Ken Matthews (radio)

Last updated
Ken Matthews
Born
New Jersey
Alma mater North Carolina State University
Career
ShowThe Ken Matthews Show
Country United States

Ken Matthews is an American talk radio show host, professional speaker, [1] and event host. He had been hosting a national show syndicated by Talk Media Network until his show was terminated in July 2022. His flagship station was WHP (AM) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He was a regular rotating host for The Rush Limbaugh Show, and hosted the last two episodes of the program, after Limbaugh's passing. [2] Matthews has repeatedly been named one of the 100 most important talk radio show hosts in America, the "Heavy Hundred", by TALKERS Magazine. [3] [4] [5]

Contents

Early

Matthews was born in New Jersey in 1966, and grew up in Florida. [6] He attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina and studied political science. [7]

Career

During orientation at NC State in August 1980, Matthews visited the campus radio station, WKNC-FM. Within a month, he was hosting an overnight show "spinning classical hits from Bach to Debussy". He then did a jazz show followed by a rock in the morning. He planned to do pre-law and then attend University of North Carolina Law School, [8] but he didn't finish his undergraduate studies, he would joke, as he “was doing too much broadcasting.” [7]

Matthews did morning contemporary hit radio format in Portland, Maine, oldies format in Cincinnati, and CHR again in Charleston, South Carolina. His "most successful run" was decade and a half at WAEB B104 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After being asked to leave in 2006, he "explored other options", e.g., teaching, speaking, real estate, marketing, and television while getting active on Facebook and Twitter. This led to his first talk show host position when the programming director from New Jersey 101.5 (WKXW) contacted him with the idea of doing a show based on his Facebook content. He was first asked to fill in for Bob Durgin, who had hosted his own show for 24 years at WHP-AM 580 in Harrisburg, in 2011-2012 — then hired as his full-time replacement in 2013. He considers this his greatest achievement in radio, [8] a thrilling assignment, considering Durgin was "a market legend". [9] "It's a heritage station with a great team, and it's what I enjoy doing." [8]

"We need more great conversation in public," Matthews says about his show. "I like to talk about issues that sometimes make people uncomfortable, but there's a way to talk about any issue that will get people engaged in the conversation and okay with it." [10] Jeff Hurley, Regional Program Manager at Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Harrisburg, considers Matthews "the perfect host to drive political discussion in Central Pennsylvania. He brings energy and excitement that’s infectious to everyone around him." [11]

Matthews radio career "comeback" was profiled by local TV station '69 News' WFMZ in early 2019. [12] He appeared as a guest on Tucker Carlson's FoxNews TV program just prior to the general election in 2020. [13]

Matthews considers Glenn Beck, whose "approach to marketing, business, and media" he admires, a major influence. [8]

National syndication

Ken Matthews began nationally syndicating The Ken Matthews Show on December 16, 2021, with Talk Media Network as syndicator. On that date, his show moved three hours earlier to 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET, weekdays. [14] His show was intended to be “a place where you can come to openly examine what is really going on in our country. We have everyday conversations about pop culture, people, and politics, without censorship and trendy wokeness."

WHP 580 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was the flagship affiliate of The Ken Matthews Show and aired the program on delay, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET. Matthews gave a preview of his syndication focus in a video interview with Radio Ink. [15]

In Feb. 2022, a radio news website published an article tracking the growth of the syndicated program. [16] FoxNews published coverage of Ken Matthews' commentary from his radio show on April 19, 2022. [17]

On July 16, 2022, Matthews posted that he had been terminated by his network syndicator, [18] after "profane" comments he was exchanging with his production engineer ended up live on-air. [19] By way of explanation (and apology), Matthews said: [20]

... during my show you may have heard profanity and vulgarity and conversations that were not meant to be on the air and I want to apologize for that ... I was unaware that most of everything I was discussing with my engineer off the air was being broadcast on the air.

Matthews had been reading “some of Hunter Biden's texts about his mother and other family members in what I thought was a secure communication between my engineer and myself during what I presumed was a commercial break." [21] In a follow-up post he alluded that he may begin performing a program via the social media video platform Rumble. [22] On July 26, 2022 Matthews said of his current radio career status: [23]

So, I am unvaccinated, and I am un-syndicated which means I am not on regular radio anymore, so this is the first time officially in four decades that I haven’t been broadcasting.

