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1210 WPHT dropping Sean Hannity, adding ex-97.5 The Fanatic host

"I’ve had strong opinions over the last three years that I haven’t been able to share on the air," Kayal said about his new role at WPHT.

Former 97.5 The Fanatic host Nick Kayal is returning to Philadelphia to host a new morning show on 1210 WPHT.
Former 97.5 The Fanatic host Nick Kayal is returning to Philadelphia to host a new morning show on 1210 WPHT.Read moreNick Kayal
    by Rob Tornoe
    Updated 
    Published 

Fox News host Sean Hannity is being dropped by 1210 WPHT as part of a new schedule that includes a former 97.5 The Fanatic host.

Former Philly sports talker Nick Kayal is taking over as the host of WPHT’s morning show next month, where listeners will hear more about Joe Biden and Donald Trump than Eagles games and Philly sports. He’ll replace current morning show host Rich Zeoli, who will be shifting to afternoons in an attempt to spend more quality time with his family.

“This was not an easy decision,” Zeoli told listeners Thursday. “But this is going to be better because I’ll be in a better position where I can be a real hands-on dad and help my wife with the kids.”

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Greg Stocker and Dawn Stensland will remain on the morning show with Kayal.

As a result of the schedule change, the station will drop Fox News host Hannity’s nationally syndicated show, which airs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHPT will also drop an hour of Mark Levin, with Zeoli hosting a four-hour show from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The new schedule on WPHT will begin Oct. 3.

Kayal left The Fanatic in 2015 to briefly host on SiriusXM’s Bleacher Report Radio. After that, he made stops at sports talk stations in Nashville and Atlanta, and served as the in-game host for the Nashville Predators. But Kayal said he found it difficult working in “liberal cities” for corporations that didn’t appreciate his right-leaning political opinions.

“I’ve had strong opinions over the last three years that I haven’t been able to share on the air,” Kayal said on WPHT Thursday morning. “I’m at the point now where it’s like my political opinions are stronger than my sports opinions. I felt like I had to make that transition.”

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Hannity’s show has aired on WPHT for years, and the move will leave the conservative talker without a station in the Philadelphia market, though it’s available to stream on iHeartRadio and SiriusXM’s Patriot Radio.

Here is WPHT’s new weekday lineup, beginning Oct. 3:

  1. Kayal & Co., 6 a.m. to 10 a.m.

  2. Dawn Stensland Show, 10 a.m. to noon

  3. The Dom Giordano Program, noon to 3 p.m.

  4. Rich Zeoli, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

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