Bill Cunningham (talk show host)

Last updated
Bill Cunningham
Born
William Daniel Cunningham

(1947-12-11) December 11, 1947 (age 76)
Covington, Kentucky, U.S.
Occupation(s) talk show host, syndicated radio host, entrepreneur, attorney
SpousePenelope R. Cunningham
Children1

William Daniel Cunningham (born December 11, 1947) is an American radio and television talk show host, conservative commentator, attorney, and entrepreneur.

Contents

On the radio, he hosts The Big Show with Bill Cunningham, heard weekdays on AM 700 WLW in Cincinnati, and Sunday Nights with Bill Cunningham, a program syndicated nationally by Premiere Radio Networks. (Both WLW and Premiere Networks are subsidiaries of iHeartMedia, Inc.)

On television he hosted The Bill Cunningham Show that aired for an hour on weekdays on The CW from 2011 to 2016. He is also a commentator/contributor for Fox News Channel.

Cunningham has won the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Award for Large-Market Personality of the Year twice, in 2001 and in 2009. [1]

Law

Cunningham was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1975 after graduating from the University of Toledo College of Law. [2] Cunningham did a stint as a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati-Public Defender Division. [3] He then served in the office of the Ohio Attorney General as Assistant Attorney General from 1978 to 1986 under Attorneys General William J. Brown and Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr. Currently, Cunningham works in the law firm of Steven R. Adams, which specializes in criminal defense and DUI cases. [4]

Radio

Cunningham has been on 50,000-watt radio station 700 WLW for over 40 years, beginning in 1983. [1] His first regular show on the station was at night, generally from 9:00 p.m. until midnight. His show was not heard during the summer months, when WLW broadcasts Cincinnati Reds baseball games. In the late 1990s, Cunningham's show was moved to early afternoons, which put his show directly opposite that of one of his favorite radio presenters, Rush Limbaugh, whose show is heard on sister station WKRC.

Cunningham's WLW show went on a brief hiatus in June 2010 due to a contract dispute. [5] Soon after, WLW's owner, Clear Channel, announced that he signed a long-term agreement to stay with the station. In released remarks commenting on his decision, Cunningham said, "Cincinnati is my home. The first air I breathed. The first milk I drank was from Cincinnati. Others may have come as carpetbaggers to loot the Queen City and then move on. Willie will remain true." [6]

Controversies

In December 2003, Cunningham created a parody song mocking Nathaniel Jones, a man killed by Cincinnati police, with lyrics including: "The fat man ever after has a martyr's place/ Let's all ignore whatever drugs he had...His death was unrelated to his injuries but still we hear the people sing police brutality/ lies go on bro la la how the lies go on." [7]

On February 26, 2008, Cunningham created controversy in his warm-up speech introducing Republican presidential candidate John McCain at a Cincinnati rally because Cunningham twice referred to Democratic candidate Barack Obama with Obama's full name, Barack Hussein Obama and called Obama a "hack Chicago-style Daley politician". McCain immediately repudiated Cunningham after being told about Cunningham's remarks. [8] In response, Cunningham said in an interview with CNN following the rally: "John McCain threw me under a bus... I've had it up to here with John McCain. I'm joining Ann Coulter in supporting Hillary Clinton." [9] Cunningham would continue to be a sharp critic of Obama; on his October 28, 2008 WLW show, Cunningham discussed the life of Obama's father Barack Obama, Sr. and then remarked, "... his father was a typical black father who, right after the birth, left the baby. That's what black fathers do. They simply leave." [10] This remark has been cited as an example of hyperbolic, extreme rhetoric on talk radio. [11] [12] Another Cunningham statement that has been criticized was his claim on the January 4, 2009, WLW show that poor people "lack values, ethics and morals." [13] [14] These statements, also including comparisons between Obama and Hitler and suggesting that Obama wanted to murder Jews the way Hitler did, led to Cunningham being named "one of the most prolific purveyors of hate speech" by a left-leaning media watchdog group Media Matters. [15]

In October 2022, on his radio show Cunningham promoted the widely debunked litter boxes in schools hoax, stating that litter boxes were being provided in schools for students dressing up as cats to defecate in, while interviewing Ohio Republican Senate candidate JD Vance. [16]

