Remembering Lynn Samuels

Ten years ago I wrote briefly about Lynn Samuels, the radio talk show host who died suddenly in late 2011 at the age of 69. 

Lynn was a rare thing -- a liberal woman in the combative world of conservative male talk radio, a rough talking broad among the fast talking dudes. But her show was more than about politics -- it was about life, it was about attitude, it was about pop culture, it was about the absurdities of living in New York City -- and Lynn was New York City to the core. Her voice was the city. More than anyone else on the radio, she defined and explained NYC to itself.

She was the closest thing ever to a stand-up comedian on the air. 

Lynn was a journey-woman radio host, migrating from the rough and tumble of non-profit radio station WBAI to the (then) powerhouse local station WABC, and finally to the behemoth of SIRIUS XM. During her WABC years she would be hired and fired many times, always in a different time slot -- weeknights, late nights, Saturday mornings, Saturday afternoons, Sunday nights, and she would fill in for just about every other host on the station as well. She'd take calls and talk to anyone, bring on psychics and all sorts of weirdos on the air, she'd sing and bang the console, she'd do anything to entertain her audience. Before podcasts, Lynn was the best thing you could possibly listen to.

I discovered Lynn's show in high school and fell in love with it. I even called into her a few times to talk about the newly elected President Clinton and movies. She was always a joy to chat with, a real character. 

This hilarious clip of Lynn reading the personal ads capture what was so special about her, and Lord know we'll never hear her likes again on the NYC airwaves. 

Lynn Samuels RIP

A little late in blogging about this but I was very sad to hear about the death of Lynn Samuels, the radio talk show host, who bounced around the airwaves of NYC for many decades.

She was a one of a kind, and a real New Yorker (or "Noo Yawka" as she would probably say). Her voice bled the city, her attitude and views were totally New York -- strong, in-your-face, honest, unpredictable, and one-of-a-kind. She an iconoclast: a woman in a man's business, a liberal in a conservative world, a screeching voice in an industry that rewarded smoothness.

We probably won't see her likes again in radio ever.

Lynn Samuels broke every rule and offended every sensibility -- and for that, she'll deeply missed. 

The Fall of WABC

Just over a month ago the pop station WPLJ 95.5 FM went off the air after being sold to a Christian broadcaster; now its sister station WABC 77 AM has also been sold -- to a local businessman.

This is an interesting development. For decades WABC was owned by big corporations like Cap Cities/ABC, Disney, and, more recently, Cumulus. Now it'll be the personal possession of NYC grocery store magnate John Catsimatidis (more on him and this purchase in a moment).

WABC used to be a huge radio station in NYC. It was a ratings powerhouse and hugely influential in the life and culture of this city. In the 1960s and 1970s it was the music station in town, producing DJs like Cousin Brucie and others, and introducing new bands and singers to NYC listeners. Then, in the early 1980s, it became a talk station -- and made history: its where Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity started their nationally syndicated radio shows, almost launching the conservative media universe that now rules our country. WABC's stable of right-wing radio hosts like Bob Grant and others were (probably) responsible for the election of Governors like Christine Todd Whitman and George Pataki as well as Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the early 1990s.

In many ways, we live in the world that WABC created.

But its been left behind, rattling in the dust. Limbaugh and Hannity moved their shows from WABC many years ago. The Internet and podcasts and social media overwhelmed it, making talk radio seem quaint. It became a victim of its own success. More importantly, as the times changed, as the city it broadcasted to became more diverse, WABC remained, no pun intended, static -- it didn't change, it just devoted itself 100% to angry white male talk, and its rating fell over time. Just as importantly, it was never able to fill the ratings void that Limbaugh and Hannity left behind.

And so, after decades of ruling the NYC radio ratings and government, WABC "bent the knee" to John Catsimatidis. Who is he? He's a businessman who made a fortune running the Gristedes supermarket chain. He's invested in real estate, oil, and other industries and -- like many rich and bored guys in town -- is also interested in media and politics. He gives money to the GOP and Democrats (he's a big Trump supporter), and even has his own radio show where he hosts politicians of all stripes. He's a complete buffoon, one of these guys no one would pay any attention to if he wasn't very rich. He even ran, very unsuccessfully, for mayor back in 2013, and lost big. He's the kind of person everyone mocks behind his back but genuflects in front of -- again, only because he's rich.

What's fascinating about this sale, however, is that a station that was once a part of a huge corporation will be run by one man. It'll be interesting to see if John C. is able to make it into a vibrant local radio station, giving it a new life and relevancy -- or just erode it further. I'm especially amazed that he was able to buy it for only $12.5 million! For a once big-time station in the country's biggest radio market, that's a bargain basement, almost fire-sale price. There are apartments in NYC that cost more, a lot more, than that! It just shows how far the once high flying station has fallen, how irrelevant this once indispensable station has become.

An exhausted volcano.

Good luck, WABC.

P.S. I listened to WABC back in high school and, a short while, after college. Most of the hosts were morons but there was one I loved -- Lynn Samuels, the screechy voiced liberal loudmouth. She was NYC to the core, loud and outrageous, funny as hell, the kind of person I can't imagine being on the radio today. She was very popular and ran on WABC for many years before going off to satellite radion. Sadly, she died several years ago (I even blogged about it here). What she would made of Trump as president is anybody's guess!