Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2009 > February > 02 > Entry
2/3: Ike Newkirk update, TNT renews “Leverage”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I finally reached Ike Newkirk today by cel phone number. I had been trying to reach him by his home number and his cel. But he said he seldom checks his home number and my email inquiry might have been spammed out. In other words, he said he had no clue I was trying to reach him.
Newkirk, who has worked at the station for a whopping 39 years, confirmed that he was let go soon after his final January 4 show Sunday mornings on 790/The Zone. But he said he was given a very generous early retirement package, “an offer I couldn’t refuse.” He chuckled.
His show “Open Line” has been on continuously for more than 30 years and had been the longest-running show in Atlanta. (Although he was on 790/The Zone, he actually was employed by Lincoln Financial, which owns Star 94 and leases out the signal at 790/The Zone to Big League Broadcasting. Big League ceded the public affairs programming on Sunday mornings to Lincoln Financial and Star.)
“The station has been going through a lot of changes,” Newkirk said. “This is part and parcel of change. I was director of public affairs. That’s an anachronism in this day and age. You don’t find those kinds of animals anymore at radio stations. That’s pretty much what the radio station was indicating. It was phasing out that position. I pretty much had no problem with it.”
He said he was proud to be a moderate in an environment where most talk show hosts are conservative (though he hates labels.) He recalls being accused of being too conservative during the Reagan era and too liberal during the two Bush eras. He loved battling with callers who disagreed with him. “I like it when people use the brain God gave them instead of blindly going along with the status quo,” he said.
Although Newkirk has lost his job, he said at age 58, he feels fortunate he got the opportunities he did at 790/Star 94. He recalls Mark Kanov, who retired at GM at Star 94 after 40 years last July, told him, “You’re the last man standing.” “I didn’t realize I’d only be standing another six months!” he said.
And fan of Ike Newkirk emailed Matt Edgar at 790/The Zone and Matt responded thusly:
Thanks so much for your inquiry into Ike Newkirk and Open Line.
Open Line will no longer be heard on 790 The Zone. The last show was Sunday, January 4th.
Ike is in good health, no worries there.
Star 94, who employed Ike for 38 years and produced his show, fired Ike back the first week of January. We carried the show as part of our public service agreement with Star 94 but had nothing to do with that decision.
Rick Mack, the Star 94 GM, made the decision and is taking all calls and complaints. You can reach him at 404-261-2970 or rmack@star94.com.
Good luck and thanks again.
Matt Edgar Program Director Sports Radio 790 the Zone WQXI - Atlanta
Edgar confirmed this email was his. “I’ve taken hundreds of phone calls about Ike,” Edgar said to me. “People wanted to know what happened.” (I’ve received dozens of email inquiries myself and so has Richard Eldredge, the man who does Peach Buzz here.)
I did finally reach Newkirk’s former boss Rick Mack yesterday, but he wasn’t terribly forthcoming. All Mack would say (twice) is, “I can’t help you out,” when I inquired about Newkirk. Then he said, “I gotta go” and hung up. He wasn’t mean about it, just confirming what he had said in a voicemail a week earlier, that he had no intention of talking to me about Star 94 business at all.
- Atlanta-based TNT has renewed a second season of 15 more episodes for its drama “Leverage” starring Timothy Hutton. It has averaged 3.2 million viewers per episode, a decent figure for TNT. This will be the fourth show TNT now has under its belt that is currently in production after “The Closer,” “Saving Grace” and “Raising the Bar.” I’m not bursting with confidence the new “Trust Me” will be a big enough hit to be the fifth.
Comments
By JTD
February 3, 2009 1:46 PM | Link to this
Rodney, did you forget how to spell the word “cell”
??
By Dano
February 3, 2009 3:06 PM | Link to this
Ike Newkirk is a class act and a very funny guy!
His radio show (and the time slot) was unusual, but always interesting!
Such is the future of radio … away from the local talent and into the vanilla world of Ryan Seacrest, Scott Shannon, Billy Bush, ad nauseum.
Soon ALL radio stations will sound the same all over the country!
