Neal Boortz announces retirement after more than four decades in radio, replaced by Herman Cain
Herman Cain (left) and Neal Boortz yuk it up before cameras in WSB radio studios Monday, June 4, 2012. Cain replaces Boortz in January , 2013. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
After more than four decades on the airwaves in Atlanta, Neal Boortz this morning announced that he is ending his syndicated talk show on January 21, 2013, replaced by former presidential candidate Herman Cain.
Cain will cohost the day the president elect is officially inaugurated and then takes over solo on Tuesday, January 22.
“I’m going to miss everything associated with doing a talk show,” Boortz said on air as his producer Belinda Skelton teared up.
He said he is not doing this for health reasons. “I am not doing this because I’m fixing to die,” he said. “I have absolutely no health problems period.” Rather, he wants to travel with his wife Donna, something he said is difficult to do as a full-time talk-show host. He even purchased a tour bus to rove the country.
“We’re going to call this Neal’s happy ending,” he added later with a glint in his eye.
After his first break, post announcement, associate producer Christina Gonzalez popped the champagne. Cain ambled in a few minutes later and grabbed a glass. “Mr. Boortz,” he said. “Your announcement was pure Boortz.”
Neal Boortz takes in some champagne during a break after announcing his pending retirement in January 2013. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Boortz, 67, has been the longest running talk show host on Atlanta radio. He is now heard locally on 95.5FM and AM750 News/Talk WSB from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays.
On December 5, 2012, he said he’s going to take the month off. After New Year’s, he will work until January 21.
“Neal is my brother from another mother,” Cain said on air. “Congratulations on the retirement. Congratulations on 42 years in this business.”
Boortz said he will do daily commentaries for Cain and will be a fill in for Cain and Erick Erickson, who is heard on WSB from 6 to 8 p.m. weeknights. Currently, Cain has been the primary fill in for Boortz.
Boortz estimated since he started in radio, he has taken 280,000 phone calls. “And 260,000 got cut off,” he said.
During a break, Skelton said Boortz intimated to her two years ago that he wanted to retired in early 2013. “It always seemed so far away,” she said. “For the past year, my stomach has been in absolute knots. It was hard for him. He loves what he does.”
Program Director Pete Spriggs said he was aware of Boortz’s intentions but they agreed to make this announcement relatively early. “He wanted it off his chest,” Spriggs said. At the same time, Spriggs wanted to have a successor ready to go so he was glad to convince Cain to take over.
“I feel great,” Boortz said on air at 11:18 a.m. when fellow syndicated host Clark Howard stopped by. “Last week, I felt really down. Right now, I’m feeling great. I don’t know how I will feel tomorrow. But I have no doubt I made the right decision.”
In 1970, on what was then called 680/WRNG-AM in Atlanta, Boortz took over for a morning host who had just committed suicide – a story he loves to tell.
He earned a law degree and juggled radio and a private practice from 1977 to 1992.
Boortz joined WSB in 1993 when it was just on the AM side. He’s a workaholic who spends four and a half hours on air every day, longer than most hosts, and Tweets several times a day.
A self-proclaimed Libertarian, Boortz usually supports Republican policies and candidates but isn’t always in line with them on social issues such as abortion, gay marriage and drug enforcement. He espouses smaller government but has been more hawkish about terrorism after 9/11 than many Libertarians.
He portrays himself as an entertainer and castigates people who merely echo what he says and don’t think for themselves. His daily line about himself: “Home of the high priest of the Church of the Painful Truth.”
Herman Cain will take over for Neal Boortz. Here they are from a 2008 event at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre which also featured Sean Hannity. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Boortz has written four books. The most impactful was 2005’s “The Fair Tax Book,” which advocates dropping the federal income tax in favor of a national sales tax. In a press conference early Monday afternoon, Boortz said he is working on another book about stories as a radio host and plans to release it as an e-book.
He demurred when asked about a future in politics after he retires but didn’t say no. He did acknowledge his wife Donna is highly active in the Mitt Romney campaign.
Although Boortz still has a home in Atlanta, he now spends most of his time in Naples, Fla. He grew up in several different places, including Florida, attended Texas A&M and spent several years in various professions before radio such as jewelry and carpet buyer, insurance salesman and a speech writer.
He has been lauded by radio groups across the nation over the years, entering the national Radio Hall of Fame in 2009.
Cain, a 66-year-old former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, joined WSB in 2008 as an evening talk show host until early 2011, when he decided to run for president. His bid ended in December. Since January, he has provided daily commentaries on Boortz’s show and has continued to sub in for Boortz.
Cain’s radio footprint will now be national. Boortz is heard on about 240 radio stations. Talkers magazine, which tracks talk radio, estimates Boortz draws more than six million listeners a week, tied with Laura Ingraham for seventh.
