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
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© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
423 comments Add your comment
Hamilton
June 4th, 2012
7:44 pm
Neal, you had a great platform for forty years and a chance to make a positive impact in this city and in the country. You failed. Let’s hope you don’t pi$$ away the chances you have in the last 20 years of your life.
TrishaDishaWarEagle
June 4th, 2012
7:45 pm
Boortz speech excerpt..Texas A&M Commencement
“…You have heard, no doubt, that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Interestingly enough, our government’s own numbers show that many of the poor actually get richer, and that quite a few of the rich actually get poorer. But for the rich who do actually get richer, and the poor who remain poor .. there’s an explanation — a reason. The rich, you see, keep doing the things that make them rich; while the poor keep doing the things that make them poor.”
Non illegitimis carborundum est
Rod
June 4th, 2012
7:47 pm
Herman Cain what a joke his credibility is shot womanizer what happen to that lawsuit you was filing Herman oh yeah NEVERMIND buffon!
Dan
June 4th, 2012
7:49 pm
The one person I find less likable/listenable on the air than Neal Boortz is Herman Cain. Cain was horrible when he hosted the PM show on WSB. Cain is a one-trick pony, all anti-Obama all the time; and I am no Obama fan. Could it be that WSB is predicting a Obama win in the fall?
Buck Hayek
June 4th, 2012
7:52 pm
Boortz is a full time liar and the rednecks lap it up.
Obama is a Marxist? Who passed out $300 checks? (Bush). Who forcibly bought half the stock in banks with TARP? (Bush). Who bought out the business for elderly drug prescriptions? (Bush).
I’ll go with Obama supporter Warren Buffett over some half wit like Boortz any day on capitalism.
Tim
June 4th, 2012
8:01 pm
Gooooood Riddance!!!
Miss you Royal, the voice of reason.
billc
June 4th, 2012
8:08 pm
Good Riddance!
Big Mike 42
June 4th, 2012
8:10 pm
I hate the fact of losing Bortz on the radio. Have a great retirement, Neal. You are a patriot and will be missed by millions of your fans.
Big Mike 42
June 4th, 2012
8:16 pm
Cain is the wrong man for this job. Do a national search or something, not Cain. He cannot hold the audience’s attention, big mistake WSB.
randy
June 4th, 2012
8:17 pm
Hallalujah!! He was so negative!!
Josh Billings
June 4th, 2012
8:25 pm
It’s not that Ol’ Neal doesn’t know, but that so much of what he knows just ain’t so.
Hamilton
June 4th, 2012
8:41 pm
Boortz is a f@rt in the elevator of national discourse. Good riddance.
claytondawg
June 4th, 2012
8:49 pm
Going to miss that Libertarian’s comments!!! Let his comments such as “Liberal bed-wetters,” “the dumbmasses” (which is my personal favorite), and “culture of violence” live on!!!!
Chuck Clausen
June 4th, 2012
8:52 pm
Neal has always been a very entertaining person – now that he’s retiring I hope I can get him out to talk to my Rotary Club
Chuck Clausen
June 4th, 2012
9:03 pm
I met Herman at a friend’s home 10 to 12 years ago, he’s an extremely interesting person. Talk show hosts have a unique talent, they have to be interesting everyday. I supported Herman when he tried to run for US Senate, his campaign never received any traction, I never figured out why.
ShootEmUp
June 4th, 2012
9:20 pm
So who’s Neal Boortz?
knowledge
June 4th, 2012
9:27 pm
Listen to his show a couple of times. I stopped listening because he sounds bitter, uses the race card too much, whines in all of his statements, and preaches hate in America. Sorry Boortz, you are gonna embarass yourself when Obama is reelected!
Neal Boortz
June 4th, 2012
9:29 pm
Let’s invade the crap out of as many countries as we can! Team America…World Police!
db
June 4th, 2012
9:30 pm
About time….
Terry
June 4th, 2012
9:39 pm
Boortz is one of the best of all time. A true Libertarian. He is one of the smartest people I have ever listened to even tho he went to TAMU:) A true visionary. If we ever get a Fair Tax then this country can finally turn around. If not don’t have kids, cause this country is history.
POLITICAL WIRE’S HEADLINES – 6/5 « Accomack County Democrats
June 4th, 2012
10:52 pm
[...] The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports Herman Cain will take over the radio show from Neil Boortz, who announced he is retiring after four decades on Atlanta radio. [...]
