Ken Matthews (radio)

Ken Matthews (born 1966) is an American radio show host, professional speaker,[1] and event host. He currently hosts a show on WHP (AM) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, WPHT in Philadelphia, and globally on iHeart Radio. He is a regular guest host for Rush Limbaugh on the Premiere Radio Networks. Matthews was named one of the 100 most important talk radio show hosts, the "Heavy Hundred", in America by TALKERS Magazine.[2]

Ken Matthews
Born
New Jersey
Alma materNorth Carolina State University
Career
Station(s)WHP (AM)
Station(s)WPHT
CountryUnited States
WebsiteWHP 580

Early

Matthews was born in New Jersey in 1966, and grew up in Florida.[3] He graduated from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina with a BA in political science.[4]

Career

During orientation at NC State in August 1980, Matthews visited the campus radio station, WKNC-FM. Within a month, he was hosting an overnight show "spinning classical hits from Bach to Debussy". He then did a jazz show followed by a rock in the morning. He planned to do pre-law and then attend University of North Carolina Law School.[5] Instead he got a BA in Political Science and stayed regularly employed as a radio host.

Matthews did morning contemporary hit radio format in Portland, Maine, oldies format in Cincinnati, and CHR again in Charleston, South Carolina. His "most successful run" was decade and a half at WAEB B104 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. After being asked to leave in 2006, he "explored other options", e.g., teaching, speaking, real estate, marketing, and television while getting active on Facebook and Twitter. This led to his first talk show host position when the programming director from New Jersey 101.5 (WKXW) contacted him with the idea of doing a show based on his Facebook content. He was first asked to fill in for Bob Durgin, who had hosted his own show for 24 years at WHP-AM 580 in Harrisburg, in 2011-2012 — then hired as his full-time replacement in 2013. He considers this his greatest achievement in radio,[5] a thrilling assignment, considering Durgin was "a market legend".[6] "It's a heritage station with a great team, and it's what I enjoy doing."[5]

"We need more great conversation in public," Matthews says about his show. "I like to talk about issues that sometimes make people uncomfortable, but there's a way to talk about any issue that will get people engaged in the conversation and okay with it."[7] Jeff Hurley, Regional Program Manager at Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Harrisburg, considers Matthews "the perfect host to drive political discussion in Central Pennsylvania. He brings energy and excitement that’s infectious to everyone around him."[8]

Matthews considers Glenn Beck, whose "approach to marketing, business, and media" he admires, a major influence.[5]

Stations
  • WRFR: Franklin, NC (1981)
  • WRAL/WKNC: Raleigh, NC (1983–85)
  • WERI: Providence, RI (1985–87)
  • WTIC-FM: Hartford, CT (1987)
  • WZOU: Boston, MA (1987)
  • WWGT: Portland, ME (1987–89)
  • WSSX: Charleston, SC (1989)
  • WGRR: Cincinnati, OH (1990)
  • WAEB-FM: Allentown, PA (1991-2006)
  • WKXW: Trenton, NJ (2009–10) fill-in
  • WPHT: Philadelphia, PA (2013–present) fill-in
  • WHP: Harrisburg, PA (2013–present)
  • WLAN-AM: Lancaster, PA
  • WAEB-AM: Allentown, PA weekends

Personal

Matthews lives with "his wife of 30 years" and two teenaged sons in Pennsylvania. He is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, a pistol instructor, and a former volunteer firefighter.[4]

References
  1. Janesch, Sam (2018-10-16). "Radio host Ken Matthews condemns 'verbal minefield' of political correctness in speech to Lancaster GOP". LancasterOnline. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  2. "Thursday, May 14, 2020". TALKERS magazine - “The bible of talk media.”. 2020-05-14. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  3. "Ken Matthews". 1210 WPHT. 2018-03-09. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  4. "Ken Matthews - WHP 580". Ken Matthews. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  5. "10 Questions with ... Ken Matthews". All Access. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  6. "Media Confidential: Harrisburg Radio: Ken Matthews 'Thrilled' Over WHP Gig". Media Confidential. 2013-09-04. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  7. "Meet Ken Matthews, WHP 580's new afternoon show host". pennlive. 2013-09-03. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
  8. "Media Confidential: Harrisburg Radio: Ken Matthews Joins WHP For PM Drive". Media Confidential. 2013-08-27. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
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