Smerconish talks about his jump to SiriusXM
Michael Smerconish leaves terrestrial radio for satellite
Smerconish talks about his jump to SiriusXM
Molly Eichel
Inquirer columnist, former Daily News contributor and syndicated radio host Michael Smerconish announced today that he will be switching platforms, lauching a new daily show on satellite radio service SiriusXM.
"The Michael Smerconish Program" will air on SiriusXM P.O.T.U.S, starting April 15. Smerconish will no longer be on the 80 terrestrial stations, including Talk Radio 1210 WPHT, where he currently appears locally. The show will run from 9 a.m. to noon daily. Smerconish says he will continue writing, as well.
Why the switch? "The appeal for me is the type of platform," Smerconish told me. "The talk radio landscape has become very ideologically-driven since I’ve been in the business. That’s not the type of program I deliver. I'm convservative on some things, but plenty of things I just don’t have figured out and that’s not the norm. That’s not how it used to be. When I cut my teeth at [Philly station] WWDB, personality mattered. Now it's ideology."
The talk radio listener has become "too old, too white, too male and too angry" for Smerconish. "We’re relying on a very a narrow group of listeners but they’re not growing a number and we’re not making any effort to grow them," Smerconish said. He does not see that changing in the future. The move to SiriusXM means reaching a different audience.
Sirius, which has 24 million subscribers, approached Smerconish about the deal, selling it to him by saying that the P.O.T.U.S. station is "politics-focused, current events-focused but you’re not going to be surrounded by people kicking the s--- out of Obama whether he deserves it or not," Smerconish said.
Smerconish does not see his style changing. "I like the front page news but I also like s---- and giggles. People will ask for your inspiration in radio and they think I’ll say [radio legend] Paul Harvey. But my inspiration is ["Seinfeld" co-creator and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star] Larry David, who finds humor in the conversations of everyday life. My eyes are always open looking for that one conversation that you’re going to talk about over coffee with your coworkers."
Smerconish's demise was a direct result of backing Obama. That and 990.— phillycaster- That's why he's leaving. He doesn't want to hear Obama's wrong and he doesn't want to face that he was wrong about Obama. MS focused on getting bin Laden and forgot about all the other issues and now he's being overwhelmed with all the bad Obama has done. Go run along and continue living in your fantasy world.— Phillies2008WSChamps
- Too old, too white, too male and too angry. I couldn't have said it better myself.— Ivy77
- used to really like him but the obama nonsense will at least be off my air now. what a downturn this guy made— raynesrock
- I'm sure this has NOTHING to do with his rudderless approach and the subsequent drop in ratings. No, it's all about pursuing listeners he can be proud of.— Diaperman50
- If a tree smerconish in the woods and no one heard it, did it really happen ?— franka
- He's a "No Labels" guy who twice voted for and continually apologizes for the most left wing radical president ever. He's "No Labels" though. Right.— teardownthisfishwrap
- Good riddance,I stopped listening in 09 ,now he can make excuses for BHO and Liberals to a paying audience.
- Sure are a lot of commenters from Alabama today!!!
— henry hill - "The talk radio listener has become "too old, too white, too male and too angry" for Smerconish"
TRANSLATION: I'm bitter about my obviously bone-headed decision to support Obama and the subsequent repercussions (no ratings), but I'm not man enough to admit it.— teardownthisfishwrap 
When this was posted earlier...there were so many negative comments that the editors took the original post down ....and reposted to eliminate the earlier comments. However....it didn't work since the majority of people recognize a fraud as a fraud.
Let me try again:
Smerconish will be famous for being an unconscionable sell out to the Left. Mesmerized by the wine and cheese crowd with their money and power, and buddies with the lunatic Chris Matthews, we soon learned that this chrome dome had little depth and his claim to conservative values had no foundation within him. Like most sell outs that are easily swayed, he couldn't resist the fawning attention from the far left as well as the big money people who wanted to bring him over to the 'dark side'. Well.....they can keep this guy who is no more than a squeaky high pitched voice dud and is nothing but a shill for the outrages of the Obama Administration. Smerconish insults those who oppose the attacks on our Constitution, our Liberty and our Freedoms by calling them "angry old white men....( sounding like a bald clone of Matthews) ...and shows that he is comfortable joining the forces of tyranny as long as he has an "in" with the power elite in politics. A HUGE disappointment as a human being.- Good move Micjael...you're changing with the times, unlike your old party, who will continue to lose presidential elections far into the future.— phillyboy1961
- 'Smerconish is jumping from traditional talk radio to satellite, saying the media form he has loved essentially left him'. This idealism sounds alot like a certain ex-Pennsylvania Senator who claimed his Party left him, went out and lost his job too.
Bottom line is you have to stand for something. Specter and Smerconish are both chameleons, stood for nothing and suffered similar fates.
— Diaperman50 - The Jump in Barry's Lap doesn't pay because Libs radio is NPR. Ha, screwed by the government again. On Sirius, where the average time spent on a station is 8 seconds, he will have even more "selective appeal," see Spinal Tap.— eaglescali
- wow. A Liberal talk show host that couldn't make it in Philly? Pretty bad. So what happens when the King of all Media leaves Sirius? It becomes a footnote in radio history.— MilesLong1