Georgia Pundit – Georgia Politics, Campaigns, and Elections for June 5, 2012
June 5th, 2012
7:02 am
[...] Neal Boortz announced his retirement from full-time radio yesterday, though he will continue to appear on his old show with shorter commentary and may fill-in for his successor Herman Cain or for Erick Erickson. [...]
Duane Greene
June 5th, 2012
8:15 am
So long to one of the most toxic reactionary voices in the world! May he die soon and rot in hell!
stephen
June 5th, 2012
8:20 am
I used to enjoy him but in the last few years he has gotten more and more inane. Yes, thinly veiled hate speech and half truths are protected but we don’t have to listen to it, especially with 38 min of commercials per hour. Herman Cain is just an embarrassment but WSB will remain the flagship of the Tea Partiers. Party on.
Uncle Tom
June 5th, 2012
8:28 am
The world just became a slightly better place.
Democratic Plantation Dweller
June 5th, 2012
8:38 am
Why all of the hating?
Producer
June 5th, 2012
8:40 am
Loved Neal since WRNG radio! Wont listen to Herman. He is obnoxious and must have nekkid pictures of somebody to have snagged this deal. I even like the shrill Eric Erikson better than the Hermanator. Be prepared for a ratings slide that WSB has never seen before. WGST are you listening?
TheLazyComic
June 5th, 2012
8:44 am
Boortz is a pile of wind… like Limbaugh, Sean Insanity, and most of the others. The only 2 talk show folks who are telling the real truths are Michael Savage and Jerry Doyle. PERIOD. All the others are just empty wind.
Democrat Nightmare
June 5th, 2012
8:48 am
You know Boortz has done well when the kooky left wingnutters come out from under their rocks and spew their hate here. Well I’ve got news for you people: Boortz retires, and another will take his place to continue the heat and pressure on your democrat libs that the lib-biased main stream media fails to talk about. AM talk radio paved the way for the New Media out there – aka the Pajama Media – which includes blogs and websites.
The voice of resistance against the liberal establishment is getting LOUDER, not quieter, and it’s no coincidence democrat libs like Nancy Pelosi are very vocal about their wishes to shut down said voices under the pomposity pretense of labeling it “Hate Speech.” You see, to an emotionally charged Democrat liberal, any speech they disagree with is “hate” in their childish mind and that’s their validation to shut it down. It’s not unlike the Nazis shutting down voice of opposition in 1930s Germany.
Producer
June 5th, 2012
8:58 am
Bring back Ralph from Ben Hill or maybe Freddie Mertz or how about the Kimmer? Seriously though, huge huge rating shoes to fill. Herman will not be able to cut it. Six months tops.
David Puddy
June 5th, 2012
9:12 am
Herman Cain is horrible. I am anything but a democrat and can’t stand listening to his ranting. He sounds like a preacher spouting politics. Will folks actually listen to this guy? We stopped listening to 750 in the weekday evenings when he showed up in the evening slot a few years ago. Man, how bad will 750 get when you pile on with ’say nothing’ Erickson. Wow.
David Puddy
June 5th, 2012
9:16 am
“Boortz is a pile of wind…”
Agree. He is so repetitious. How anybody can spend hours each morning listening to him is a mystery. Cain is much worse. I lean republican big time and can’t stand listening to either. You can learn nothing from these guys, not to mention they’re void of any entertainment value.
linda
June 5th, 2012
9:29 am
Thank God, he is so rude and nasty. The world needs less of that, not more.
Bobby
June 5th, 2012
9:32 am
WSB for years has collaborated with Boortz to not permit intelligent people on his show. The radio station itself is still stuck in the 1950’s with it’s management being racist, homophobic, xenophobic and anti-American in general. As evidenced by Boortz replacement and the hate venom on Eric Erickson’s show, WSB will continue not to permit opposing viewpoints nor allow progressive talk show hosts. The only time there has been any light at all at WSB was when Royal Marshal hosted shows. Let’s hope Neal and Donna never darken the State of Georgia again when they leave. These two people supported sending troops into Iraq, despite Neal’s draft dodging of Vietnam. We see the consequences of the ill fated actions now. The blood of innocent U.S. men and women as well as Iraqi civilians rest squarely with Neal and Donna Boortz. It’s no wonder Donna is a big supporter in the Mitt Romney Court. He wants to keep sending young Americans overseas to be wounded and die.
woodrow
June 5th, 2012
9:37 am
I’m glad this old blowhole is leaving. He was very annoying. His ranting about the evils of democracy was particularly odious. But honestly, he could ruin any topic. He was nails on a chalkboard.
