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Bob Grant Retires from Radio
Friday marked the end of an era when Bob Grant, long time "King of Talk" and radio legend, aired his last show on WOR in New York. Grant, 76, seemed as vigorous as ever when he closed his show after more than four-decades in broadcasting. But an outpouring from listeners suggest it may not be the end of Bob Grant on air -- and some have speculated he might find new life on satellite radio. Grant helped popularized the radio talk format at WMCA and WABC in New York.
Story Continues Below Politicians and others called into Grant's show last week to wish Bob a farewell but offered praise for his role battling New York's liberal media establishment. New York Gov. George Pataki recalled that Grant played a major role in his upset election victory over Mario Cuomo in 1994. He also noted that the top talker played the critical role in Rudy Giuliani's election to New York's mayor in 1993. Pataki thanked Grant during a call to the legendary WOR talk host's final broadcast, during which he recalled how hard it was to get a fair break in the New York media, then heavily dominated by Cuomo supporters. "Whenever I wanted to talk to the people, I'd call Bob Grant," the Empire State chief executive told Grant, acknowledging that Giuliani had accessed Grant's show to great effect the year before. Only a week prior to his stunning win, Pataki had been trailing Cuomo by double digits in most polls. But what the surveys couldn't measure was the groundswell of support generated by Pataki's appearances on Grant's show - supplemented by the talk host's long crusade against the man he usually referred to on-the-air as "Il Supremo." Grant is also generally credited with playing a key role in the 1993 election victory of Gov. Christie Todd Whitman. Whitman campaigned as a tax cutter and squeaked to victory over incumbent Gov. James Florio - whom Grant had immortalized as "Flim Flam Florio" after he hit his New Jersey constituents with a massive tax increase. The fiery talk show host - who announced his retirement last Monday - had been deluged with well-wishers all week. And their on-air tributes showed that Grant's following was nothing if not eclectic. Howard Stern, fresh from his move to the Sirius satellite radio network, phoned in during the second hour of Grant's retirement broadcast, and waxed philosophical about the often bumpy trajectory of the conservative radio icon's remarkable career. Grant's talent is so unique, Stern said, that "I don't think the industry could ever figure out what to do with you." He praised the retiring host as a straight shooter who didn't shy away from bashing Republicans when the occasion called for it. NewsMax CEO Christopher Ruddy was one of the final guests on Grant's retirement broadcast. And he was quick to credit Grant with being one of the forefathers on the information revolution. "I wouldn't be surprised if we heard more from Bob Grant in the new media," Ruddy predicted. Conservative pundit Ann Coulter also called in to wish Bob well, praised him for his efforts and said Friday was a "sad day" for America. One of the high points was a phone tribute from William F. Buckley Jr., who praised Grant as one of the pioneers of the medium at a time when media conservatives were few and far between. Former New York City Ed Koch, a sometime target of Grant's barbs while in office, was magnanimous, going so far as to say that he'll miss the conservative talkers' broadcasts. Other notables who called to wish Grant well included former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who noted that Grant's show one of the few places where conservatives were treated fairly. Left-wing civil rights attorney-turned-WABC morning man Ron Kuby checked in to remember how cordial Grant had been during an interview about a client, who, Kuby recalled, "had done something very bad." After the broadcast, NewsMax feted the radio trailblazer at Gallagher's restaurant in Manhattan, where luminaries from former Congressmen John LeBoutillier and Dan Frisa, to Grant's former WABC colleagues Barry Farber and Lynn Samuels, paid tribute. Also on hand was Talkers magazine columnist John Mainelli, who as program director for WABC in the 1980s assembled conservative talk radio's "murderers row" around anchor stars Grant and Limbaugh. Editor's note:
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