“For all practical purposes,” Cain said on the air, “I am done with politics. Essentially, I wanted to continue to express my views and help educate people on what’s going on in this country.”
Cain will do his show each day from 9 a.m. to noon. “That is still a significant commitment a day,” he said during a press conference Monday afternoon. “When I subbed in for his four and a half hours, it was exhausting!”
Dan Kearney, market manager for Cox Radio Atlanta, said WSB will decide later what it will do with the noon to 1 p.m. slot, as well as 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. He also noted that Cain has huge name recognition, even better than Boortz, thanks to his presidential run.
Cain said he had other offers, including TV and radio gigs. But this syndication deal was the most enticing. It will allow him to make TV appearances and do speeches across the country. He declined to say how long his deal will last.
Want more photos from the day? John Spink of the AJC posted a photo gallery.
Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.
By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
accessAtlanta Partner Sites
Sections
Advertise on accessAtlanta.com »
Reach the audience you want by advertising on accessAtlanta.com
Join the Access Atlanta Network »
Advertisers and Publishers, expand your reach by joining the Access Atlanta Network.
Tell us what you think about the site
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement | About our ads
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
423 comments Add your comment
Silverchief
June 4th, 2012
11:39 am
Rodney Ho got his hopes up…….”Cain will take over that day when the president is officially inaugurated for the next four-year term.” Been to any DNC meetings lately Rod??…….:>)
Sandy
June 4th, 2012
11:39 am
I will miss Neal a lot! Belinda is highly annoying, won’t miss her or her annoying commercials. Herman Cain is not my cup of tea, I find him very fake and annoying. Good luck Neal!
vietnamvet
June 4th, 2012
11:40 am
So the former SPEECH WRITER FOR LESTER MADDOX is leaving. Maybe they will name a section of a road after him. Oh, I forgot, he finished high school.
Nonia
June 4th, 2012
11:41 am
And no i won’t be listening to the pizza chain mogul Cain, who was totally oblivious to the fact that when you run for President of the United States, every square inch of your past skeletons will become a matter of public record-
Because of this lack of basic intelligence, I do not desire to hear anything Cain has to say-
james
June 4th, 2012
11:41 am
As a Libertarian, the two observations Neal frequently made that I appreciate the most are; (1) one should be free to do anything (s)he chooses as long as it does not violate the life, liberty and property of another and (2) the fact that indeed there is no Constitutional right to vote in a presidential election. He will truly be missed. His brand of rugged individualism and faith in independence is sadly a dying philosophy as America continues to become more European, more entitlement oriented and more government-centric.
Rev. IKE
June 4th, 2012
11:44 am
How are we to keep up with all of his stuff?
His: airplanes, cars, houses, vacations, vacation houses, golf memberships, very important friends, the number of jets in his hot tub, his 3 black friends, his watches, his ability to get out of tickets, his former house on the lake, the number of times he’s been to the white house, his box seats, who he had lunch with over the weekend, his rants, his recent golf score, who he had dinner with last night, his private flight with the blue angels, his hot air balloon, his motorcycles, his anonymous donations, and let’s not forget his being a speech writer for one of most racist governors in georgia’s history. Hey the guy working in my crave space sez you’re his hero.
And Take Belinda With You
June 4th, 2012
11:44 am
Boortz was full of himself and knew it.
Cain is full of himself but doesn’t know it.
Belinda is just an incompetent bimbo.
Herman Cain Makes The Move (Back) To Radio
June 4th, 2012
11:44 am
[...] Presidential candidate Herman Cain will be returning to a former career, albeit in a different forum: After more than four decades on the airwaves in Atlanta, Neal Boortz [...]
james
June 4th, 2012
11:44 am
But I also look forward to listening to Herman Cain. I had the honor of meeting him in person in Hartsfield last year. He is engaging, very disarming and a true gentleman.
Rodney Ho
June 4th, 2012
11:45 am
@Silverchief. I said “the president’ as in whoever is elected in November. I didn’t specify who since I don’t know.
Sparks
June 4th, 2012
11:47 am
You haters are making fools of yourselves… Boortz will truly be missed as he has become a true radio icon and a voice of Libertarian and Conservative ideals. Herman will have to show us his ” A Game” when he takes over and he should do well, but there will never be another Boortz.
Silverchief
June 4th, 2012
11:48 am
Okay Rod, depends on how you read it……I took it the wrong way…..:>(
TG
June 4th, 2012
11:49 am
I thought Boortz was disingenuous much of the time especially when he threw away conservative principals to support Republicans like warmonger George Bush, but I have to admit I enjoyed listening to him most of the time. He was a salve from the parroting of rightwingers like Hannity and Limbaugh who rarely expressed independent thoughts. I’ll miss Boortz.