David
June 5th, 2012
9:48 am
Now I really enjoyed listening to Neal Boortz. I wouldn’t tune in to hear Herman Cain if he was on air giving away free beer…
Mr. Bulldog Jacket
June 5th, 2012
10:06 am
What are the home schoolers gonna let their kids listen to for entertainment now?
D man
June 5th, 2012
10:36 am
I’ll miss you Niel. I’ve been listening to you for 20 years now and you brightened my day with your thoughts and views. Enjoy your travels…
D man
June 5th, 2012
10:37 am
Opps, I misspelled your name.
Avery Bundren
June 5th, 2012
10:41 am
Hurrah! One less crude, orally aggressive vulgarian on the airways. WSB is really a joke!
Herman Cain radio | Breaking News for Black America
June 5th, 2012
10:44 am
[...] Controversial former Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain (pictured left) is set to host his own news talk radio format replacing “equal opportunity offender,” libertarian political commentator Neal Boortz (pictured right), who is retiring after a span of four decades, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. [...]
Hootinanny Yum Yum
June 5th, 2012
10:44 am
Happy Trails, Neil!
Of all the talk radio hosts, you were the ONLY one I listened to on a regular basis. You have class. You are thought provoking. You have a gift for telling it like it is; or should be.
Talkmaster, you will be missed. Godspeed.
Herman Cain radio | WOL-AM 1450
June 5th, 2012
11:11 am
[...] Controversial former Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain (pictured left) is set to host his own news talk radio format replacing “equal opportunity offender,” libertarian political commentator Neal Boortz (pictured right), who is retiring after a span of four decades, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. [...]
Say It Ain’t So! Herman Cain Gets His Own Radio Show | WERE-AM 1490
June 5th, 2012
11:18 am
[...] Controversial former Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain (pictured left) is set to host his own news talk radio format replacing “equal opportunity offender,” libertarian political commentator Neal Boortz (pictured right), who is retiring after a span of four decades, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. [...]
Herman Cain radio | Majic 102.1
June 5th, 2012
11:27 am
[...] Controversial former Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain (pictured left) is set to host his own news talk radio format replacing “equal opportunity offender,” libertarian political commentator Neal Boortz (pictured right), who is retiring after a span of four decades, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. [...]
Herman Cain radio | WCHB-AM: NewsTalk 1200
June 5th, 2012
11:30 am
[...] Controversial former Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain (pictured left) is set to host his own news talk radio format replacing “equal opportunity offender,” libertarian political commentator Neal Boortz (pictured right), who is retiring after a span of four decades, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. [...]
Herman Cain radio | Majic 102.3
June 5th, 2012
11:50 am
[...] Controversial former Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain (pictured left) is set to host his own news talk radio format replacing “equal opportunity offender,” libertarian political commentator Neal Boortz (pictured right), who is retiring after a span of four decades, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. [...]
VictoriousOne
June 5th, 2012
12:46 pm
Neil didn’t even believe half the stuff he said. He was just working his TalkMaster/Church of the Painful Truth schtick for all it was worth. At the end of the day, he provoked you, one way or the other, and he fired up your emotions so that you would tune in. He was a master at being a schmuck and driving ratings, period. All of us were bit players in his little sideshow. Herman Cain…really, Cox? At least Neil had a bit of balance once in a while. Mr. Tea Party is going to struggle to fill Neil’s shoes…the credibility gap, coupled with his extreme arrogance (let’s not mention the bad diction..lol) is just too much to overcome. Time to hit the Scan button…
Herman Cain radio | Magic 106.3 FM
June 5th, 2012
1:58 pm
[...] Controversial former Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain (pictured left) is set to host his own news talk radio format replacing “equal opportunity offender,” libertarian political commentator Neal Boortz (pictured right), who is retiring after a span of four decades, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. [...]
David Puddy
June 5th, 2012
2:04 pm
“All of us were bit players in his little sideshow. Herman Cain…really, Cox?”
It didn’t take me long to tune out after moving here 5 years ago. He was just plain boring and idiotic. And it was even worse when he and Belinda would go on and on about nothing.
I was done after giving it a shot for a couple weeks. It took my wife and I less than 1 show to tune out Cain………..and we’re staunch republicans. Wow, these guys are bad.