The Stooge Report

A popular part of his radio show is known as "The Stooge Report," which begins with a clip of the Three Stooges harmonizing the word "hello" and Moe saying "quiet numbskulls, I'm broadcasting." This segment has Cunningham riffing on current events in a humorous way, often joined by sports talk host Bill "Seg" Dennison and anyone else in the studio. It lasts about 15 minutes and ends when Bill says, "Segman, get me out of The Stooge Report." at which point Seg Dennison responds, "Willie, in honor of [insert a topic covered in today's Stooge Report], I leave you with the immortal words of the Stoooooooooge Report." This occurs two times a show, after the 1:30 and 2:30 newscasts.

Television

Cunningham logo Bill Cunningham Show Logo.png
Cunningham logo

The Bill Cunningham Show , a first-run syndicated television talk show hosted by Cunningham debuted on September 19, 2011. Cunningham served as the show's co-producer. It was produced and distributed by Tribune Broadcasting and at first aired only on Tribune-owned stations, stations owned by Local TV, LLC and Raycom Media-owned WXIX-TV in Cunningham's hometown of Cincinnati, [17] prior to making a nationwide launch. It moved to The CW beginning September 10, 2012, where it was seen nationally.

The series used a tabloid-style format with a conservative approach. [18] The program was produced in New York City, with co-production from ITV Studios America. [19] Cunningham did his radio show from New York City on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays because he taped his TV show on those days. [20]

On May 27, 2016, Cunningham announced that he mutually agreed to cancel his own talk show, which ended on September 9, 2016.

Personal life

Born in Covington, Kentucky, Cunningham grew up in Deer Park, Ohio, and graduated from Deer Park High School in 1966. [21] [22] [23] Cunningham was one of four children and has described his father as an abusive alcoholic who left the family when Cunningham was 11 and his other siblings were 13, nine and four (he has an older brother and a younger brother and sister). [22] Before his mother's death in 2010, he frequently called her on the air during his radio show; he referred to her as "Ma." [24]

At Deer Park High, Cunningham played on the basketball team and was the top scorer among all Cincinnati area high school basketball players his senior year. [23] The Cincinnati Enquirer named him one of the top 100 Cincinnati-area high school basketball players in history.

Cunningham later earned degrees from Xavier University, where he played for four years on the baseball team, serving as captain, [25] and the University of Toledo College of Law. [26] He is married to his high school sweetheart, Judge Penelope R. Cunningham of the Ohio District Courts of Appeals. They have one son and two grandchildren. [26]

On March 12, 2019, Cunningham announced on radio he would need to have Aortic Valve Replacement in the coming weeks.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCMH-TV</span> TV station in Columbus, Ohio

WCMH-TV is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Olentangy River Road near the Ohio State University campus, and its transmitter is located on Twin Rivers Drive, west of downtown Columbus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLW</span> Clear-channel news/talk radio station in Cincinnati

WLW is a commercial news/talk radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio. Owned by iHeartMedia, WLW is a clear-channel station, often identifying itself as “The Big One”. Its studios are located in Sycamore Township.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLWT</span> TV station in Cincinnati

WLWT is a television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on Young Street, and its transmitter is located on Chickasaw Street, both in the Mount Auburn neighborhood of Cincinnati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCKY (AM)</span> Radio station in Ohio, United States

WCKY is a commercial radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and serving the Cincinnati metro with a sports format known as "ESPN 1530". Owned by iHeartMedia, its studios are located in the Kenwood section of Sycamore Township, while its transmitter site is in suburban Villa Hills, Kentucky. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WCKY is available online via iHeartRadio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCVX</span> Radio station in Florence, Kentucky

WCVX is a radio station licensed to Florence, Kentucky in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. WCVX is owned by the Christian Broadcasting System and it carries a Christian radio format. Its studios and offices are on West Seventh Street in Cincinnati and its transmitter is off Fowler Creek Road in Florence. WCVX broadcasts with a directional antenna with 5,000 watts in the daytime but at night it reduces power to 990 watts to protect KSL in Salt Lake City, the Class A Clear-channel station on 1160 kHz. WYLL in Chicago, Illinois is the only other full-time 50,000-watt station on 1160 AM, although it is a Class B station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Huggins</span> American former basketball coach

Robert Edward Huggins, nicknamed "Huggy Bear", is an American college basketball coach. He was the head coach at Walsh, Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State, and West Virginia. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKRC (AM)</span> Talk radio station in Cincinnati

WKRC is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio. The station airs a talk radio format, under the branding "55KRC". The station's offices and studios are on Montgomery Road off Interstate 71 in Cincinnati.