Happy Trails, Ike! .
By Kevin O'Connell
February 3, 2009 6:07 PM | Link to this
I worked with Ike Newkirk from 1975 to 1980 at WQXI (the Zone) and 94-Q (Star 94). Ike, you are a consumate gentleman and a great radio man. Atlanta has lost one of the best from the airways. Got any free books? Best of luck and may God richly bless you.
By DJC
February 3, 2009 6:45 PM | Link to this
I guess with Bush out of office, Ike had now new material. Hate never prevails.
By That's Mr. President to you
February 4, 2009 8:51 AM | Link to this
The bottom line is, all of the hatin’ that he did on me is coming back to haunt him. You need to understand that you can’t hate on the chosen one. Next on my list is Neil,Rush,Sean, Glen and Savage.
By Milledgeville
February 5, 2009 5:10 PM | Link to this
Uh, Mr.President, we accidentally switched your meds with jackass contraceptives the other day. Please contact us, so we can get your can back to Crawford as soon as possible!
By Proud Freeper
February 7, 2009 5:37 PM | Link to this
Ike existed in an artificial environment. Had his show been dependent on advertisers (isn’t that the whole point of radio?), he would’ve been tossed decades ago. In short, he was subsidized.
Plus, he was mean and dumped folks with whom he disagreed. I guess his opinion couldn’t stand up to any scrutiny whatsoever.
At least the airwaves won’t be tortured by what must be the least educated, articulate and informed callers in all of talk radio.
He’s a has-been who never was.
By arnold b. cooke
February 8, 2009 6:26 AM | Link to this
I FOR ONE LOVE THIS RADIO SHOW HE TOLD IT LIKE HE SAW IT AND THATS REFRESHING I LOVE I GUY WHO SAYS WHAT HE THINK AND SURE HE HUNGUP ON A LOT OF PEOPLE AN I WOULD HAVE TO WELL I WILL MISS MY SUNDAYS WITH HIM SO WILL MY WIFE GO LUCK TO HIM AND HAPPY DAYS FM THE GOOD MAN
By arnold b. cooke
February 8, 2009 6:28 AM | Link to this
I FOR ONE LOVE THIS RADIO SHOW HE TOLD IT LIKE HE SAW IT AND THATS REFRESHING I LOVE THE GUY WHO SAYS WHAT HE THINK AND SURE HE HUNGUP ON A LOT OF PEOPLE AN I WOULD HAVE TO WELL I WILL MISS MY SUNDAYS WITH HIM SO WILL MY WIFE GO LUCK TO HIM AND HAPPY DAYS FM THE GOOD MAN
By arnold b. cooke
February 8, 2009 6:28 AM | Link to this
I FOR ONE LOVE THIS RADIO SHOW HE TOLD IT LIKE HE SAW IT AND THATS REFRESHING I LOVE THE GUY WHO SAYS WHAT HE THINK AND SURE HE HUNGUP ON A LOT OF PEOPLE AN I WOULD HAVE TO WELL I WILL MISS MY SUNDAYS WITH HIM SO WILL MY WIFE GO LUCK TO HIM AND HAPPY DAYS FM THE GOOD MAN
By Melanie
February 8, 2009 4:01 PM | Link to this
Let’s be honest here. “They” were mad that Obama won the election and did not want this very neutral station to continue. Now, Georgia does not have a ventue where liberals can be heard. Thanks alot 790the zone! Please note that the only reason I even turned to your station was because of this show!
And yes, hate does prevail in Georgia. Damn Republicans!
By Lillian Spivey
February 14, 2009 11:12 AM | Link to this
What a lost!! I got up every Sunday Morning for years to listen to IKE. I wiil miss him terribly. Such an intelligent man. What happened to intelligent talk radio? I will be darned if I will ever ever listen to the junk in Ike’s place or this radio station never and never again!!
By Lillian Spivey
February 14, 2009 11:13 AM | Link to this
What a lost!! I got up every Sunday Morning for years to listen to IKE. I wiil miss him terribly. Such an intelligent man. What happened to intelligent talk radio? I will be darned if I will ever ever listen to the junk in Ike’s place or this radio station never and never again!!