As for Cain, I don’t see his stint lasting very long. His buffoon schtick that business folks thought made him “charismatic” and allowed him to reach the top of the food chain there will not work long-term in radio. 1) He’s trying to get Boortz’ audience, 50% of which only pretend to like Black people the one or two days here and there that Cain subs for Boortz and 2) Cain doesn’t have the brainpower needed to fill Boortz’ shoes. Sure brainpower is not needed for lightweights like Hannity, but he has an advantage over Cain, skin color. Poor Cain doesn’t really stand a chance. Sorry!
dawgma
June 4th, 2012
11:51 am
Saddest day in a while for me. Neal is a legend. He and Rush Limbaugh saved AM radio with provocative talk shows. Never took himself too serious and loved to piss off the “race-baiters”!
Herman Cain will not be an adequate replacement. He is just too damn boring to listen to.
Get It Right
June 4th, 2012
11:52 am
@unfair tax. What’s unfair about the ability to control the amount of tax you pay? Need a car and don’t want to pay the Fair Tax? Simple, buy a used car – no tax! Need to lower the amount you pay in federal taxes? Easy with the fair tax. The progressive (socialist) system we have today gives the average person absolutley no control over their taxes. That is what is unfair.
David Baker
June 4th, 2012
11:53 am
Good Job!!!!
Westside Stew
June 4th, 2012
11:54 am
My condolences to his spouse.
Corvette11
June 4th, 2012
11:54 am
All you people who are complaining about Neal, why listen, that’s why they make other stations, unless your radio only gets 1 station. SusieC The truth hurts , just like Neal said Church of the Painful Truth.
Tclab
June 4th, 2012
11:55 am
Why is it entertainment to call others.. Politicians or not..denigrating, racially tinged names?
He is mean spirited and an old crank. Your mother worked very hard to instill in you that these
Are not qualities to be admired. Good riddance. Cain is a joke!
Mary from Florida
June 4th, 2012
11:55 am
I will miss Neal, especially the first 30 minutes when he’s only broadcast in Atlanta and you discover more about him. I don’t agree with a lot of what he says, but appreciate the “entertainment value” in it. I am not a fan of Herman Cain so I guess I’ll be listening to NPR even more than usual. My favorite oldies station is now gone, too. The choices for those of us who are moderates and over 50 is rapidly dwindling.
Rev. IKE
June 4th, 2012
11:57 am
Again why is this on the front page? Are the AJC and WSB related?
TrishaDishaWarEagle
June 4th, 2012
12:00 pm
Boortz Boortz Boortz Boortz Boortz..
The talk master will be sorely missed but at least we still have El Rushbo , and Herman Cain is an affable replacement.
In the words of the late RoyalT, …JUST DAMN!
Sparks
June 4th, 2012
12:01 pm
Gee Rev Ike….do you think they might just be? Just damn… Regardless, it is big news..nationally even.
Lost Some Respect
June 4th, 2012
12:01 pm
I like Boortz but he showed how committed he was to his principles when Belinda sued Crocs because her son got his foot caught in an escalator in a terrible accident. If it were anyone else, Boortz would have said, ‘What kind of stupid mother are you to allow your child to wear such obviously dangerous footwear?’ Instead he backed her up.
Duh?
June 4th, 2012
12:02 pm
Yo, Rev IKE. You ever heard of the Cox family?
Moon Mullins
June 4th, 2012
12:02 pm
I’m surprised Ol’ Herm would have time for a full time gig in radio and preparation for his defamation of character lawsuits against all of his female accusers.
Cain Gets a Radio Talk Show | Politimo
June 4th, 2012
12:05 pm
[...] on June 4, 2012 | 0 Comment Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment Tags: Herman Cain (5) The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports Herman Cain will take over the radio show from Neil Boortz, who announced he is retiring [...]
Shree
June 4th, 2012
12:05 pm
JUST DAMN!!! Should have been Royal taking over.. Don’t like Herman Cain.
Braveschipper
June 4th, 2012
12:07 pm
That whole news station should be shut down. The ignorance of people today will equate entertainment to actual news. People please just open up a book once in awhile. Good riddance.. Hopefully they will replace the station to actual news like DemocracyNow with Amy Goodman.
Sparks
June 4th, 2012
12:09 pm
Or maybe Al Jazaera?
Harvey
June 4th, 2012
12:10 pm
I think WSB made a mistake choosing Hermain Cain over Mark Arum. Mark is much better on the air, and Herman is only one year younger than Neal, so how long before Herman retires? I used to like Neal, and listened to him for many years. However, for the past several years, I have not been able to listen for very long. He constantly cuts off or speaks over his callers, and does not attempt to engage them in any meaningful dialog. He seems more interested in showing the stupidity of his callers.