Mike McConnell is an American talk radio host most recently on WLW in Cincinnati from 2014 through present, on WGN in Chicago from 2010 to 2013 and for the prior 25 years on WLW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSAI</span> Radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio

WSAI 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 section of Sycamore Township, and its transmitter site is in Mount Healthy.

The Cincinnati metropolitan area is a large, three-state media market centered on Cincinnati, Ohio, slightly overlapping the Dayton media market to the north. The Cincinnati market is served by one daily newspaper, The Cincinnati Enquirer, and a variety of weekly and monthly print publications. The area is home to 12 television stations and numerous radio stations. The E. W. Scripps Company was founded in Cincinnati as a newspaper chain and remains there as a national television and radio broadcaster. The term "soap opera" originally referred to Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble, which created some of the first programs in this genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKFS</span> Radio station in Ohio, United States

WKFS is a radio station in the Cincinnati, Ohio, market, licensed to nearby Milford. It broadcasts a gold-based Top 40 format and is owned by iHeartMedia. The WKFS studios are located in Kenwood Towne Centre, and the station transmitter is located in Mount Auburn, a neighborhood northeast of downtown Cincinnati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Lyons (broadcaster)</span> American broadcaster

Ruth Lyons was a pioneer radio and television broadcaster in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is said Ruth Lyons accidentally invented the daytime TV talk show. Like Arthur Godfrey and others of the era, Lyons built a TV empire.

Deer Park Junior/Senior High School (DPHS) is a public high school located in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, in the city of Deer Park. It is the only high school in the Deer Park Community City Schools district.

Gary Burbank is an American radio personality. He was heard daily on WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio, from June 15, 1981, until December 21, 2007, and nationally as the voice of his fictional character, Earl Pitts, in nationally syndicated commentaries until 2021.

WARB is a radio station licensed to serve Dothan, Alabama, United States. The station, which began licensed operation in 1996, is currently owned by Brian Baker and Anthony Donelson, through licensee good Guys Broadcasting, LLC. The station is licensed to broadcast only during daylight hours.

Bruce Dale Sommers, known by his nickname "The Truckin' Bozo", was an American radio personality, best known for his long-running country music show geared toward truck drivers. Sommers hosted the overnight show from Cincinnati, Ohio-based clear-channel station WLW from 1984 to 2004, and it was carried by a small network of similarly high-powered stations across the United States. Sommers discontinued playing music on his nightly show, focusing on general and truck news, and talk from his listeners. Sommers announced his retirement from radio in 2004, but XM Satellite Radio was successful in getting him to do an afternoon truck show, which aired on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM from 4 PM to 7 PM Eastern time. Sommers retired from XM/Sirius on June 21, 2012, only to return for the last time on July 16, 2012.

The Cuvier Press Club was a Cincinnati, Ohio social club created in 1911 when the members of the Cuvier Club merged with the members of the Pen and Pencil Club.

<i>The Bill Cunningham Show</i> American television talk show

The Bill Cunningham Show is an American television tabloid talk show hosted by radio host Bill Cunningham which aired for four of its five seasons on The CW as part of that network's daytime hour. The Bill Cunningham Show, produced by ITV Studios America, debuted on September 19, 2011, and lasted until September 9, 2016. In the first season before the move to the CW, the program had limited distribution, airing only on Tribune Broadcasting owned stations, such as KAUT-TV—Oklahoma City, WGNT–Norfolk, and Raycom Media-owned WXIX-TV in Cunningham's hometown of Cincinnati. The show premiered the same day as the American iteration of Jeremy Kyle, also produced by ITV Studios, but itself only running two seasons and in traditional syndication for its full run.

