KDKA drops Red Eye for new concept

February 17, 2024 Off By Eric O'Brien

Come Monday night, KDKA-AM (1020 and W261AX 100.1) will be home to a new, locally-produced and hosted talk show. “KDKA Next Take” won’t have a familiar voice attached to it though. Instead it will feature students from the University of Pittsburgh. From 1:00 – 5:00 a.m. students will share different points of view while still providing news, information and talk.

The hosts – Margaux Rentzel, Jaime Ely, and Ryan Tarabokia have been honing their radio skills with Kevin Michael Smith who is the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Broadcast at Pitt.

Audacy Pittsburgh VP and Market Manager Michael Spacciapolli has been working on this project for a few years and feels this is the right time to launch the program. He said, “This show will bring a fresh look at local news from the perspective of the next generation, which is so crucial in 2024 and beyond.”

KDKA Next Take will air weeknights beginning February 19, but already it has its critics.

“check your audience – most students are asleep at this time–old people r listening and like the current programming.” (sic) said one commenter on the station’s Facebook post.

Another comment asked if this move was because “George Soros bought the company”, referring to the recent announcement that Soros Fund Management recently bought out $415 Million – or a little more than half – of Audacy’s debt becoming the largest stakeholder of the company after bankruptcy. Soros is notoriously progressive in political view and that is sparking concern among listeners that the typically conservative talk programming will be taken away.

Still though some commenters – seemingly from both sides of the political spectrum – offered praise and encouraged other listeners to give the program a chance.

Meanwhile, Red Eye Radio is carried regionally. One Facebook poster indicated the the program is carried by stations in Fairmont – WMMN (920 and 95.7) and WGYE (105.7) – and Clarksburg, West Virginia – WHTI (102.7) – owned by LHTC Media with a License Marketing Agreement (LMA) with John Fredericks Radio Network.