News Audio

WABC Radio’s Bernie McGuirk Has Passed Away

“The WABC morning show will hold a moment of silence for Bernie McGuirk on Thursday. The station is preparing a tribute show, which is scheduled to run on October 11.”

Published

12 months ago

October 6, 2022

BNM Staff

The talk radio industry has lost one of its signature voices. WABC announced on Thursday morning that Bernie McGuirk had died after a battle with prostate cancer. He would have turned 65 at the end of the month.

McGuirk had been with the station since 2007. He partnered with Sid Rosenberg in 2016. Their show was initially heard in middays. They made the move to afternoon drive in 2018.

“Bernie was my partner and my friend,” said Rosenberg. “He was always the smartest guy in the room, and I was fortunate to be the guy next to him. I know our listeners join me in grieving the loss to radio and to New York.”

You believed in me when almost no one else did. You stayed loyal and loved me when it would have been easy to run I am beyond devastated. But I do have beautiful memories that provide me some solace as well as knowing you are no longer in pain. I will miss you & always love you. pic.twitter.com/6xrJdHQSD0
— Sid Rosenberg (@sidrosenberg) October 6, 2022

McGuirk began his radio career in 1986. Most listeners outside of New York likely knew him from his time with Don Imus. He served as Imus’s executive producer from 1993 until 2018. His sense of humor, candid opinions, and parody songs were staples of his on-air contributions.

“Bernie was not just half of Bernie and Sid in the Morning; Bernie was part of the fabric of WABC. Listeners from all around the world started their days with Bernie’s charismatic wit and insight, from tragic events to American’s day to day life. His absence will leave a hole not just at WABC but across the airwaves and in America’s hearts. Bernie was our brother, our friend, our mentor, our colleague. We will all miss Bernie more than words can express,” Chad Lopez, President of Red Apple Media and 77 WABC, wrote in an email to his staff.

The WABC morning show will hold a moment of silence for Bernie McGuirk on Thursday. The station is preparing a tribute show, which is scheduled to run on Tuesday, October 11.

BNM Staff

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4 Comments

Marie Sheil
October 6, 2022 at 9:51 am
Bernie,you were one of a kind. We will miss you terribly.
Reply
Sondra Alfonsin
October 6, 2022 at 2:26 pm
Bernie was an amazing man. My husband and I are long time listeners. When we heard the news of his passing, we felt as though we lost a member of our family. When you have listened to someone for so many years, the loss is a feeling of emptiness. We always had our coffee ☕️ in the morning when his show started. We will miss him terribly, but know he is out of pain and in a better place😢
Our sincere sympathy to his wife and family.
Reply
Bernadette
October 6, 2022 at 2:44 pm
Bernie,
You were the most intelligent, quiet Irishman I listened to every morning. You could feel the love you had for your family through the radio. May God keep you in his care.
Reply
Mark Traum
October 6, 2022 at 10:25 pm
Sid remember good friends are hard to come and you were a good friend to Bernie and he to you! We loved the comarady that came over the airwaves each and every morning. How lucky you are to have all those great memories that the two of you created together. We feel your pain. Thanks for keeping us company every morning. Take care be well and safe stay the course and be strong
Reply

News Audio

WDAY Host Jeff Left Retires After 50 Years

Left worked in New York City, Portsmouth, Columbus, Philadelphia, and Fargo.

Published

6 hours ago

September 29, 2023

Eduardo Razo

Courtesy: WDAY Radio Staff

WDAY host Jeff Left is saying goodbye to radio as he’s retiring after 50 years in the industry across the country. Left began his career in Cleveland, Ohio, when he was 17 years old, and his first on-air opportunity was reading traffic reports to listeners.

“I wasn’t afraid or nothing. ‘I-35 backed up 10 minutes’, and I’m just reading it,” Left said about doing his first live-reads. “I said to myself, ‘Is this it? This is fun!”

Those live-reads led to Left traveling the country and working at various stations throughout his 50-year career. He worked in New York City, Portsmouth, Columbus, Philadelphia, and Fargo.

Eventually, he returned to WDAY for a second time, working in sales, production, and as an on-air personality alongside Bonnie & Friends.

“I’m lucky enough to have 27 advertising awards, I’ve been published 23 times nationally…” Left said. “…I thought it was time, and so that is why I decided to retire.”

Beginning Monday, October 2, Jace Denman will join Bonnie & Friends as Bonnie’s new co-host.

Eduardo Razo

Eduardo Razo is a news media writer for BNM, focusing on coverage of news/talk radio and news television. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at [email protected].

News Audio

KQED Promotes Ernesto Aguilar to Executive Role

Since joining the radio station in 2021, Aguilar has been Director of Radio Programming.

Published

7 hours ago

September 29, 2023

Eduardo Razo

News/talk KQED in San Francisco is promoting Ernesto Aguilar to Executive Director of Radio Programming and Content DEI. Since joining the radio station in 2021, Aguilar has been Director of Radio Programming.

Aguilar reacted to his promotion on X, formerly Twitter, and shed light on details of what the new role that he’s taking over will consist of.

“Happy to share that my role at @KQED is growing,” Aguilar wrote. “I’m now Executive Director of Radio Programming and Content DEI. In addition to the exciting broadcasts we do, I’ll also now oversee diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the Content division.

“I’ll work closely with our Chief DEI Officer and teams to ensure our internal culture and our programming authentically serves the diverse Bay Area community we cherish. I’ll also be implementing annual Content DEI plans.”

Happy to share that my role at @KQED is growing. I’m now Executive Director of Radio Programming and Content DEI.

In addition to the exciting broadcasts we do, I’ll also now oversee diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the Content division. I'll work closely with our… pic.twitter.com/Z2gYKAYMNc
— Ernesto Aguilar (@eaXLR) September 26, 2023

Before joining KQED and heading to the Bay Area, Aguilar was Executive Director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters and worked in Houston’s public radio scene. Furthermore, he thanked his boss, Holly Kernan, for entrusting him with the new role.

“Sincere thanks to @KQEDKernan, my boss, for her dedication and leadership on diversity issues,” Aguilar added. “Her support for devoting resources within Content is invaluable and a step I hope other organizations learn from.

Eduardo Razo

Eduardo Razo is a news media writer for BNM, focusing on coverage of news/talk radio and news television. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at [email protected].

News Audio

Chris Hayes Taking Podcast on Road with Live Tour

Joy Reid will join Hayes while the tour is in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Rachel Maddow is the guest for the New York stop.

Published

7 hours ago

September 29, 2023

Eduardo Razo

(Photo: Nathan Congleton/MSNBC)

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes is taking his Why Is This Happening? podcast on tour, as he’ll be hosting three live shows in Chicago, Philadelphia, and New York. Hayes has already made a stop in Austin, but the bulk of the tour is getting underway.

Hayes’ tour this fall will begin on Oct. 9 in Chicago, then head to Philadelphia on Oct. 16, and conclude in New York on Nov. 12. Furthermore, the MSNBC host won’t be alone, as he’ll guest, including some from his network.

Joy Reid will join Hayes while the tour is in Philadelphia; meanwhile, Rachel Maddow is the guest for the New York stop.

The All In host was recently in the news after it was announced that Inside with Jen Psaki will take over the Monday 8 p.m. time slot of Hayes’ show, with the change beginning on Sept. 25.

Nonetheless, Hayes will still anchor his show Tuesday through Friday, and Psaki will continue in her Sunday time slot at noon.

Eduardo Razo

Eduardo Razo is a news media writer for BNM, focusing on coverage of news/talk radio and news television. He can be found on Twitter @eddierazo_ or you can reach him by email at [email protected].