Stations

Personal

Matthews lives with his "wife of 30 years" and two teenage sons in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. [7] He is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association of America, a pistol instructor, and a former volunteer firefighter. [24] As a rotating host on The Rush Limbaugh Show on March 5, 2021, he mentioned that he is of Hungarian and Polish descent.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rush Limbaugh</span> American political commentator (1951–2021)

Rush Hudson Limbaugh III 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 radio stations from 1988 until his death in 2021.

Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews with guests, and/or listener participation which may be live conversations between the host and listeners who "call in" or via voice mail. Listener contributions are usually screened by a show's producers to maximize audience interest and, in the case of commercial talk radio, to attract advertisers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Jessy Raphael</span> American television host

Sally Lowenthal, better known as Sally Jessy Raphael, is an American former tabloid talk show host known for her program Sally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBIN (AM)</span> Black Information Network radio station in Atlanta

WBIN is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia. It is owned by iHeartMedia, through its subsidiary iHM Licenses, LLC. It serves the Atlanta metropolitan area as its affiliate for the Black Information Network. The station's studios and offices located at the Peachtree Palisades Building in the Brookwood Hills district. The transmitter site is off Joseph E. Boone Boulevard Northwest in the Center Hill neighborhood of Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Ferguson</span> American talk show host (born 1981)

Benjamin Grant Ferguson is an American cable television talk show host and a radio talk show host on 600WREC/Memphis, TN. His radio show originates from his home in Texas. His nationally syndicated radio show, The Ben Ferguson Show, airs throughout the United States Sunday nights on Radio America and is syndicated by ICON Radio Network. Since 2018, his show The Ferguson File has aired middays on CRTV, which in December 2018 merged with BlazeTV to form Blaze Media. He is also a regular political commentator on CNN.

The Ed Schultz Show was a progressive talk radio program hosted by Ed Schultz. It was formerly broadcast from KFGO in Fargo, North Dakota. It was heard on a network of over 100 stations, including seven of the ten largest radio markets. It was also on XM and Sirius satellite radio.

<i>The Rush Limbaugh Show</i> American talk radio show (1988-2021)

The Rush Limbaugh Show was an American conservative talk radio show hosted by Rush Limbaugh. Since its nationally syndicated premiere in 1988, The Rush Limbaugh Show became the highest-rated talk radio show in the United States. At its peak, the show aired on over 650 radio stations nationwide.

WJNO is a commercial news/talk radio station licensed to serve West Palm Beach, Florida, covering Palm Beach County and portions of the Miami metropolitan area. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., WJNO serves as the local affiliate for: Fox News Radio; The Glenn Beck Program, The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, The Sean Hannity Show, The Mark Levin Show, The Dave Ramsey Show and Coast to Coast AM; and syndicated personalities Kim Komando, Ric Edelman and Bill Handel. The WJNO studios are located in West Palm Beach, while the station transmitter resides in nearby Loxahatchee. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WJNO streams online via iHeartRadio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAEB (AM)</span> Radio station in Allentown, Pennsylvania

WAEB is a news, talk and sports AM radio station in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAEB-FM</span> Radio station in Allentown, Pennsylvania

WAEB-FM is a radio station licensed to Allentown, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTKT</span> Radio station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

WTKT is a radio station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The station broadcasts with 5,000 watts power daytime non-directional and 4,200 watts night time power from a three tower antenna array in Summerdale, Pennsylvania. WTKT is the AM flagship station for Hershey Bears AHL hockey.

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

KDFD is a commercial radio station licensed to Thornton, Colorado, and serving the Denver-Boulder metropolitan area. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a conservative talk radio format. Its studios and offices are in Southeast Denver, while the transmitter site is off Colorado Boulevard in Brighton. Weekdays begin with This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal followed by Glenn Beck, Clay Travis & Buck Sexton, Sean Hannity, Jesse Kelly, Dave Ramsey and Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. Most hours begin with Fox News Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHP (AM)</span> Radio station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

WHP is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, serving the Harrisburg metropolitan area of South Central Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios are on Corporate Circle in Harrisburg, off North Progress Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRAW</span> Radio station in Reading, Pennsylvania

WRAW is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Reading, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and calls itself "Newsradio 1340 WRAW." It broadcasts a conservative talk radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLAN (AM)</span> Radio station in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

WLAN is a commercial AM radio station licensed to serve Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC, and airs a Spanish tropical music format.