By Arnold
February 14, 2009 10:25 PM | Link to this
The cantankerous Ike Newkirk hung up on me a lot but I will miss his unique style and very funny quips like “i don’t give a rats patudy” the very funny “i don’t give a flying flip” and of course “thats a crock of crap”. I wish you all the best, but i do hope you blow through that nice retirement package and find need to return to radio mean as ever!
The first time i called you hung up on me and called me Arnold! -funny
By steve bakatsas
February 15, 2009 5:20 AM | Link to this
I found the Open Line Radio Show back in 2003. I never listened to 790 the zone and now I certainly have no reason to. I don’t even listen to Star 94. The last time I listened was back in 1993 when Top 40 music was still around. Republicans have tried very hard more recently to kill working class Americans and I hope that one day that all Americans will see how greedy Republicans truely are. Ike was a true democrat and I liked his shows too. He will be missed. I thought they just moved the time he was on and found out otherwise. You are right about Georgia. There is plenty of hate alive and well here. Georgia is certainly not what it used to be. It is a shame that the one man I knew who told the issues straight forward and held nothing back has been canned by another sore Republican who wants to throw their weight around.
By Rog
February 15, 2009 8:17 AM | Link to this
Ike used to say, “If you can’t stand the show, why are you listening to it?” And, were aren’t.
His greatest fans would not pay to listen to him, and neither would any sponsors. The mareketplace at work.
He should have held on until the government bans the Neo-Cons.
By ben anderson
February 15, 2009 8:38 AM | Link to this
i feel srongly that the loss of open line has more to do with right wing sour grapes than lack of value to the community. i feel that fans of OPEN LINE should be able to enjoy an interactive talk show that is not restrictive,underpowered ,politically suppressed or castigated for its support of open dialogue and free speech! we should unite in demanding a new and better venue such as Ga Public Radio !! how ‘bout it team????
By ben anderson
February 15, 2009 9:00 AM | Link to this
i have tried several times to contact rick mack GM of star 94 radio with no success !! i do believe that he needs smoking out from his safe retreat.how ‘bout some heavy artillery in his direction ??? let’s change his mind about ike or at least pressure him for cooperation in obtaining a new and better venue for IKE !!!
By Tom
February 19, 2009 1:09 PM | Link to this
Ike Newkirk and Open Line was a true asset in this age of information. I learned many things from his show that I more than likely would not have learned elsewhere. There is truly something wrong with the way decisions are made from a programming perspective. I was a convert to Open Line while living in the metro Atlanta area. I continued to listen via streaming on the computer. I guess the good side of this is that I can sleep in on Sunday morning; the bad side is that a voice of reason in the radio arena has been knocked down (lets hope he will get up soon).
By John W. Moore III
February 20, 2009 12:26 PM | Link to this
I began listening to Ike in 1969. I used to phone-in regularly and several times Ike referred to Me as the “Hopeful Future of this Country”; by the time Ike disappeared He was calling Me a “Freeper.” How Times and People change. :)
I shall miss Ya, Ike. Ever since I realized You had “left the building” I have begun to actually feel older. :(
Remember when Callers used to demand to know what color You are & You always responded “What color do You think I am?”
By No One Really
February 22, 2009 12:54 AM | Link to this
I use to tune in for many years but I really feel that Ike, for whatever reason, was very anti Obama and very nasty to many long time callers who supported Obama over Hillary Clinton. It was around that time that I tuned out. It was almost like listening Rush at that point.
I’ll miss many of the long time callers like Will, Family Man and many others whose names i don’t know more than anything. I wish Ike could have gone out in style and shown a little more respect to those long time supporters of his show who also supported our current President.
By Sam
February 22, 2009 6:49 AM | Link to this
have been searching in vain for Ike’s show on both radio and computer streaming. I am so disappointed that he has been taken off the air and forced to take ” early retirement”. I too believe that Ike was taken off becauuse of his levelheaded attacks and opposition to so called republican ” values and politics”. Ike was always on point, well read, smart ( a physics major in college ). I do believe and hope that Ike will be picked up by another station of ” righteous virtue ” who believes in common sense journalism instead of hatel rhetoric from a priveledged few, thankyou and may God Bless and keep you and your lovely family.
