Curtis Sliwa - From the Streets to the Suites!

Curtis Sliwa is a host who grew up loving radio, and is out to prove he knows how radio works, by being the most unique syndicated talent in your market. You may know him as the founder of the Guardian Angels, and from the John Gotti story, but Curtis wants to convince you he’s a radio guy.

“I’ve been a talk radio fan since the days of Long John Nebel and Candy Jones.”

Until his death in 1978, Nebel (with wife and co-host Candy Jones) was a fixture on New York radio, the last several years on WMCA-AM. And as a teenager, when friends were listening to music on FM, Curtis was studying AM talk hosts. “I used to tell my friends that AM stood for “Active Minded Radio” while FM stood for “Freakin’ Morons!” But AM talk shows back then were for old people’” said Curtis.

“I got the radio bug after being interviewed by Arlene Frances on WOR AM because I won ‘newspaper boy of the year’ and got the award from President Richard Nixon. But my first time as a guest on radio was with the great Bob Grant on WABC. I had started the Guardian Angels and my wife Lisa was working with me; We were controversial and Bob would have us on the air. WE filled in while he was on a cruise one week. Response was pretty good, and we were invited back a few times. We also hosted morning drive a few times, and then got the slot full-time after the morning guy imploded. Doing mornings on WABC was a dream come true. People all over the nation wanted that job, and it kind of fell in my lap. It turned out to be a great career.”


“We used to do a morning drive segment called Mob Talk...”

On June 19, 1992 Sliwa was shot and nearly kidnapped by two gunmen after entering a taxi in Manhattan. Sliwa jumped from the front window of the moving cab and escaped.

Prosecutors eventually charged John A. Gotti, the son of Gambino crime family leader John Gotti, with the attempted murder. “Apparently John Senior was not a fan of the Mob Talk segment and wanted me dead.”

Curtis had a second stint on WABC as co-host of Curtis and Kuby. “When Citadel bought the station, we kind of thought some changes were coming.”

“But the changes worked out well.”

A night-time show on WABC led to interest from major markets, and a new syndication deal. “Curtis Sliwa Live” airs on WABC in New York, WMAL in Washington, DC, WBAP Dallas, WTKK in Boston and other stations. So far ratings and response has been terrific.

“The show is intentionally different”

“I try to deliver not only a small daily dose of politics, but go into culture, sub culture, social networking, daily news, movies, music, gangs, crime; whatever is hot. It’s a niche – we give you the politics and main issues, but we go to subjects not heard right now in talk radio.”

“I know how to take care of the listeners and the clients.”

“If you’re going to consider our show for your station, be sure of this; I can bring in listeners AND client. I can sell product, secure relationships and make partnerships with clients. And I deliver video and audio content, and the demo. Nobody can sell like me.”

How is the show doing? With The Curtis Sliwa Show, WTKK Boston saw its M25-54 share jump from a 3.5 (July) to a 7.0 (August), #2 in the market. P25-54 increased from a 2.3 (July) to a 4.1 (August).


Curtis Sliwa Live airs live Monday through Friday from 10 pm until 1 am/ET.



ContactTamara Karcev,
Citadel Media - 212-735-1153
tamara.karcev@citcomm.com
http://www.curtissliwa.com