The Cincinnati Bengals Radio Network is an American radio network consisting of 37 radio stations which carry coverage of the Cincinnati Bengals, a professional football team in the NFL. Three Cincinnati radio stations—WCKY (1530 AM), WEBN (102.7 FM), and WLW (700 AM)—serve as the network's flagship stations; WLW also simulcasts over a low-power FM translator. The network also includes 39 affiliates in the U.S. states of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and West Virginia: 27 AM stations, 18 of which extend their signals with one or more low-power FM translators; and 12 full-power FM stations. Dan Hoard is the current play-by-play announcer, while Dave Lapham serves as color commentator. In addition to traditional over-the-air AM and FM broadcasts, the Bengals are available on SiriusXM satellite radio, and online with NFL Audio Pass.

WNSD was a noncommercial radio station owned by the Northwest Local School District in Cincinnati, Ohio, broadcasting on 90.1 MHz FM. WNSD, based at Colerain High School, operated from December 19, 1972, to February 10, 1978.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bill Cunningham". 700wlw.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  2. ↑ "Attorney Information: William Daniel Cunningham". Supreme Court of Ohio. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  3. ↑ G. David Yaros, Senior Trial Counsel/Supervising Attorney Legal Aid Society of Cincinnati-Public Defender Division 1974–78.
  4. ↑ "Our attorneys: Bill Cunningham". Not Guilty Adams. Archived from the original on March 23, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  5. ↑ Kiesewetter, John (June 14, 2010). "Bill Cunningham says he'll stay at WLW, won't jump to WGN in Chicago". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Bill Cunningham Signs New Deal with Cincinnati's 700 WLW". Radio.about.com. 2013-07-17. Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  7. ↑ Canning, Andrea (December 5, 2003). "Protestors Call For Resignation From WLW Host". WCPO. Archived from the original on December 19, 2003.
  8. ↑ Wilkinson, Howard (February 27, 2008). "Cunningham irritates McCain". Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on February 29, 2008.
  9. ↑ "McCain apology angers conservative host". CNN. February 27, 2008. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  10. ↑ Fong, Jocelyn (October 28, 2008). "Cunningham on Obama Sr.: "That's what black fathers do. They simply leave"". Media Matters for America. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  11. ↑ Fishel, Ben (December 16, 2008). "Overlooked and over the top". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  12. ↑ Bobbitt, Randy. Us Against Them: The Political Culture of Talk Radio . Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books. p. 141.
  13. ↑ "Hate in the Mainstream". Intelligence Report. Southern Poverty Law Center. Summer 2009. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  14. ↑ Bruck, Lauryn (January 5, 2009). "Cunningham on the poor: "They're poor because they lack values, ethics, and morals"". Media Matters for America. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  15. ↑ "700 WLW's Bill Cunningham Called 'Purveyor of Hate Speech'". 17 November 2008.
  16. ↑ "OH-Sen: J.D. Vance (R) Demands Schools Notify Parents If Their Kids Identify As Chipmunks". Daily Kos . October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  17. ↑ "New Season, New Timeslots" from The Cincinnati Enquirer (August 31, 2011)
  18. ↑ "'The Bill Cunningham Show' a go for Tribune Broadcasting" from RBR/TVBR (July 28, 2010)
  19. ↑ "'Bill Cunningham Show' enters syndication" from Variety (May 16, 2011)
  20. ↑ Kiessewetter, John (September 18, 2011). "A made-over Bill Cunningham makes leap to TV Monday". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  21. ↑ Deitz, Corey. "A Profile of the Radio Personality Bill Cunningham". about.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  22. 1 2 Hoard, Greg (August 28, 2009). "Who the Hell does Bill Cunningham Think He is?". Cincinnati Profile. Archived from the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
  23. 1 2 Graham, Michael (January 1990). "The Sultan of Shock". Cincinnati Magazine. pp. 30–32, 73–78.
  24. ↑ Heimbuch, Craig (2009-08-28). "Who the Hell does Bill Cunningham Think He is?". Cincinnati Profile. Archived from the original on 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  25. ↑ "WLW's Bill Cunningham To Throw First Pitch Saturday as XU Hosts La Salle - Xavier Musketeers Official Athletic Site". Goxavier.com. 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  26. 1 2 "About Bill". The Bill Cunningham Show. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.