By scienceguy
February 22, 2009 7:10 AM | Link to this
Someone made the comment that Ike hangs up on callers that disagree with him. True, that has happened some time. Do you know of any talk radio show where that doesn’t happen? Listen to your favorite show for evidence…… Conservative vs liberal, democrat vs republican. Why do we all feel so compelled to easily embrace labels that are forced upon us? What ever happened to be being a free and independent thinker? Because you are a democrat or republican, must you always tow the party line? Is it really possible that one side has a monopoly on good ideas? What percentage of the time does your elected official truly represent your interests? What percentage of the time does your elected official succumb to the interests of lobbyists?
I think that if we removed the red and blue filters from the lenses of our eyes, we would see that often, the American people are treated as pawns/puppets or worse, as mindless sheep. We have been told since grade school that competition is what has made America great. Yet our political system is set up so that under most scenarios, only two parties are able to participate. That is strangely counter-intuitive. Why should our choices of representation be so limited?
Last comment to further my point regarding apparent double talk. Let me say up front that I am an entrepreneur and a stauch believer in capitalism. America was built on that principal right? Let the market sort it out? The best companies with sound management and products of value will succeed right? Ok. So why again are we bailing out Banks, Automobile co.’s, etc.? They are too valuable to fail some say. But doesn’t capitalism argue that if a company mismanages its assets and opportunities, then it will fail, creating an opportunity for another to take its place? If we truly believe in capitalism, why doesn’t your elected representatives? Double talk, double talk, lobbyists and kickbacks. God Bless America.
By Long time Listener
February 22, 2009 8:26 AM | Link to this
Remember when Ike had a guest on each week? I’ve listened to him since the late 70’s. Sunday mornings will never be the same without Ike Newkirk and Open Line!
By Shea
February 22, 2009 1:02 PM | Link to this
I am sad to hear that Ike’s show will no longer be aired on Sundays. I emailed 790 The Zone and asked what happened to the show and never got a response. At first I thought he had went on vacation and then after a few weeks realized something must have happened to the show. I was by no means a dedicated listener of the show, it usually depended on my work schedule. However, I did enjoy the show when I did get to listen to it on Sunday mornings. Well, I wish Ike good luck in his future endeavors.
By Becky
March 1, 2009 9:05 AM | Link to this
Ike got me through some really bad times (i.e. the W years). He did sometimes make my blood pressure go up with his intermittent belligerence (“for the THIRD time, yes or no?!!!!”) but it still helped me a lot to hear the voices of Ike and others who disagreed with Bush and his anti-statesman “crock of crap.” :)
By Harold
March 2, 2009 5:54 PM | Link to this
I shall miss Ike. Although I didn’t always agree with him, I enjoyed his program on Sunday mornings immensely. Yes, he could be rough on callers that didn’t agree with him but his calls were unscreened. The absence of a call screener is unheard of in today’s radio market saturated by the many racist, mean-spirited, right-wing, hatemongers that saturate the radio waves today. If Ike had been marketed with but a fraction of the marketing dollars as that of Boortz, Hannity, Rush, and the other neo-cons, his programs could have been supported by sponsors. Let’s face it though, few, if any, corporations are going to sponsor a middle to left-wing talk show. Regrettably,hate is in today and it sells and since Obama’s victory, the haters are heating up the airwaves like never before. I wish my radio friend and fraternity brother, Ike Newkirk, the very best in all of his future endeavors.
By Vonnie
March 6, 2009 3:14 PM | Link to this
Ike, my world is not the same on Sunday mornings. I would often wait until Sunday morning to see how you felt about something going on in the world today. I shall miss you terribly. Maybe you can get on WAOK sometime. Best of luck to you. __ A devoted listener
By xavier
March 7, 2009 11:36 PM | Link to this
sad!!!!!Where do we go from here?