Conservative talk radio is a talk radio format in the United States and other countries devoted to expressing conservative viewpoints of issues, as opposed to progressive talk radio. The definition of conservative talk is generally broad enough that libertarian talk show hosts are also included in the definition. The format has become the dominant form of talk radio in the United States since the 1987 abolition of the fairness doctrine.

Todd Herman is an American radio show host, digital political strategist, and public speaker. He hosted The Todd Herman Show on KTTH in Seattle and was a regular rotating host on The Rush Limbaugh Show. He was co-chief digital strategist for the Republican National Committee 2009 to 2011, and founded several media companies before being a conservative talk radio host.

<i>The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show</i> American conservative talk radio program

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show is an American radio program hosted by former Fox Sports Radio personality Clay Travis and former America Now/The Buck Sexton Show host Buck Sexton. It is broadcast on over 400 talk radio stations nationwide through syndication by Premiere Networks, and is considered the direct successor of The Rush Limbaugh Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Redding</span> American journalist and commentator

Robert "Rob" Redding Jr. is an American podcaster, journalist, author and artist. From 2012 to 2013, he hosted the weekday syndicated Redding News Review on Sirius XM.

References

  1. ↑ Janesch, Sam (2018-10-16). "Radio host Ken Matthews condemns 'verbal minefield' of political correctness in speech to Lancaster GOP". LancasterOnline. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  2. ↑ "EIB's Matthews closes out Limbaugh show on high note as Sexton, Travis take over Monday". FoxNews. 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  3. ↑ "Thursday, May 14, 2020". TALKERS magazine - “The bible of talk media.”. 2020-05-14. Archived from the original on 2020-07-22. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  4. ↑ "Thursday, June 10, 2021". TALKERS magazine - “The bible of talk media.”. 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  5. ↑ "Thursday, April 14, 2022". TALKERS magazine - “The bible of talk media.”. 2022-04-14. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  6. ↑ "Ken Matthews". 1210 WPHT. 2018-03-09. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  7. 1 2 3 Cryns, Jim (2022-05-23). "Ken Matthews Has Passion for Any Topic of Conversation". Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-26.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "10 Questions with ... Ken Matthews". All Access. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  9. ↑ "Media Confidential: Harrisburg Radio: Ken Matthews 'Thrilled' Over WHP Gig". Media Confidential. 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  10. ↑ "Meet Ken Matthews, WHP 580's new afternoon show host". PennLive. 2013-09-03. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  11. ↑ "Media Confidential: Harrisburg Radio: Ken Matthews Joins WHP For PM Drive". Media Confidential. 2013-08-27. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  12. ↑ "Former B104 DJ shares comeback story". WFMZ-TV. 2019-02-07. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  13. ↑ "Tucker Carlson: What Butler rally tells us about Trump and his support (transcript)". FoxNews. 2020-11-02.
  14. ↑ "Harrisburg radio host Ken Matthews to launch national news/talk show". PennLive. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  15. ↑ "Our Interview With Ken Matthews". RadioInk. 2021-12-08. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  16. ↑ "Ken Matthews Adds Affiliate Stations for Radio Show". Barrett Media. 2022-02-11. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  17. ↑ "Conservative radio host unloads on liberals' need for control exemplified in outrage over mask mandate ruling". FoxNews. 2022-04-19. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  18. ↑ "I have been terminated by Talk Media Network". Gab. 2022-07-16. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  19. ↑ "Ken Matthews Show Cancelled After Profane Live Mic Comments". RadioInsight. 22 July 2022. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
  20. ↑ Hedrick, Ryan (2022-07-25). "Ken Matthews Apologizes for Remarks Leading to Firing". Barrett Sports Media. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
  21. ↑ "Syndicated 'Ken Matthews Show' Ends Abruptly. Host Apologizes For Profanity". 2022-07-22. Archived from the original on July 23, 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  22. ↑ "Let's get ready to RUMBLE". Gab. 2022-07-16. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
  23. ↑ "Ken Matthews Details Termination by Talk Media Network". 2022-08-05. Archived from the original on August 5, 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-06.
  24. ↑ "Ken Matthews - WHP 580". WHP 580. Archived from the original on May 1, 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
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.