CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The big news is, after more than 30 years, Steve Bishop won’t be getting up at 4 in the morning any more.
He’s stepping in to host “MetroNews Hotline,” the popular genre-bending afternoon talk show that runs from 3 to 6 p.m. on 10 stations across West Virginia and streams live on www.WVMetroNews.com.
That’s a dramatic schedule change for the 58-year-old Bishop, who is accustomed to hearing his alarm go off at 4 a.m. so he can greet regular V100 listeners from 5:30 to 9 a.m. every day.
Because that’s been his routine so long, Bishop already started wondering how his wife would react the first time she stared across the breakfast table at him.
“Imagine Monday morning: ‘Oh my God, what have I done.'”
The switcharoo is happening because Dave Weekley, who started hosting “Hotline” four years ago, has an opportunity to take on more live sports broadcasting work for ESPN.
Weekley and Bishop will be tagteaming “Hotline” for the coming week before Bishop takes over full time.
“They couldn’t have picked a better person than Steve Bishop,” Weekley said. “He brings a great persona to our program. It’s a show more about laughs and feeling good than anything else.”
Weekley said when “Hotline” began, it focused on “guy topics.”
“We threw stuff at the wall. We got into a pretty good rhythm.”
Almost everything including straight news, entertainment/pop culture/technology and sports is fair game. But the program steers away from politics, said Dale Cooper, who has been the producer for “Hotline” for its entire run.
“We get the people who like to get a break,” Cooper said. “We talk about just about anything you can imagine outside of politics.”
Sounds great to Bishop.
“I have a curiosity about almost everything, so this’ll be fun for me,” he said.
Friday was his last day on the morning show at V100, where he has pretty well been a mainstay for more than 30 years. His co-host Jenny Murray will also be making a switch, moving to a 3 to 7 p.m. shift on air. New guys Reid and Stacie, who moved over from WQBE, will take the early morning duty.
Bishop’s Facebook announcement about the move got plenty of notice — up around 400 “likes” and lots of comments.
Some samples: “Morning radio will not be the same without you.” “Oh, no, it will not be the same without listening to your voice every morning.” And, “Going to be missed in the morning but happy for you with the next chapter of your career.”
“This was a tough choice to make,” Bishop said. “It’s hard to make that move. I’m excited to be able to do more things.”
Weekley, who started broadcasting in Charleston with WCHS-TV in 1985, is excited about his own move. He’ll pick up a lot more live football and basketball events for ESPN.
“The total number of events is just overwhelming,” he said. “I couldn’t do both any more.”
Weekley, a 58-year-old Bridgeport native, added, “It’s tough to leave. I’m getting older, and I knew if I turned down this opportunity it was not going to come again.”