WKBN Radio Searches for Bloomdaddy Replacement

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — David “Bloomdaddy” Blomquist, the Wheeling-W.Va.-based morning radio talk show host who was heard on WKBN-AM 570 for the past year, has moved on.

Blomquist starts today in the afternoon drive time slot on WTAM-1100 AM in Cleveland, which – like WKBN – is part of the iHeartMedia chain.

He is replacing Cleveland radio icon Mike Trivisonno, who held the 3-7 p.m. time slot from 1996 until his death last October. 

The Bloomdaddy show was heard on several radio stations in the tri-state region. The show will continue to air on several of those stations in the new time slot, but not WKBN.

The Youngstown-based news talk radio station will air past episodes of the Bloomdaddy show in the morning drive slot until it permanently replaces the show, said Scott Sands, Youngstown market director for iHeartMedia.

“Bloomdaddy will be updating the morning show with new content every day, interspersed with some highlights from previous shows, for the next couple of weeks as we search for his replacement,” Sands said. “Listeners may also hear some potential candidates [to host the time slot] doing live auditions during the morning show.”

The daily conservative talk show lineup at WKBN, the market leader, includes local hosts Dan Rivers and Ron Verb, and syndicated shows Clay Travis & Buck Sexton, Sean Hannity and Joe Pags.

iHeartMedia is also seeking a new morning host for WWVA and WLTB. WJAS will add America’s Morning News and First Light to succeed Blomquist.

At his new position in Cleveland, Bloomdaddy will host a Cleveland-centric, issues-based afternoon show. 

“I’m thrilled to launch this new show on a station that means so much to Cleveland,” Blomquist said in a press release. “From the minute I turned the mic on at WTAM, it’s felt like home. I look forward to having impactful conversations with my new radio family and learning even more about this incredible city.”

Before entering the field of radio, Blomquist spent 15 years as a morning television anchor and reporter in Wheeling and Charleston, W.Va. 

He has hosted mornings at WWVA radio since 2007, and also hosted an afternoon show at sports-talk station WKKX-1600 in Wheeling.

A native of Lafferty, Ohio, in Belmont County, and a Kent State University graduate, he is the father of three boys. He created his radio name to honor his sons: “Bloom” for Blomquist and “Daddy” because, he said, that is his No. 1 job.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.