Dirty Dawg
June 4th, 2012
12:12 pm
It’s difficult to describe the feelings I have for Neal Boortz because I can’t, off the top of my head, think of a word stronger than ‘hate’. All I can say is that when the time comes for the Cox sisters, along with whatever other family members, JCK for example, that have been instrumental in overseeing the course WSB Radio has followed over these past twenty-odd years, when they took one of the most respected names in broadcasting in the country down the right-wing rabbit hole…when it comes time to ‘take stock’ of what they did with the legacy that they inherited and that Elmo Ellis and Don Heald helped establish, they’ll have to admit that they squandered it. Oh I’m sure that they ‘did it for the money’, but I cant believe that they will be proud of the decision to put Boortz ‘front and center’ of their programming…the thing that started it all.
Realizing that I’m on a Cox property now, it’ll be interesting to see if his actually gets posted, and stays there, and if I’m banned altogether.
Filter
June 4th, 2012
12:13 pm
I stopped listening when he made the statement that he was not sure who was more dangerous to the Country, terrorists or people who would vote for John Kerry. Haven’t heard a second since with the exception of what I have heard when it is foisted upon me by others.
His legacy will be his continued contributions to the coarsening of political discourse in this country (along with many others from both sides of the spectrum) that has led us to a place where a civil political discussion is impossible. That divide, which is purely a creation of baseless political rhetoric by people like Boortz is a serious threat to our well being as a country.
Conservative talk radio host Boortz plans to retire in January after 40 years … – Washington Post | www.an-s.pl
June 4th, 2012
12:14 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution [...]
TrishaDishaWarEagle
June 4th, 2012
12:15 pm
Ah the paranoid delusional left..
..yes dirty dawg, we ARE out to get you..
Moby's Dick
June 4th, 2012
12:18 pm
One creep out, another takes his place!
I wish we had a vomit avatar here!
Jeff
June 4th, 2012
12:19 pm
Unlike all of his counterparts, Neal was an unpredictable voice for Conservative radio who could of course be irritating yet still keep the non-Conservative listeners dialed in. Herman talks to his listeners as if they are a group of 8 year-old learning impaired students.
Atlanta Native
June 4th, 2012
12:19 pm
Wake up WBS (sic) programmers! This is your chance to reassess Boortz’s cohort Belinda when he goes. Belinda is a throwback to the female subservience of earlier eras. Her lack of both grammatical and cultural literacy is an embarrassment to the airwaves, even reinforcing negative stereotypes of females in the South. It’s time to get a female host in there who can hold her own with provocative intellectual banter. But Belinda it ain’t. And as for Cain? He’s just a black Boortz. Hannity-hovering self-righteous unenlightened Republican shill.
ga. hope
June 4th, 2012
12:20 pm
Bert and Ernie at best
Chris
June 4th, 2012
12:22 pm
Not a huge fan of Boortz but I listen occasionally and he will be missed on Atlanta radio. Whether you agree with someone or not they deserve some appreciation after 40 years in once city on the radio
street smart
June 4th, 2012
12:25 pm
Herman Becky Becky Stan Stan Cain didnt know the issues when he ran as POTUS hopeful so theyre replacing Boortz with a clown & sexual predator. He should go over big with the pseudo family values thing the GOP are famous for. Amusing
axerr
June 4th, 2012
12:27 pm
Didn’t agree with half of what you said, but I always tuned it. You cracked me up… will miss you boortz.
Sorry Herminator; can’t stand you.
Will only be listening to Clark
JIm Tavegia
June 4th, 2012
12:28 pm
You can kiss that show goodbye. HC had no Presidential “audience” and he will have none here either.
Ace
June 4th, 2012
12:29 pm
Good, now he can seek help for his Obama Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Donut King
June 4th, 2012
12:29 pm
Goodbye to Atlanta’s #1 HATEMONGER!!
Carole
June 4th, 2012
12:30 pm
Belinda, run for the hills or at least have the number for Human Resouces on speed dial.
John
June 4th, 2012
12:30 pm
Dawgma,you stole my thunder.Another thing about Neal Boortz is that he recognized that jimmy carter was a threat and danger to The United States.
Ace
June 4th, 2012
12:30 pm
Since his show is the same everyday they can just keep re-running it, no one will notice he is gone.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
June 4th, 2012
12:30 pm
OOCD will be cured in november, by the vile marxist POS being thrown out
NotMe
June 4th, 2012
12:30 pm
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Your legacy of hate will be remembered.