McGuirk rides again

Published Nov 02 2007, 08:45 PM by Adam Reilly

Last time WRKO floated the possibility of hiring ex-Imus sidekick Bernard McGuirk, things didn't go too well. The station quickly changed its tune, "clarifying" that McGuirk would only be guest-co-hosting, not auditioning for a regular gig. Then the WRKO brass decided not to bring McGuirk in, period.

Today, though, the Herald's Jessica Heslam reports--in a piece on Imus's impending return--that WRKO may hire McGuirk after all, and not just as Tom Finneran's co-host:

Former Don Imus sidekick Bernard McGuirk could get his own radio show in Boston, sources told the Herald, even as Imus himself announced plans yesterday to return to the air Dec. 3, eight months after his racist remarks sparked a national furor.

Sources say McGuirk could eventually get his own radio show based in Boston, most likely WRKO (680 AM), with the possibility of syndication. McGuirk, who was canned with Imus in April, is set to be part of Imus’ new radio show but could leave if he gets his own gig, the sources said.

Now, a few big things have changed since WRKO backed away from McGuirk. Imus is coming back, and Howie Carr is floating in radio limbo after botching his attempted jump from WRKO to WTKK.

But the core problem with McGuirk remains the same. He's the guy whose use of the word "ho"--or, more accurately, the phrase "hard-core hos"--prompted the banter that led to Imus's ouster from CBS. Not coincidentally, he's also the guy whose responsibilities on Imus's show included doing "nigger jokes," according to Imus himself.

You could take Heslam's story as a sign of WRKO's poor taste, but I'm more inclined to treat it as proof of the station's desperation.