour. Why, I asked? Three reasons: \u201cOne, more opportunity to save America. Two, more time with the lovely Miss Amy. And three, more reasons to send a bigger commission check to my underprivileged agent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether he was kidding or not, the move clearly represents a vote of confidence in Howell, a 25-year Chicago radio veteran who\u2019s been hosting mornings at WIND since 2006. Jacobson, a former local TV news reporter, joined the show in 2010.<\/p>\n

\"Sean<\/a>

Sean Hannity<\/p><\/div>\n

Hannity\u2019s move to WIND had been a foregone conclusion since he\u2019d lost his place to Michael Savage on Cumulus Media news\/talk WLS AM 890. But it wasn\u2019t until Thursday that Salem finally confirmed that Hannity's show would be airing live from 2 to 5 p.m. weekdays on WIND, starting Monday.<\/p>\n

Calling Hannity \u201can ideal fit\u201d for the conservative talk station, general manager Jeff Reisman said in a statement: \u201cSean is one of the premier news-talk personalities, and his style will fit nicely with our outstanding lineup of local and national hosts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rejoining the station will be one hour of \u201cBill Bennett\u2019s Morning in America\u201d at 5 a.m. weekdays. The show, syndicated by Salem Radio Network, previously aired in full before WIND went local in mornings with Howell.\u00a0Dropped from the lineup were Beck, whose show aired from 9 to 11 a.m., and Gallagher, whose show aired from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.<\/p>\n

In the latest Nielsen Audio quarterly survey, WIND was tied for 38th place in the market with a 0.4 percent share and a cumulative weekly audience of 162,500.<\/p>\n

Here is WIND\u2019s new weekday schedule (effective Monday):<\/p>\n