Beginning Monday at 9 a.m., the Statesboro Herald and Georgia Eagle Broadcasting will launch a program unique in South Georgia - a local show with a talk radio format that will be simulcast on WWNS-AM 1240 and on the Internet at BoroLive.com.
Statesboro Herald reporter and multimedia producer Phil Boyum will be the host for "Mornings UnPHILtered." The show will air weekday mornings from 9 to 10.
"We'll bring you the latest local news, talk to guests from the area and have a lot of fun," Boyum said. "Notice I said local. We'll talk about events and stories that impact where we live. We'll have guests on who will talk about issues that affect us directly. And, of course, I'll crack a few jokes to keep things lively."
The Herald and Georgia Eagle Broadcasting began discussing the possibility of a partnership earlier this year, said Statesboro Herald publisher Randy Morton.
"We want to make our content - our news, information and entertainment - available not only in print but across as many platforms as possible," Morton said. "We recently started the live ‘Swap, Buy or Sell' audio show on statesboroherald.com to go with our live daily video news program ‘Boro Live Update' and all our video programming like ‘Studio Statesboro,' ‘Prep Sports Blitz' and other shows. I'm excited about the new opportunity of simulcasting with WWNS and grateful to their management for working with us on ‘UnPHILtered.'"
Jeff Anderson, general manager of Georgia Eagle Broadcasting, said he also is intrigued by the possibilities for the show.
"We're looking forward to a successful partnership which delivers an informative, community-minded morning show to the Statesboro and Bulloch County area," he said.
Georgia Eagle Broadcasting operates seven radio stations in Bulloch, Screven, Candler and Evans counties, including WPMX-FM, better known as Eagle 102.9, ESPN Radio 850 AM and WWNS FOX News Talk 1240. Among the well-known personalities heard on 1240 are Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Dennis Miller.
Boyum said the "UnPHILtered" program will talk politics, but on a local level. And politics will be only one of the topics up for discussion on the show, he said.
"With the Statesboro city elections coming up, we will have the candidates on to talk about issues and answer questions on the air," Boyum said. "But we'll bring local bands into the studio, comedians, chefs, sports personalities. I hope people tune in every morning to get the news they need, hear from people who affect their lives and have a few laughs."
Among his guests scheduled for Monday's show, Boyum will have on the air Ron Shiffler, dean of Georgia Southern's school of business and Anthony Mann, who filed suit against the city of Statesboro for rehiring city clerk Judy McCorkle.
The show will originate from the audio studio recently completed inside the Statesboro Herald office. It will simulcast live on BoroLive.com and WWNS-AM 1240 from 9-10 a.m. Monday through Friday. And if you miss the live broadcast, you can listen to "UnPHILtered" whenever you want on BoroLive.com. Each day's show will be available to listen on demand around 10:30 a.m. and listeners also can access an archive of every show if you miss one.
"National media outlets have been narrowing their focus for years. They tend to stick with the big stories or those with mass appeal," Anderson said. "As a result, local and regional coverage suffers, and that makes it even more important to cover news and produce content with an eye on the community."
While it's hard to say for sure, "UnPHILtered" may be the first daily live and local news-talk radio show ever produced in Statesboro. Joe McGlamery, president of the Statesboro Herald, grew up in Statesboro and worked in local radio for many years.
"Ray Shader had a newsmakers program he taped on a regular basis," McGlamery said. "I could be wrong, but I can't recall ever hearing a live news radio show here."
Regardless of whether it's the first or not, Boyum hopes to have a long run behind the mike of his show.
"Bringing statesboroherald.com and WWNS together allows us to offer a perspective on local issues never available before," Boyum said. "It allows both of us to reach audiences never available before. Being the host is a responsibility I take very seriously. But that doesn't mean we can't have a lot of fun at the same time. We can be serious and laugh, too."
Statesboro Herald reporter and multimedia producer Phil Boyum will be the host for "Mornings UnPHILtered." The show will air weekday mornings from 9 to 10.
"We'll bring you the latest local news, talk to guests from the area and have a lot of fun," Boyum said. "Notice I said local. We'll talk about events and stories that impact where we live. We'll have guests on who will talk about issues that affect us directly. And, of course, I'll crack a few jokes to keep things lively."
The Herald and Georgia Eagle Broadcasting began discussing the possibility of a partnership earlier this year, said Statesboro Herald publisher Randy Morton.
"We want to make our content - our news, information and entertainment - available not only in print but across as many platforms as possible," Morton said. "We recently started the live ‘Swap, Buy or Sell' audio show on statesboroherald.com to go with our live daily video news program ‘Boro Live Update' and all our video programming like ‘Studio Statesboro,' ‘Prep Sports Blitz' and other shows. I'm excited about the new opportunity of simulcasting with WWNS and grateful to their management for working with us on ‘UnPHILtered.'"
Jeff Anderson, general manager of Georgia Eagle Broadcasting, said he also is intrigued by the possibilities for the show.
"We're looking forward to a successful partnership which delivers an informative, community-minded morning show to the Statesboro and Bulloch County area," he said.
Georgia Eagle Broadcasting operates seven radio stations in Bulloch, Screven, Candler and Evans counties, including WPMX-FM, better known as Eagle 102.9, ESPN Radio 850 AM and WWNS FOX News Talk 1240. Among the well-known personalities heard on 1240 are Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Dennis Miller.
Boyum said the "UnPHILtered" program will talk politics, but on a local level. And politics will be only one of the topics up for discussion on the show, he said.
"With the Statesboro city elections coming up, we will have the candidates on to talk about issues and answer questions on the air," Boyum said. "But we'll bring local bands into the studio, comedians, chefs, sports personalities. I hope people tune in every morning to get the news they need, hear from people who affect their lives and have a few laughs."
Among his guests scheduled for Monday's show, Boyum will have on the air Ron Shiffler, dean of Georgia Southern's school of business and Anthony Mann, who filed suit against the city of Statesboro for rehiring city clerk Judy McCorkle.
The show will originate from the audio studio recently completed inside the Statesboro Herald office. It will simulcast live on BoroLive.com and WWNS-AM 1240 from 9-10 a.m. Monday through Friday. And if you miss the live broadcast, you can listen to "UnPHILtered" whenever you want on BoroLive.com. Each day's show will be available to listen on demand around 10:30 a.m. and listeners also can access an archive of every show if you miss one.
"National media outlets have been narrowing their focus for years. They tend to stick with the big stories or those with mass appeal," Anderson said. "As a result, local and regional coverage suffers, and that makes it even more important to cover news and produce content with an eye on the community."
While it's hard to say for sure, "UnPHILtered" may be the first daily live and local news-talk radio show ever produced in Statesboro. Joe McGlamery, president of the Statesboro Herald, grew up in Statesboro and worked in local radio for many years.
"Ray Shader had a newsmakers program he taped on a regular basis," McGlamery said. "I could be wrong, but I can't recall ever hearing a live news radio show here."
Regardless of whether it's the first or not, Boyum hopes to have a long run behind the mike of his show.
"Bringing statesboroherald.com and WWNS together allows us to offer a perspective on local issues never available before," Boyum said. "It allows both of us to reach audiences never available before. Being the host is a responsibility I take very seriously. But that doesn't mean we can't have a lot of fun at the same time. We can be serious and laugh, too."