EAST PROVIDENCE – Starting Monday, radio station 790 WPRV-AM will stop playing oldies music and switch to an all-talk format heavy on business, featuring three daily installments of Bloomberg news and a show hosted by local financial expert David F. Brochu, president and founding partner of Strategic Point Investment Advisors in Providence.
The “unprecedented” financial times, said Ron St. Pierre, program director for the local radio stations owned by the Citadel Broadcasting Corp., have created “the strong desire” in people to consume the latest news about the business world and the economy. “This is a good opportunity to give people the information they are looking for,” he said.
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Barbara Haynes, general manager of the Citadel stations in Rhode Island, pointed out that business formats have worked well in other parts of the nation, in part because business news draws a “targeted” audience of loyal listeners. “People addicted to the business world, myself included, will tune in,” she said.
Brochu, who is leaving rival station 920 WHJJ-AM after more than 10 years hosting a financial show Saturday mornings, said what he hopes to do at WPRV-AM is take a look each day at the latest market activity, discuss why it is important and “help the community navigate what is an extremely difficult time.” His show, “Making Money,” will be on the air weekdays from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and he will take telephone calls from listeners. Strategic Point colleague Betsey Purinton and special guests from the financial community also will be part of his show.
The Bloomberg Radio shows will air at 5 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. each day, starting with “Bloomberg First Word” in the morning, “Bloomberg Surveillance” at mid-day and “Bloomberg Taking Stock” in late afternoon. Talk show star Don Imus will retain his current 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. slot.
“The Joe Scarborough Show,” featuring the popular MSNBC-TV host, will air each day from 10 a.m. to noon. Taking up the bulk of the afternoon, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., will be a show hosted by Dave Ramsey about “life, love and relationships and how they happen to revolve around money,” according to information provided by WPRV-AM. Ramsey is a nationally recognized financial and life adviser and the author of four books.
Managing editor of CNN Lou Dobbs will dominate the evenings with a show from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and, from then until 1 a.m., “Angels in the Morning” host Curtis Sliwa will offer his national talk show with commentary on the day’s news “only Sliwa style,” the radio station said.
