The recent death of Rush Limbaugh has led to a scrambling at news/talk stations nationwide. In Atlanta, WSB has chosen to give Erick Erickson Rush’s coveted noon-3 p.m. slot and provided Mark Arum the spot Erickson has had for several years.
Sean Hannity will remain live from 3-4 p.m. but the rest of his show will now air from 7-9 p.m.
Arum’s show will now air from 4-7 p.m.
The change starts Monday, March 22.
Although the syndication outfit Premiere Networks plans to replace Limbaugh eventually, radio stations such as WSB were able to get out of their contracts after Limbaugh’s death.
Erickson, a conservative with a faith-based moral center who made waves in right-wing circles by criticizing Donald Trump, joined WSB in 2011 and has been hosting late afternoons for several years on WSB. The early afternoon time slot has fewer traffic breaks and will provide Erickson a greater chance to go deeper without interruptions.
“I would never have gotten into radio without encouragement from Rush Limbaugh who has been gracious over the years with a lot of great advice and guidance,” Erickson said in a press release. “It was an honor to fill in for him on his show, and it is overwhelming and humbling to move into the slot Rush occupied with such distinction for so long. I appreciate and intend to live up to the responsibility that comes with this time slot.”
Arum has been with WSB his entire career, doing morning traffic for the radio station since 1997, adding TV duties in 2002. He did a sports weekend talk show on WSB in the mid-2000s, then tried out a solo talk show in Connecticut in 2008 for 18 months to hone his craft. In 2013, WSB rewarded him with a show from 10 p.m. to midnight. In 2017, he was moved up to 7-9 p.m., then 6-8 p.m. in 2018. He was the youngest person ever inducted into the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame in 2017.
His current show is decidedly non-political with talk about food, pop culture and sports front and center. His type of program works better than Erickson’s for the late afternoon period when WSB airs more frequent traffic spots.
“When I was hired at 95.5 WSB over 23 years ago, I could never have envisioned that I would ever get the opportunity to host a drive time show on the best news and talk station in the nation.” Arum said. “It’s a cliché, but this is truly a dream come true.”
WSB over the years has focused on local shows and local talent. Limbaugh’s departure leaves only Hannity as a syndicated talk show host during its weekday lineup and Hannity himself used to work in Atlanta in the mid-1990s.
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