By Robert
March 8, 2009 8:30 AM | Link to this
Ike has been my Sunday school teacher for over 20 years.I learned so much from his show.Not only was he a great host but the open line family that called in were the most educated listeners.I have traveled the world but yet felt so close because Ike was there.I am a better person from this experience and will let my light shine even brighter.God bless Ike !
By Tim
March 8, 2009 12:00 PM | Link to this
I’ll miss Ike as well but I’ll miss the callers just as much. The biggest Mystery to me about the show was that the people who hated it the most were the most loyal listeners….and Ike did say that the Truth attracts everyone good or bad liberal or conservative which explains why everyone says that they did not always agree with his views but the open disscusions gave us the path to the facts that we could discover it for ourselves (Truths from those smart sexy woman with distinct voices who called in and the Family man and the Accountant and the undercover brother , Will and Wayne and many of the others….), a gathering of minds at 5:00am on Sundays. So a 3 hour show was enough for a week of reflections and investigations because we didn’t need him to search and find out our own truth and you know we still don’t but it was nice to hear from the others each week who called in, it was like meeting at a cafe and talking with old friends. Well the conservatives have done it to us again and there is no real reason to be loyal to 790 since they have become more of a conservative station now with a weak signal in the early mornings and after dark. I would have stayed loyal even if they ended the show with an explanation (We always knew it was coming to an end someday), just give us what we always wanted ….. the truth.
a coined phrase…..
“I admonish all Politicians all News Reporters,all freepers and the management at 790 the zone to stand up and tell the whole truth and you will shame the devil” and we steal want that paper trail.
By Jason
March 15, 2009 6:27 AM | Link to this
I discovered Open Line back in ‘99 and was always thoroughly entertained by Ike, the callers, and the paths the conversations would take. It was always comforting to come home from a late Saturday night and flip on the radio and later an audiostream and listen to the master. I live in NJ now but I still have love for ATL so Open Line gave me a good pipeline into what was going on in my old home and for that I thank Mr. Newkirk.
Whether he stays ‘retired’ or lands at a new radio station, Open Line with Ike Newkirk was a positive in my life and for that I thank him.
By Lipsey
March 16, 2009 12:43 AM | Link to this
Sunday mornings will never be the same. God luck Ike, and may God bless you!
HAROLD LIPSEYBy Lipsey
March 16, 2009 12:43 AM | Link to this
Sunday mornings will never be the same. Good luck Ike, and may God bless you!
HAROLD LIPSEYBy yetta
March 16, 2009 10:02 AM | Link to this
Ike was my Sunday morning’s wake up call. He spoke his mind and gave us facts to base our decisions on. I will truly miss him.
So long My Friend!!!!
By Paul
March 19, 2009 10:57 AM | Link to this
I listened to Ike for years also. He gave me a perspective on Atlanta and the people here that unfortunately is now gone. Thanks Ike for the great service- YOU WILL BE MISSED! I hope to see you turn up hosting another talk prime time show. I hate to see TALENT being wasted in retirement!
By janet
March 23, 2009 11:08 AM | Link to this
I like Ike- He was the best talk show host ever because he was not mean or one sided- he allowed you to state your opinion but you had better be able to back it up with good reason- It didn’t matter liberal or conservative opinion was welcomed as long as you were able to speak rationally and factually. He talked of sports and movies as well as politics. I certainly learned what was really going on in Atlanta!
By sharon
March 23, 2009 12:52 PM | Link to this
When we were relocated to Atlanta 10 years ago, we were forced to listen to rt. wing trash. One morning I discovered Ike while I was getting ready to go to work (full time music minister). I loved his show. Ike was articulate, fun and interesting. The morning when he disappeared and the mindless garbage took over the airways was the beginning of a miserable and boring process of getting ready with no Ike and company. I never called the show, but I never missed listening. I hope to hear him on another station. Air America or maybe Satellite. I also emailed 790 the zone and got no response. Shame on them!
By dude55
March 25, 2009 1:10 AM | Link to this
i liked the show he was informative, dude seemed to be stuck in the 50s though, he didnt think Obama could win.