''Springer on the Radio'' was an American radio program broadcast from WCKY and later

WSAI WSAI (1360 AM) is a Cincinnati, Ohio commercial radio station. Owned and operated by iHeartMedia, its studios, as well as those of iHeartMedia's other Cincinnati stations, are in the Towers of Kenwood building next to I-71 in the Kenwood sect ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

from January 17, 2005 to December 5, 2006 and syndicated nationally on the

Air America Radio Air America (formerly Air America Radio and Air America Media) was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk radio. It was on the air from March 2004 to January 2010. The network was founded as a left wing alternative to counter ...

network from April 1, 2005 to September 18, 2006 when it moved to Air America syndication, meaning that it was still syndicated nationally, but not on the Air America network lineup. It was hosted by

Jerry Springer Gerald Norman Springer (born February 13, 1944) is a British-American broadcaster, journalist, actor, producer, former lawyer, and politician. He hosted the tabloid talk show '' Jerry Springer'' between September 30, 1991 and July 26, 2018, an ...

, best known as a

TV talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sho ...

host. Springer is a former

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

(formerly

’s

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

) still active in the party organization. His radio show focused on the day's

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. N ...

with a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

and progressive standpoint. It aired on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. ET on select Air America radio stations. The theme on all Friday shows was called Freedom Fridays, allowing callers to talk about whatever topic they desired. On the other days of the week, callers were only allowed to comment on what Springer was discussing.

Political aspects

Jerry Springer gained national

popularity In sociology, popularity is how much a person, idea, place, item or other concept is either liked or accorded status by other people. Liking can be due to reciprocal liking, interpersonal attraction, and similar factors. Social status can be ...

in the early 1990s hosting ''

The Jerry Springer Show ''Jerry Springer'' is an American scripted syndicated tabloid talk show that aired from September 30, 1991 to July 26, 2018. Produced and hosted by its namesake, Jerry Springer, it aired for 27 seasons and nearly 5,000 episodes. The television ...

'', setting the standard of so-called '

Trash TV A tabloid talk show is a subgenre of the talk show genre that emphasizes controversial and sensationalistic topical subject matter. The subgenre originated in the United States and achieved peak viewership from the mid-1980s through the end of t ...

'. Springer on the Radio is produced with a higher quality level compared to ''The Jerry Springer Show''. The program's comments and general standpoint overwhelmingly favors the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and viewpoints considered liberal in the

American political American politics (or American government) is a field of study within the academic discipline of political science. It is primarily, but not exclusively, studied by researchers in the United States. Along with comparative politics, international re ...

spectrum. Springer on the Radio, along with other talk shows broadcast on the Air America Radio network, arose to counterattack the perceived radio hegemony of conservative talk show hosts such as

Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American conservative political commentator who was the host of '' The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nationally syndicated on AM and FM r ...

and

Sean Hannity Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American talk show host, conservative political commentator, and author. He is the host of '' The Sean Hannity Show'', a nationally syndicated talk radio show, and has also hosted a commen ...

. Over the years, Jerry Springer has shown an interest in running for either the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

or the governorship in Ohio. His decision to host a serious liberal radio show might be due to a desire to distance himself from his TV show, which he himself considered ‘stupid’. Such action gives Springer the possibility to prove to the older generations that, while his TV show (which appeals primarily to younger adults) was empty-minded, he may nevertheless be well-suited to representing citizens.

Stations

Terrestrial Springer on the Radio reached a height of 53 affiliates. It did not have nearly as many when the show reached its last day on air.

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

reported that the show had
about two dozen
stations on its last day. Some of these stations are listed below. *

San Diego, CA San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

: 1360

KLSD KLSD (1360 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in San Diego, California. It is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts a talk format branded "The Patriot AM 1360". The radio studios and offices are on Granite Ridge Drive in the Serra Mesa neighb ...

San Luis Obispo, CA San Luis Obispo (; Spanish for " St. Louis the Bishop", ; Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, in the U.S. state of California. Located on the Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfwa ...

: 1340

KYNS KYNS (1340 AM, "Alt 100.9") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to San Luis Obispo, California, United States and serves the San Luis Obispo area. The station is owned by Martha Fahnoe, through licensee Dimes Media Corporation, and br ...

Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

: 1340 KCLU *

Detroit, MI Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at the ...

: 1310

WDTW (AM) WDTW (1310 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed to Dearborn, Michigan. Owned by Pedro Zamora, the station broadcasts a Spanish-language music format branded as ''La Z1310''. Originating as WKMH in 1946, in 1963 it became known as WKNR, the Top ...

* Sarasota, FL: 1450 WSRQ * Chicago, IL: 850

WCPT (AM) WCPT (820 AM) is a commercial progressive talk radio station licensed to Willow Springs, Illinois. Owned by the Newsweb Corporation, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area. The studios and daytime transmitter are located in the Jeff ...

Portland, ME Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

: 870 WMTW (AM) *

Ann Arbor, MI Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all ...

: 1290 WLBY * New York, NY: 1600

WWRL WWRL (1600 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York City. WWRL airs an all-news radio format as an affiliate of the Black Information Network (BIN). The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. By day, WWRL broadcasts at 25,000 wat ...

Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label= Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. The name “S ...

: 1260 KTRC *

Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

: 1360

Memphis, TN Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-most ...

: 680 WWTQ * Austin, TX: 1600 KOKE * Corpus Christi, TX: 1150

KCCT KCCT (1150 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Corpus Christi, Texas. It is owned by Manuel Davila, Jr., and airs a classic hits format, focusing on pop and rhythmic hits of the 1980s and 90s. The studios, offices and transmit ...

El Paso, TX El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

: 1650

KHRO KHRO (1150 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in El Paso, Texas. This station is owned by Entravision Communications. Its studio facilities are located on North Mesa Street/Highway 20 in northwest El Paso. The transmitter is located east ...

Brattleboro, VT Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The most populous municipality abutting Vermont's eastern border with New Hampshire, which is the Connecticut River, Brattleboro is located about nor ...

: 1490 WKVT *

Burlington, VT Burlington is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south ...

: 1070 WTWK Satellite/Other *

XM Radio XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio ( SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable television. Its s ...

: Channel 167; Springer on the Radio was taken off XM Radio after it was moved to Air America Syndication *Online at www.airamericaradio.com

External links

SpringerOnTheRadio.comAir America Radio main page
{{AAR American talk radio programs Air America (radio network)