WSB gives Erick Erickson, Mark Arum earlier time slots

The need for more traffic reports at 4 p.m. facilitated the move
Mark Arum and Erick Erickson will have their two-hour shows moved up an hour earlier starting January 3, 2019. CREDIT: Rodney Ho (left) and WSB publicity photo (right)

Mark Arum and Erick Erickson will have their two-hour shows moved up an hour earlier starting January 3, 2019. CREDIT: Rodney Ho (left) and WSB publicity photo (right)

Originally posted Friday, December 14, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog

News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB is moving its local hosts Erick Erickson and Mark Arum an hour earlier starting January 3, 2019 to accommodate more local traffic reports at the 4 p.m. hour.

This means Sean Hannity's syndicated show's first hour will remain live at 3 p.m. but will be tape delayed on WSB from 8 to 10 p.m. Currently, Hannity's first two hours are live from 3 to 5 p.m. His third hour airs from 9 to 10 p.m.

Pete Spriggs, program director, said WSB needed to do more traffic reports at the 4 p.m. hour as the evening traffic woes tend to start even earlier now. With a syndicated show like Hannity, the station couldn't do traffic every six minutes the way it does now from 5 to 7 p.m. This way, there will be 10 traffic reports at the 4 p.m. hour as well.

Erickson, who will run from 4 to 6 p.m., is used to the interruptions on his show. Arum, who also does traffic in the mornings in a split shift and will host his show from 6 to 8 p.m., will have to be the one who breaks every few minutes at the 6 p.m. hour for traffic. Traffic reports air every 15 minutes at the 7 p.m. hour.

The rest of the weekday schedule remains unchanged. Eric Von Haessler and his team  over the summer began airing a full three-hour show from 9 to noon after Herman Cain left.

WSB has been the No. 1 station in the market for more than three straight years, according to Nielsen ratings.

WSB Radio and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both part of Cox Media Group.